The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has launched the world’s first international standard dedicated to supporting organisations in assessing and managing their biodiversity impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities. The new framework, ISO 17298: Biodiversity for organisations – Guidelines and Requirements, was officially introduced at ISO’s 2025 Annual Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda [1][2].

The standard comes amid increasing global pressure for businesses to address biodiversity loss, with an estimated US$44 trillion, over half of global GDP, moderately or highly dependent on nature [1]. ISO said the new standard provides a practical and scalable roadmap for organisations to integrate biodiversity considerations into their strategies, operations and governance. It aims to close the existing gap created by the absence of a common biodiversity framework, which has led to fragmented corporate approaches and growing confusion around nature-related risks [1][2].

Noelia Garcia Nebra, ISO’s Head of Sustainability and Partnerships, said the standard “embeds biodiversity into core governance and risk management practices – not just sustainability reporting – ensuring alignment with global expectations and organisational operations” [1][2]. She added that ISO 17298 enables large-scale, systemic change by helping companies move from ambition to measurable action.

Developed by ISO Technical Committee 331 on Biodiversity, which includes experts from over 60 countries, ISO 17298 draws on collaboration with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), which contributed its LEAP (Locate, Evaluate, Assess and Prepare) approach [1][2]. TNFD Technical Director Emily McKenzie said the new standard “helps harmonise concepts, definitions and approaches,” supporting organisations in integrating nature-related issues into strategy and operations [1][2].

ISO 17298 is interoperable with other major frameworks, including ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems), ISO 26000 (Social Responsibility), the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly Target 15, which focuses on corporate biodiversity action [1][2].

Marco Rossi, ISO Director of Standardization, highlighted that the standard is adaptable for small and large organisations alike, supporting credible and comparable biodiversity data to inform investment decisions, improve disclosure and unlock access to biodiversity-linked markets [1][2].

The release of ISO 17298 marks the beginning of a broader suite of biodiversity standards, with future work planned on biodiversity net gain, terminology, and the characterisation of products based on native species [1][2].

References
[1] ISO Launches New Biodiversity Standard, ESG Today. https://www.esgtoday.com/iso-launches-new-biodiversity-standard/
[2] The World’s First International Standard Dedicated to Helping Organizations Take Action on Biodiversity Launched Today in Rwanda, International Organization for Standardization (ISO). https://www.iso.org/news/2025/10/standard-17298_biodiversity