LONDON-- May 27, 2021 -- Based on a sample of 5,300 large, publicly traded global companies, over 2,000 (38%) have at least one facility associated with habitat loss, according to a report by Moody’s ESG Solutions published today. Leveraging high resolution remote sensing data and a database of global corporate facilities, the report identifies which facilities are associated with observed habitat loss due to land use changes, which is the main driver of biodiversity loss.

Biodiversity loss has emerged as a concern for responsible investors, financial regulators and companies whose activities have an impact and depend on natural capital, with scientists warning that the world is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction as nature is declining at unprecedented rates. The report outlines Moody’s ESG Solutions’ framework for assessing biodiversity risk, which can provide a foundation for understanding the biodiversity risks of companies in investment and lending portfolios.

“Impacts, dependencies and governance are critical elements to consider when assessing companies’ biodiversity-related risks,” said Emilie Mazzacurati, Global Head of Moody’s Climate Solutions. “Our analytics aim to provide transparency for the market on how businesses’ operations may affect biodiversity, their dependency on natural systems, and to what extent companies are taking steps to mitigate these impacts across their value chains.”

In its study, Moody’s finds a disconnect between most companies’ commitments and tangible measures to reduce their impact on biodiversity. For example, 61% of assessed companies in the heavy construction sector disclose commitments to address biodiversity, yet less than 10% of the sector receives a ‘robust’ or ‘advanced’ score for implementation.

The full report titled ‘Integrating biodiversity into a risk assessment framework’ is available here (https://bit.ly/2QTkFdy).