A science-based solution to measure biodiversity impacts

BIGER Footprint – Biodiversity Impact and Global Footprinting Tool

The Biodiversity Impact and Global Extinction Risk Footprinting Tool (BIGER Footprint) uses Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methodology to calculate the biodiversity impacts of a company’s operations and value chain using a combination of direct and indirect drivers.

The methodology is based on LC-Impact and uses geographically specific Characterization Factors to arrive at impacts on terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.

The input data for calculations include GHG emissions, air pollution, water consumption, water and land pollution, waste generation, and land use for a particular year, and the impacts are calculated for the respective year.

The outputs are presented in terms of global PDF or Land Conversion Equivalence (km²), i.e., the area of land transformation from natural to urban conditions that would cause a comparable impact on biodiversity.

SLAM – Sensitive Locations Assessment and Mapping

The Sensitive Location Assessment and Mapping (SLAM) uses GIST Impact’s Asset Location Database, with 2.5+ million assets associated with 6,500 companies, to identify where company operations are in proximity to ecologically sensitive areas.

For each asset, a buffer zone is defined (with a radius that depends on the asset type and category of the sensitive area, following guidance from IBAT), and the degree of overlap between the asset and the sensitive locations is then scored from very low (no overlap) to very high to identify the company’s overall exposure to sensitive locations.

SLAM data can be aggregated at a portfolio level to help identify the overall risk of the portfolio resulting from the intersection with important ecologically sensitive areas.

DIRO 360 – Dependencies, Impacts, Risks and Opportunities

DIRO 360 is a suite of analytic tools to quantify and contextualise Nature Dependencies, Risks, Impacts, and Opportunities (DIRO) from the level of individual assets up to global portfolios, aligned with TNFD guidance and best practices.

Dependencies on ecosystem services: GIST Impact calculates dependency scores (very low to very high) by using a combination of ENCORE data as well as company disclosures. GIST Impact takes into consideration all 25 ecosystem services included in ENCORE as well as supported by TNFD.

Impacts on biodiversity: GIST Impact calculates impact scores (very low to very high) at a company level based on their operational biodiversity footprints and their deviation from sectoral benchmarks along with other qualitative parameters. This leverages the GIST Impact Biodiversity and Global Extinction Risk Tool (BIGER Footprint).

Risks: GIST Impact calculates biophysical risk scores (very low to very high) for 14 risk layers including water stress, water variability, forest area change, temperature variability, drought risk, flood risk, heatwave, earthquake, etc. at a company level. These scores can be aggregated at a portfolio level. Furthermore, transition risks are calculated based on country- specific regulatory and social conditions.

Opportunities: GIST Impact highlights opportunities areas for each impact category and risk type based on on the impacts and risk exposure of the company.

Further analytics include:

• Sector and Peer Benchmarking: Undertake benchmarking and trend analysis over historical timeframes from 2016.
• Portfolio Analysis: Conduct wholesale analysis fully aligned with the Locate, Evaluate, Assess, and Prepare framework recommended by the TNFD, including comparison vs a benchmark portfolio/index.
• Ecosystem and driver drill-down: Break down performance across all ecosystem types (terrestrial, freshwater, marine) and drivers (direct and indirect).