How biodiversity affects the footwear industry

Examining how the footwear industry depends on nature, so protecting biodiversity is crucial for its future.

by Nicola Pichel-Juan

‘Biodiversity’ – that is, biological diversity – is a term used to describe the variety of life on planet Earth. It does not only refer to the total number of distinct species on our planet, but also to the genetic diversity within a species, as well as the diversity of habitats and ecosystems in which they live.

Biodiversity plays a critical role in supporting natural systems that provide food, medicines, water and other essential resources and materials. When there is a loss of biodiversity, these systems can break down. This can affect key natural processes such as pollination, decomposition and water purification, as well as affecting erosion and flood control. You may now be asking, “what does biodiversity have to do with the footwear industry?”

Firstly, many materials that are used to produce footwear come from natural systems. These include leather, natural rubber, cotton and even the paper that is used for packaging materials. Footwear supply chains also have an impact on the environment around them and therefore on biodiversity. Examples of these impacts include the conversion of natural land for industrial use, agricultural practices and chemical pollution.

There are now also global initiatives focusing on biodiversity, such as the ‘Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework’, which was adopted in December 2022 by 196 parties, including 193 United Nations member states. The framework is an international agreement that aims to halt and reverse nature loss.

Individual countries which are signatories to the agreement will introduce their own legislation to ensure that they are working towards its aims. This legislation will then impact upon organisations operating in those countries. An example of this is the European Union’s ‘Nature Restoration Regulation’. China has also updated its ‘National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan’ to align with the framework.

Measuring biodiversity

Biodiversity is not easy to measure, but there are several approaches that an organisation can consider. In some cases, it may be relevant to closely monitor a particular location – for instance, if there is a specific project underway to improve biodiversity from where a material is being sourced. This could involve tracking key metrics over a period of time, including 1) ‘species presence’ – if a particular species is found in the area, 2) ‘species abundance’ – how many individuals from each species can be found, and 3) ‘species diversity’ – the number and variety of species within a habitat.

The condition of a habitat could also be assessed for indicators such as vegetation cover, soil health, water quality and the presence of invasive species. In practice, this is likely to involve field surveys, remote monitoring (including satellite or drone), or setting up specific biodiversity monitoring programmes.

Lifecycle assessment (LCA) is another method that can be used to assess the potential biodiversity impacts associated with a particular product or supply chain. However, this can be quite abstract and some of the available data is in its infancy. It would therefore be recommended to use this approach alongside geolocation data.

There are various sources of geolocation data. The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and the WWF both provide data free of charge. EUSPA’s ‘Earth Observation’ platform hosts data from satellite images showing environmental data such as tree cover density. The WWF provides risk filter tools covering topics such as water scarcity. This geolocation data can then be overlaid onto a map of an organisation’s supply chain to identify any hot-spots or risk areas.

Organisations can also use biodiversity frameworks such as the ‘Science Based Targets Network’ (SBTN) and the ‘Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures’ (TNFD) to provide a structure and to support their work on biodiversity.

Supply chain transparency and biodiversity

It is clear from everything discussed above that supply chain transparency is key to understanding and improving biodiversity. An organisation needs to understand the origin of its raw materials and trace them back to their original source, particularly those linked to land use and agriculture.

What can organisations do?

Although this might seem like a daunting challenge, there are some practical steps that organisations can take to understand and reduce their impacts on biodiversity.

Within supply chains: Where possible, organisations should prioritise sourcing their raw materials from certified schemes. Relevant certifications might include the Leather Working Group, the Sustainable Leather Foundation, the Forest Stewardship Council and the Better Cotton Initiative. Organisations which have the capacity to do so should engage their supply chains to promote agricultural practices that reduce pressure on ecosystems. Any chemicals used during the production process should also be reviewed to ensure that no harmful substances are being released into the environment.

At company sites: There may also be opportunities at an organisation’s own site to make small changes to support biodiversity. These could include initiatives such as creating or improving on-site green spaces, developing wildflower areas or ‘pollinator gardens’, installing bird boxes and bat boxes, providing habitats for insects or reducing pesticide use.

Organisations with suitable spaces (and funds) could also consider creating ponds or wetland areas.

Employee engagement

Improving biodiversity can also be used as an opportunity to build employee engagement and to establish partnerships with the local community. Members of staff could take part in implementing onsite improvements or participate in local initiatives to plant trees and restore natural habitats.

The future

Looking forward, it is likely that organisations will have to increasingly focus on understanding and minimising their biodiversity impacts. There will be more focus on biodiversity through sustainability reporting, supply chain management and legislation.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 22 of the September 2026 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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