The OBC initiative - Organization for Biodiversity Certificates (OBC) has commissioned Ersnt&Young to structure the market for biodiversity certificates and is launching a survey to identify the terms that will be associated with them.
Launched in 2022, the Organization for Biodiversity Certificates (OBC) aims to create a system for financing the conservation and restoration of ecosystems around the world using biodiversity certificates. To develop this market, OBC is working with Ersnt&Young (EY), which is providing its expertise in market structuring.
An important part of this work involves analysing the needs and expectations of companies (buyers) with regard to biodiversity certificates. To this end, OBC and EY have set up a questionnaire designed to gather the opinions of companies investing in biodiversity. The questionnaire aims to identify the claims that businesses would like to see associated with these certificates, which is essential for their adoption and success on the market.
The survey seeks to assess the claims that could be associated with the purchase of these certificates, with the aim of stimulating business demand and ensuring the success of the initiative. This information will also contribute to the report that the OBC plans to publish at COP16.
Sections of the questionnaire include:
Available until 2 August 2024, the questionnaire takes between 5 and 15 minutes to complete. OBC and EY would like to thank in advance all those who take part, and relevant contributions will be mentioned in the forthcoming report.
This OBC initiative is based on a methodological approach that will be adapted to each ecosystem. It is supported by key players such as the ATIBT, which sees it as an opportunity to enhance the value of forests and the work of its certified manager members. At present, their economic model is rather limited and the other services provided by forest management are not sufficiently recognised. The ATIBT is therefore seeking to put in place innovative financing mechanisms to diversify the income from this model and make it sustainable.
