Making Collaboration Work for Climate and Nature: Practical Insights from GAEA Award Winners

The report identifies three primary models for transformative collaboration: joint ventures and strategic alliances, industry-wide alliances, and cross-sector partnerships. Using case studies from GAEA Award winners, it outlines a three-stage process for partnership-building—establishing, building trust/measuring impact, and expanding—and proposes five internal organizational enablers to improve collaboration effectiveness. Key examples include HYBRIT for fossil-free steel, Built by Nature for timber construction, and GEAPP for clean energy access in emerging markets.

• The report identifies three transformational partnership models: joint ventures and strategic alliances (businesses in the same industry/value chain), industry-wide alliances (member-based coalitions for standards), and cross-sector partnerships (combinations of public, private, and philanthropic sectors).
• The HYBRIT joint venture between SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall aims to decarbonize the Swedish iron and steel industry using hydrogen gas-based processes; it is projected to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 10% in Sweden and 7% in Finland.
• Built by Nature (BbN) utilizes a network-of-networks model to accelerate the transition to timber-based building, addressing the fact that buildings account for 40% of global energy-related emissions.
• The Climate Action Data (CAD) Trust uses a blockchain-powered metadata platform to harmonize carbon credit registry data, aiming to reduce double-counting and increase transparency in global carbon markets in alignment with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
• Together for Sustainability (TfS), a coalition of 57 chemical companies, has established a global standard for ESG supply chain performance and is developing a harmonized approach to calculate Scope 3 GHG emissions, which represent 75% of the industry's global footprint.
• The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) has leveraged $471 million in investment into $6 billion for approximately 170 projects across nearly 40 countries, improving electricity access for nearly 85 million people.
• Regenerative Production Landscape Collaboratives (RPLCs) use localized 'compacts' to restore ecosystems and improve agricultural supply chains in India, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Brazil, having restored 1 million hectares and increased smallholder income by 25-30%.
• Successful partnership-building occurs in three stages: establishing collaboration (starting small with committed members), building trust and measuring impact (using structured governance and pragmatic metrics), and expanding/deepening collaboration (designing for scalability from the start).
• To be an effective collaborator, organizations should integrate five internal enablers: clear strategy and ambition, cross-functional alignment, a collaborative mindset and culture, long-term planning and flexibility, and dedicated resourcing, capabilities, and skills.
• The Youth Climate Justice Fund (YCJF) employs 'trust-based funding' to empower youth- and Indigenous-led initiatives, disrupting traditional grant-making power dynamics where youth organizations typically receive less than 1% of climate grants.

APA

World Economic Forum (2025). Making Collaboration Work for Climate and Nature: Practical Insights from GAEA Award Winners. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Making_Collaboration_Work_for_Climate_and_Nature.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Making Collaboration Work for Climate and Nature: Practical Insights from GAEA Award Winners. 2025. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Making_Collaboration_Work_for_Climate_and_Nature.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Making Collaboration Work for Climate and Nature: Practical Insights from GAEA Award Winners |date=July 2025 |url=https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Making_Collaboration_Work_for_Climate_and_Nature.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2025making, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Making Collaboration Work for Climate and Nature: Practical Insights from GAEA Award Winners}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Making_Collaboration_Work_for_Climate_and_Nature.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }