San Francisco - December 17, 2008 - With an increasing number of corporations recognizing the importance of the environment to their bottom line, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) has published a groundbreaking report reviewing the emerging tools companies can use to measure "ecosystem services"-the collective benefits, such as the provision of clean water and timber, that are provided by a community of plants and animals interacting with their physical environments.

"Companies from all industries rely on ecosystems services-from forests, which supply pure water and help regulate temperature, to wetlands, which provide filtration and flood mitigation benefits," said Linda Hwang, BSR's Manager, Environmental Research & Development. "And while there are many tools to help corporations measure and protect these services, until BSR launched this report, there hasn't been a concise and accessible review that helps companies select the best tool for their needs."

BSR's report, "Measuring Corporate Impact on Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Review of New Tools," developed with support from the nine global companies in BSR's Environmental Services, Tools, and Markets Working Group, offers a comprehensive assessment of the seven leading tools.

These tools build on the scientific foundation of the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and fall into two broad categories:

Multi-ecosystem service assessment tools: These focus on more than one ecosystem service at once. One example is ARIES (Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Service), a computer model that forecasts the economic values provided by ecosystem services in a specific area.

Biodiversity-focused tools: These tools consider the role of biodiversity in ecosystem structure and function. An example is BBOP (Business and Biodiversity Offsets Program Toolkit), which assesses the effectiveness of biodiversity offsets-conservation activities intended to compensate for the residual, unavoidable harm to biodiversity caused by infrastructure projects.

The report also includes a chart that compares the relative strengths and weaknesses of the seven tools from a corporate perspective.

"Given the growing efforts around environmental markets and policy changes to protect environmental services, companies need to understand their dependencies and impacts on ecosystem services," Hwang said. "This report gives leading companies a starting point for integrating ecosystem services into their corporate decisions-in effect benefiting their bottom line and ecological systems."

For more information about this report and the Environmental Services, Tools, and Markets Working Group, contact Linda Hwang at lhwang@bsr.org. Download the full report at www.bsr.org/reports/BSR_EMI_Tools_Application.pdf, or view the executive summary at www.bsr.org/reports/BSR_EMI_Tools_Application_Summary.pdf.

About BSR

A leader in corporate responsibility since 1992, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) works with its global network of more than 250 member companies to develop sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. With six offices in Asia, Europe, and North America, BSR leverages its expertise in environment, human rights, economic development, and transparency and accountability to guide global companies toward creating a just and sustainable world. Visit www.bsr.org for more information.

BSR

BSR

Since 1992, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) has been providing socially responsible business solutions to many of the world's leading corporations. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and China, BSR is a nonprofit business association that serves its 250 member companies and other Global 1000 enterprises. Through advisory services, convenings and research, BSR works with corporations and concerned stakeholders of all types to create a more just and sustainable global economy. For more information, visit www.bsr.org.

More from BSR