Transforming business

When it comes to the private sector, we believe that business can be part of the solution to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet.

WWF’s Market Transformation Initiative works with major companies and their supply chains to change the way key global commodities are produced, processed, consumed and financed worldwide.

As a conservation organization, our role in such corporate engagements is unique. We are driven by our mission and goals; we are not an auditor or certifier, nor do we offer work-for-hire or consulting arrangements. Instead, we seek transformational partnerships based on mutual goals that create conservation impacts where they matter most.

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Setting standards

We identify and share better practices for producing our priority commodities, particularly as part of multi-stakeholder initiatives that agree upon principles and set standards for more sustainable management practices. Through these, WWF participated in developing a number of credible, third-party certification schemes, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). These standards aim to become the leading mainstream standards in sustainability and better management practices. They must be capable of preventing further environmental degradation and drive the whole industry toward better performance.

Continuous improvement

Ongoing improvement is an essential component of the certification schemes we support. Continuously raising voluntary standards lifts industry norms, while allowing the most progressive companies to distinguish themselves from those doing business as usual. It can also raise mandatory standards, which lift up the poorest performers. In the long term, we want to elevate the necessity of sustainability: just as safety certificates are a prerequisite for selling electrical equipment, market access will depend on being able to verify that commodities have been produced within the Earth’s limits.

Engaging the private sector

Businesses can become part of the solution, rather than perceived as part of the problem. We identify where there are the biggest environmental impacts or potential impacts—and the associated risks for businesses. Once the risks are identified, companies can create voluntary standards, join roundtables, and make commitments to purchase verified sustainable products, map their supply chain or work with their suppliers. Such actions help companies make maximize their influence, as well as reduce reputational risks and maintain brand value.

Influencing financial flows

Financial markets depend on a steady flow of key natural resources to support the global economy. An eroding environmental resource base poses both acute and systemic risks to investors. There’s also a strong correlation between financial performance and performance on environmental and social issues. By attaching sustainability criteria to their lending and investment conditions, financial institutions are helping to raise standards in critical markets. Our voluntary standards and partnerships help demonstrate that a company recognizes sustainability as a business issue and is managing it well.

Supply Risk Analysis Team

  • Aakash Ahamed

    WWF US, Researcher

  • Alex Bjork

    WWF US, Deputy Director, Food

  • Daniel Brizuela

    WWF US, Senior Program Officer, Private Sector Engagement

  • Nathan Droesch

    WWF DE, Project Manager

  • Martina Fleckenstein

    WWF DE, Head of Agriculture and Land Use Change

  • Daniel Habesland

    Program Officer

  • Casey Harrison

    WWF US, Program Officer, Private Sector Engagement

  • David Kuhn

    WWF US, Program Officer

  • Jeff Malcolm

    WWF US, Manager, Private Sector Engagement

  • Matt McFall

    WWF US, Program Officer, Private Sector Engagement

  • Dave McLaughlin

    WWF US, Managing Director & VP, Agriculture

  • Amelia Meadows

    WWF US, Program Officer

  • Margherita Moretti Ehret

    Researcher

  • Michael Mulet

    WWF NL, Research Expert, Market Transformation Initiative

  • Elly Peters

    WWF NL, Research Expert, Market Transformation Initiative

  • Karen Petersen

    Researcher

  • Taís Pinheiro

    WWF US, Researcher

  • Neer Rao

    Researcher, WWF US

  • Erin Simon

    WWF US, Manager, Private Sector Engagement

  • Rebecca Traldi

    WWF US, Program Officer

  • Diane van Marrewijk

    WWF NL, Head of Operations and Capacity, Market Transformation Initiative

  • Marlena White

    WWF US, Researcher

  • Judith Winterstein

    WWF DE, Program Officer, Supply Risk