The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review

The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR) is a structured methodology developed by the World Resources Institute, the Meridian Institute, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to help companies identify and manage business risks and opportunities resulting from their dependence on and impact on ecosystems.

• The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment found that ecosystems have declined more rapidly and extensively over the last 50 years than at any other comparable time in human history, with 15 of the 24 evaluated ecosystem services showing degradation.
• Ecosystem degradation creates five primary categories of business risks and opportunities: operational (e.g., freshwater costs or water-use efficiency), regulatory and legal (e.g., fines or policy engagement), reputational (e.g., NGO campaigns or sustainable branding), market and product (e.g., eco-certified products or carbon sequestration markets), and financing (e.g., lending requirements or favorable loan terms).
• Traditional environmental management systems often fail to address ecosystem risks because they focus on pollution and resource consumption (impacts) rather than a company's dependence on ecosystem services, and they typically prioritize risks over business opportunities.
• The ESR methodology is applicable to industries with direct ecosystem interaction—such as agriculture, beverages, water services, forestry, electricity, oil, gas, mining, and tourism—as well as sectors like retail, healthcare, consulting, and financial services whose suppliers or customers interact with ecosystems.
• As of 2012, approximately 300 companies have utilized the ESR. The methodology was road-tested by WBCSD member companies including Akzo Nobel, BC Hydro, Mondi, Rio Tinto, and Syngenta, with further case studies provided by Yves Rocher, Lafarge, and CEMEX.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review. https://www.wri.org/research/corporate-ecosystem-services-review

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/corporate-ecosystem-services-review.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review |url=https://www.wri.org/research/corporate-ecosystem-services-review |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendcorporate, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/corporate-ecosystem-services-review}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }