The Global Reporting Initiative has joined 85 signatories in endorsing the Kumamoto Declaration, a global call to accelerate the transition toward a nature-positive future. Released at the conclusion of the Global Nature Positive Summit in Kumamoto, Japan, the declaration highlights the urgent need to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, in line with the primary objective of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. With only four years left to achieve the 2030 targets and implementation currently lagging behind schedule, the declaration stresses that shifting to a nature-positive model should be approached as a vital opportunity to drive innovation, strengthen resilience, and support sustainable growth.
Delivering this economic transition requires corporations, governments, and financial institutions to operate from a shared understanding of how business operations affect the environment. The declaration asserts that consistent impact reporting, facilitated by GRI, serves as the foundation for corporate transparency, public accountability, and informed decision-making. The choice of location for the summit holds historical significance, as Japan has long maintained that economic resilience is tied to healthy ecosystems; currently, businesses representing 65 per cent of Japanese market capitalisation already report their sustainability metrics using the GRI Standards.
Tomoo Machiba, Vice Chair of the GRI Global Sustainability Standards Board, noted that sustainable land management, as historically practiced in rural Japan, serves as a reminder that economic prosperity depends on healthy relationships between people, nature, and local economies. He stated that building organizational resilience requires understanding impacts and dependencies on ecosystems, pointing to the GRI 101 Biodiversity Standard as the global best practice to generate these insights. Harold Pauwels, GRI Director of Standards, added that reversing nature loss demands transparency regarding how corporate actions avoid or reduce negative ecological impacts, emphasizing that GRI is collaborating across the reporting ecosystem to improve alignment and raise accountability.
The declaration advocates for a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach that unites civil society, businesses, indigenous populations, and financial institutions to translate global green commitments into practical outcomes. To successfully mobilise the private sector, the declaration calls for globally consistent, standards-based approaches to assessment, target-setting, reporting, and corporate transition planning.
The Global Nature Positive Summit, held on 14–15 July, convened leaders from multiple sectors to build momentum ahead of the COP17 conference. During the event, Machiba participated in a plenary panel focused on advancing interoperability between different reporting frameworks. The updated GRI 101: Biodiversity 2024 standard allows organisations to publicly disclose their most significant ecological impacts, meeting growing market expectations for disclosures that detail how business activities affect species, ecosystems, and local communities.
