Conference

Towards Delivering a Successful UK SME Nature Positive Finance Market

London, Middlesex University Business School, 15 Mar 2024, 10am-5pm

The project team of the SME Nature Positive Finance project are inviting practitioners and policy makers to a one-day conference on 15 Mar 2024 at Middlesex University Business School to discuss current research findings on the transition of the UK’s SME green economy through the adoption of biodiversity risk assessment in commercial financing. 

. . .

While Climate and Net Zero policies are gaining prominence, biodiversity remains a critical yet often overlooked aspect in finance policies. Recent global agreements, including the COP15 Biodiversity Kunming-Montreal agreement (2022) and the UN ’30 by 30′ initiative, underscore the growing concern and momentum to prevent biodiversity loss. Landmark statements by Central Bankers and the TNFD framework demonstrate the way forward, signalling the integration of biodiversity evaluation into financial risk assessment.

The conference addresses the challenge of providing science-based target measurements and practical frameworks for UK finance markets. Despite SMEs making up 99.7% of all UK businesses, they are not required to report on their environmental performance and have far fewer resources than large businesses to do so. The event tackles the need for a consistent and coherent policy mix and explores innovative solutions for smaller enterprises to measure and assess nature-positive activities.

We bring together state-of-the-art knowledge, considering leading SME innovations in the UK and globally, along with their public and private financiers. Middlesex University’s research, supported by the Natural Environment Research Council’s Integrated Finance and Biodiversity program, highlights key UK sectors where SMEs are at the forefront of innovative solutions to measure and assess nature-positive business activities. 

Join us for an engaging discussion on cutting-edge practical solutions that can drive the success of the UK SME Nature Positive Finance Market. The conference will report on the progress of different market sectors and verticals in agrifood, textiles and fashion, transport and infrastructure development as well as associated ecological tech to provide important insights for practitioner policymakers, businesses and their support agencies. The event provides a unique opportunity for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the development of impactful strategies to address climate and biodiversity challenges. The discussions of the day will feed into the team’s further dissemination reporting, including policy briefings, online sector reports, and support tools to assist smaller businesses and their financiers.

Event outputs

Please note, the event has now passed. For outputs from the event, please see the dedicated Event page at: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/3n6yiWeAqZ8mu

Related reading