The BRC has told retailers they need to do more to implement nature-based targets and strategies despite food businesses taking the industry lead. By Nick Hughes.
Retailers have been told they must urgently address the loss of nature and biodiversity or risk jeopardising supply chain resilience.
The warning was issued by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) after a survey found three quarters (76%) of retailers have set no targets for protecting nature.
The BRC surveyed members across the entire retail industry, 27% of which were food retailers including some food-to-go brands. Although it found an overall lack of engagement with nature impacts by businesses, the survey showed food retailers are well ahead of their non-food counterparts in areas like target setting, disclosures and strategy.
Over half (54%) of all non-food retailers, including those specialising in textiles, health and beauty, and home and DIY, have yet to set any specific public commitments on nature compared with just a third of food retailers that have failed to do so.
Over 80% of food retailers either include nature as a pillar in their wider ESG strategies or are currently in the process of doing so compared with only 38% of non-food respondents.
All food respondents have considered or implemented a nature-related business programme, while 38% of non-food businesses have yet to take any action.
The BRC said the biggest barrier businesses face in taking action on nature is the capacity to access, collect, and use nature-related data to understand impacts, risks and dependencies in order to make disclosures and take strategic action. Half of food retailers have a basic data strategy in place already, compared to just 30% of non-food retailers.
The findings are revealed in a new report which marks the latest phase of the BRC’s ‘Plan for Nature’. Launched last year, the campaign aims to kick-start comprehensive industry-wide action on nature and biodiversity.
Risk and resilience
In the report, the BRC described the joint climate and biodiversity emergency as “one of the greatest threats to both our planet and the economy, exposing businesses to material financial, legal, physical and reputational risks”. It cited data forecasting that, if we stay on the current path of nature loss, by 2030 we could see a global GDP drop of 2.3% annually.
The report is the latest sign that resilience has become a watchword for the food sector in 2025 as a combination of environmental, economic and geopolitical risks heap pressure on supply chains.
The BRC said it’s important to see nature not just as a risk but as “a commercial opportunity to build value and resilience in your organisation and gain competitive advantage”.
It echoes a point Planeatry Alliance co-founder Mike Barry made in a recent interview with Footprint. “The food system is precarious — facing volatile supply chains, escalating climate shocks, soaring healthcare costs, and consumers losing trust in ‘business as usual,” explained Barry. “The businesses that integrate health and sustainability will be the ones to secure consumer loyalty, investor confidence, and long-term competitiveness in this quickly shifting landscape.”
The BRC’s ultimate aim is for the retail sector to become nature positive by 2050, by which it means “halting and reversing nature loss by 2030, measured from a baseline of 2020, to enable full recovery by 2050”.
It also identified the need to build bridges between climate and nature strategies and connect the dots between nature-based solutions and emission reductions.
The focus for the next year of activity on nature will include advocating for “workable policies” that enable business action on nature (including UK and EU deforestation regulations), establishing standardised metrics for nature disclosure and data collection, improving supplier engagement, and continued awareness-raising among retailers about the importance of nature.
“Despite the huge costs and pressures in supply chains, it is imperative that we maintain progress to protect and restore our environment,” said Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC.
“It is great to see such a number and variety of UK retailers stepping up to their responsibilities, working with their suppliers to make practical changes to reduce our impact on the environment, all the while maintaining affordability and choice for customers. We look forward to seeing the Government’s revised Environment Improvement Plans, and working closely with them and retailers to make further progress in this critical area.”
