As biodiversity loss increasingly disrupts supply chains, adds operational costs, and invites heightened scrutiny from regulators and investors, ISO 17298 steps in with a scalable, practical toolset. It’s aimed at helping organizations understand and manage their biodiversity dependencies and risks—not as an add-on to ESG reports, but as a central part of strategy.
Developed by ISO Technical Committee 331 with contributions from over 60 countries, the standard supports companies in moving from general ambition to measurable, accountable action. It also aligns closely with existing initiatives, including ISO 14001, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), and SDG targets, especially the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s Target 15.
Until now, the lack of a unifying global approach has made it difficult for companies to engage with biodiversity in a credible or consistent way. Fragmented guidance and voluntary tools have left many businesses unsure how to respond to nature-related risks, despite growing pressure from stakeholders, financiers, and regulators.
ISO 17298 addresses this gap by offering a roadmap to integrate biodiversity into enterprise-wide risk management systems, strategy, and operations. The framework supports decision-making with clear steps to evaluate dependencies, assess impacts, and identify opportunities across the value chain. Rather than prescribing rigid metrics, it focuses on aligning business practice with globally recognized principles.
Its interoperability with other major frameworks—like the TNFD’s LEAP approach (Locate, Evaluate, Assess, Prepare)—means businesses don’t need to start from scratch. The standard is adaptable for organizations of all types and sectors, whether SMEs, multinationals, or public institutions, and facilitates comparable biodiversity data that can be used in disclosures and due diligence.
ISO Director of Standardization Marco Rossi emphasized the flexibility built into the design: “ISO 17298 is suitable for a wide range of users, from SMEs and large corporates to public institutions and cities. It supports the production of credible, comparable biodiversity data that can inform investment decisions, improve disclosure, and unlock access to nature-positive economy and biodiversity-linked markets.”
ISO 17298 is the first in a series of biodiversity standards planned by ISO. Upcoming additions will cover technical vocabulary, net biodiversity gain, and product characterization—laying the groundwork for more rigorous and standardized biodiversity practices across industries.
The timing of the standard’s release—coinciding with Rwanda’s new National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan—reflects growing political and business momentum toward nature protection. As expectations around nature disclosures and corporate responsibility increase, ISO 17298 offers a credible and unified starting point for companies looking to future-proof their operations.
