Nature is our raison d'être, it's our future, it's all around us but often ignored, it is our main stakeholder.
Brad Vanstone, Co-Founder of Willicroft where Mother Nature is CEO
This is how Nature can be onboarded
Imagine a world where the nature of business is for good, and all stakeholders are valued and prioritised. Imagine a world where Nature is a stakeholder in every company because the nature of business is Nature’s business.
These four models help to provide a conceptual basis for understanding Nature-inclusive governance.
Nature as Inspiration can either be a policy-based declaration of intent/values; or a legal entrenchment of Nature as Purpose in an organisation's constitutional documents.
Nature as Inspiration, as a policy-based approach, is a cultural entrenchment of Nature and Nature-positive values in an organisation. The most notable example of Nature as Inspiration is the campaign for Mother Nature as CEO, featured in this toolkit (Willicroft, Blyde).
In its legal form, Nature as Purpose is an explicit commitment to Nature by the organisation, as included in the constitutional documents/Articles of Incorporation/Articles of Association/Bylaws. For example,
Faith in Nature, featured in the toolkit, amended the Objects of the Company to promote the success of the company, and to operate the business in a manner that benefits Nature.
Nature as Advisor can be either a policy or legal commitment, to entrench Nature as a stakeholder in a consultory capacity, within the governance of a company, via the creation of an advisory board, or advisory board seat.
This approach can be either a policy or a legal entrenchment of Nature, depending on the chosen vision and strategy of a company.
Nature as Advisor can be represented through an individual or through a committee; in addition, an advisory board/role can be either internal or external to an organisation.
Where it is legally entrenched (i.e. within a company’s organisational constitutional documents), an advisory council has a mandate to advise the board concerning Nature-related decisions.
Where it is a policy-based entrenchment, the advisory board is a conversational space, where key topics are presented for consultation and discussion. The advisory board then makes its (non-binding) recommendations to the Board of Directors.
The most notable example of Nature as Advisor as a policy-based, external/satellite committee framework was developed by Corporate Regeneration, featured in this toolkit.
The most notable example of Nature as Advisor, via an individual advisory role, was developed by the Zoönomic Institute, featured in this toolkit. The ‘Speaker for the Living’ has an ‘observer board seat in organisations certified as Zoöps.
Nature as Director is a legal commitment to entrench the voice, the vote, and the interests of Nature in the constitutional, strategic and operational governance of the company.
This approach is a legal entrenchment of the status of Nature as Stakeholder, within the constitutional and governance DNA of a company. Nature is given protection and rights, through both a revision of the Articles of Association, an upgrading of the Objects of a company, and an amendment to the organisational governance policy framework.
The creation of a directorship role entrenches Nature’s input in the decision-making of the company, through a range of rights, including: voting, access to information, reporting review, etc. Nature as Director also has equal rights and duties as other company directors.
Nature as Director can take the form of a singular role, as an executive (operational) or non-executive (strategic) director; or in the form of a collective role, where the whole board acts as proxy for Nature.
The most notable examples of Nature as Director, featured in various forms in this toolkit, include Faith in Nature, House of Hackney (interviewed & mentioned), Hub Culture, and Palais de Tokyo.
Nature as Shareholder is a legal commitment to entrench the voice, the vote, and the interests of Nature, through the ownership structure and governance of the company.
This approach is a legal entrenchment of Nature through an alternative ownership model, that shifts or expands the scope of decision-making and economic value to a wider pool of stakeholders.
Nature as Shareholder is generally based on the steward-ownership model, which is a legal structure that puts an emphasis on purpose over profits; self-governance, and long-term goals (legacy). As a guardian of the company’s Nature-driven mission, Nature as Shareholder can be integrated through different forms: golden shareholder; neutralised capital; shareholder foundation; perpetual purpose trust.
The most notable examples of Nature as Shareholder, featured in this toolkit, include: Patagonia and Tony’s Chocolonely.