The Handbook provides food and drink companies with the tools they need to understand and address their nature-related impacts and dependencies, a vital step for an industry whose success depends so directly on the health of the natural world. It sets out a clear business case for investing in nature: protecting supply chains, managing risks, and building long-term resilience.

The publication draws on the work of the Nature Markets Dialogue, convened by Broadway, which has brought together more than 180 professionals from 160 organisations to address the barriers to high-integrity investment in nature. The Dialogue identified the need for clear governance, stronger demand drivers, and early, no-regrets action from business. The Handbook shows how high-level principles can be translated into real-world business practice.

“We are grateful to The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) for showing remarkable leadership in this space,” said Liam Stokes, Nature and Communications Director at the Broadway Initiative. “Wildlife and the ecosystems they inhabit are dwindling at home and around the world, a crisis that presents not only a moral imperative but a specific challenge to a food and drinks sector that depends upon nature.

"Yet businesses are not only threatened by the perilous state of nature; they also hold the solution. This Handbook presents food and drinks manufacturers with the tools they need to lead the way in nature-positive action and build the resilient, sustainable businesses of tomorrow.”

From Ambition to Action
The new guidance builds on FDF's  existing resources on decarbonisation and energy, expanding the Federation’s support for members to include practical pathways toward nature recovery. It walks food and drinks manufacturers through how to conduct nature-related risk and impact assessments and integrate those findings into procurement and farmer relationships. The Handbook also explores how businesses can engage with nature-related opportunities, and how nature finance can form part of a credible nature strategy.

The Broadway Initiative will continue to work alongside FDF, Defra, and partners across government and industry to ensure that governance structures evolve in step with the businesses driving change on the ground. The Nature Markets Dialogue will now move into its next phase, focusing on implementing governance recommendations and embedding private investment in nature across the full range of environmental policy.

The Nature Positive Handbook demonstrates what can happen when collaboration turns ambition into action. Together, the FDF and Broadway are showing that a nature-positive choice can be the financially positive choice, for companies, communities, and the environment alike.