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A multinational producer active in the human and animal food sector partnered with RSM Belgium to take its first structured steps toward understanding and managing its impact on nature. This producer relies on a wide variety of natural resources to manufacture hundreds of products. Although the organisation recognised the strategic importance of biodiversity, it lacked a clear methodology to assess its dependencies, risks, and impacts. RSM Belgium provided a full, end to end approach designed for companies at the very beginning of their nature related journey, grounded in international standards and best practices.
Project Objectives
The engagement was designed to help the organisation:
- Understand its relationship with nature by identifying key natural resources on which its operations depend
- Assess biodiversity‑related impacts and risks associated with one priority material
- Build internal awareness and capacity around biodiversity concepts and international frameworks
- Establish a scalable methodology that can be applied to additional materials in future phases
- Generate recommendations to guide the company toward more nature‑positive practices
Identifying the Most Relevant Natural Resource
The project began with a screening of the company’s materials and products using RSM’s Biodiversity Assessment set of tools. This included assessing which materials are most frequently used, their origins, and whether they are linked to complex or geographically dispersed supply chains.
Through this process, silica emerged as the most relevant natural resource for further assessment. Its extensive use across the company’s product portfolio, combined with the logistical and environmental sensitivities associated with its extraction and supply chain, positioned it as a priority material for more detailed evaluation.
A Biodiversity Assessment Aligned with International Frameworks
Once silica was selected, RSM Belgium conducted a detailed Biodiversity Assessment to understand the organisation’s dependencies, impacts, and risks related to this resource. The assessment was based on internationally recognised tools and methodologies, including WWF guidance, ENCORE, and the TNFD framework.
Due to project constraints, the analysis focused on region level insights rather than supplier specific data. This still allowed for a robust understanding of the biodiversity pressures associated with silica extraction in key sourcing regions.
The mining industry, which supplies silica, relies heavily on provisioning services such as water and minerals, and regulating services like climate regulation, water flow maintenance, and erosion control. It also exerts significant pressure on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems through land disturbance, water use, GHG emissions, air pollution, soil contamination, solid waste, and water pollution.
The client’s main silica supplier operates in a region with the highest environmental dependency score among all sourcing locations. This means the supplier’s operations are highly dependent on fragile ecosystem services and exposed to significant physical and reputational risks.
Examples of Key Risks Identified
- Water scarcity affecting extraction and processing
- Changes in land, freshwater, or sea use impacting local biodiversity
- Tree cover loss and habitat degradation
- Pollution risks, including air, soil, and water contamination
- Proximity to protected or conserved areas
- Extreme heat and climate related pressures
- Reputational risks driven by media scrutiny, political context, and international significance of the region
- Labor and human rights concerns
- Distance to markets, affecting logistics and resilience
These insights were derived from regional industry data rather than site specific practices, due to the limited scope of the project.
A Full RSM Approach: What It Typically Includes
While this project focused on regional insights, RSM Belgium’s broader biodiversity methodology is designed to be applicable across industries. In a full assessment, RSM would explore topics such as regulatory compliance, resource efficiency, waste and emissions management, site rehabilitation practices, and energy use.
These themes are adapted to each sector’s realities and help organisations move from high level insights to a precise understanding of real practices across their value chain.
From Assessment to Action
Based on the findings, RSM Belgium developed a set of practical recommendations aligned with the mitigation hierarchy:
- Avoidance of high risk sourcing regions where feasible
- Minimisation of impacts through improved procurement criteria
- Rehabilitation and restoration opportunities in affected areas
- Compensation measures where impacts cannot be fully mitigated
These recommendations provide a clear roadmap for the company to strengthen its biodiversity performance and integrate nature considerations into future decision making.
Laying the Grounds for a Broader Nature Strategy
Understanding how natural resources underpin operations is becoming essential for long term competitiveness. Companies that assess their biodiversity dependencies, impacts and risks gain clearer visibility over supply chain vulnerabilities, regulatory exposure, and potential disruptions linked to ecosystem degradation. They also position themselves to meet rising expectations from customers, investors, and regulators, while uncovering opportunities for innovation in sourcing, product design, and circularity.
RSM Belgium’s pragmatic, step by step approach enables organisations to begin this journey with confidence, starting small, building internal capability, and progressively expanding toward a comprehensive nature strategy, supporting both environmental stewardship and long term business resilience.
