Accounting for nature contributions to people in corporate sustainability: The case of a waste management company in Portugal

• Published in: Corporate social-responsibility and environmental management 2024-07, Vol.31 (4), p.2619-2628
• Main Authors: Pinto, Tania, Machado, Telmo, Nicolau, Diana, Oliveira, Nuno Gaspar, Vaz, Ana Sofia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: biodiversity; Cost benefit analysis; ecosystem services; Green infrastructure; Investments; monetary valuation; nature contributions to people; Open spaces; participatory approach; Quality of life; Urban planning; Waste management; Waste management industry
• ISSN: 1535-3958; 1535-3966
• DOI: 10.1002/csr.2706

Nature's contributions to people (NCP) are contributions of natural capital to people's quality of life, being at the center of political and societal concern. There is an increasing recognition of businesses' responsibility toward conservation and responsible use of natural capital. In this exploratory study, we identified gains of corporate investments on natural capital, focusing on LIPOR, a waste management company that closed and converted a dumpsite into a multifunctional Urban Green Space. We gathered and reviewed available data and concluded that there are €113,020,478 in NCP benefits, from €7,760,032 business investments by LIPOR, roughly representing a positive cost–benefit ratio of 14, over 2 decades. Results suggest that well‐targeted business investments in natural capital can provide high rates of return associated with people's benefits. Our case study contributes to fulfilling a gap in business literature by deliberately linking rates of investment on natural capital with the valuation of NCP benefits.