The CSCP at COP 15: Focusing on the Links Between Biodiversity, Business, and Circular Economy! Key global actors have come together at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference CBD COP 15, running from 7 to 19 December in Montreal, Canada, to jointly focus on commitments to stop biodiversity loss and align actions toward its restoration. The conference is a historic event expected to adopt the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which includes a strategic vision as well as a global roadmap for the conservation, protection, restoration, and sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems for the next eight years. Government leaders are discussing 22 targets that will guide their activities to implement the new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) roadmap. The CSCP is following the COP 15 developments with a focus on supporting biodiversity targets that are linked to sustainable consumption and production. For example, target 15 of the GBF maintains that “All businesses assess and report on their dependencies and impacts on biodiversity, from local to global, and progressively reduce negative impacts by at least half, moving towards the full sustainability of extraction and production practices, sourcing and supply chains, use and disposal.” Business & Biodiversity Our UBi project supports German businesses and business associations in integrating biodiversity into their strategic planning and taking action to achieve biodiversity goals, including the COP 15 targets. In addition, German companies are supported to introduce biodiversity criteria into their environmental management. The CSCP and the UBi project partner Biodiversity in Good Company joined relevant COP 15 sessions on the links between biodiversity and business and are continuously engaging and exchanging with key global players. During the COP 15 plenary session “Embedding Biodiversity into Business”, organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it was highlighted that businesses should recognise their dependency on biodiversity and see it as a source for innovative development. The session speakers also stressed the need for companies to analyse the materiality of their business impacts in order to identify their hotspots and take action accordingly. Circular Economy and Biodiversity Considering that resource extraction and the processing of products are linked to biodiversity loss, there is an urgent need to re-think how we produce and consume. Circular Economy is one of the main pathways to the transformative change we need and if implemented appropriately a lever to achieve the targets of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Through Circular Economy projects and as a member of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP), the CSCP engages with all partners to strengthen the ties between biodiversity and Circular Economy. At COP 15, the CSCP joined the session titled “The Circular Economy as a crucial tool for biodiversity & climate”, organised by ECESP members (IUCN European Regional Office and Ellen MacArthur Foundation). The session showcased the linkages between Circular Economy and biodiversity and how innovative economic models can support to achieve the targets of the post-2020 GBF. If you are interested in discussing the interfaces of biodiversity, business and Circular Economy, please reach out to Cristina Fedato.