Back to Nature: A Call to Action

What’s Around the Corner

Artificial Intelligence Is Helping Decode the Languages of the Natural World

Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analysis of how ecosystems use and respond to sound, also known as “bioacoustics,” could accelerate environmental monitoring and increase understanding of impacts.

Business should anticipate increased scrutiny of the environmental impacts of industry, including but not limited to noise pollution, as well as implications for sustainability reporting and ethical data use.

Interest is growing in how this new understanding could be applied to help measure ecosystem health and support restoration efforts.

The Concept of “Nature’s Rights” Is Being Extended into Criminal Law

Courts and legislatures are increasingly extending legal personhood to water bodies, wildlife, and ecosystems, granting them a defendable right not to be harmed.

Businesses can expect expanding regulation on environmental impacts just as for human rights, from due diligence to trade barriers for non-compliance.

Frameworks for compliance, such as indicators of nature’s rights abuses and remediation processes, need to be established. Remediation may have lasting financial impacts for businesses, specifically regarding irreversible environmental damage.

Coming Soon

The Human Rights team assesses the impact of AI in the retail, healthcare, extractives, and finance industries.

The next Insights+ will explore upcoming regulations in ESG and implications for business.

The latest on the arrival of new Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, and the adoption of the International Sustainability Standards Board framework in CDP reports.

Our Experts

Our Focus Area team consists of global experts across multiple focus areas, bringing a depth of experience and knowledge to integrating focus areas and sustainability strategies.

Gracie Cook

Manager, Partnership Development

New York

Manager, Partnership Development, BSR

New York

Gracie primarily works within the Governments and Foundations team to support BSR’s pursuit, across all areas of expertise, of high-impact, private sector-led grants to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Gracie also supports BSR’s Nature team to further member company commitments across various industries including food, beverage, and agriculture; media and entertainment; and consumer products.

Prior to joining BSR, Gracie worked in international development, promoting nature and climate resilience, specifically around forest risk commodities. She has held positions within various multinational corporations where she consulted on, developed, and implemented corporate social responsibility strategies. Gracie has worked both domestically and in the field in Austria and within the informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, where her work informed leading pharmaceutical and engineering companies’ global sustainability strategies.

Gracie has a MA in International Development Studies with specializations in corporate social responsibility and climate/environment as well as a BA in International Affairs with concentrations in international environmental science and conflict resolution, both from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.

Recent Insights From Gracie Cook

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Laura Donnelly

Director, Nature

New York

Director, Nature, BSR

New York

Laura leads BSR’s Nature team. Her focus is working with member companies to develop holistic and credible strategic approaches to address nature related impacts and dependencies. These engagements are conducted across industries, with an additional focus on understanding the linkages between nature and other areas of focus (e.g., human rights, climate, etc.).

Prior to joining BSR, Laura spent seven years on the markets transformation team at the Rainforest Alliance. Her role focused on engaging companies throughout agriculture supply chains in addressing risks and opportunities through incorporating nature-based solutions and interventions. This included working with companies from farm to market on their sustainability strategy utilizing the Rainforest Alliance program. Laura also has experience in the beauty industry, where she worked in brand management and marketing.

Laura holds a Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California and a BS in Business Administration from Boston University.

Recent Insights From Laura Donnelly

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Erin Leitheiser

Associate Director, Nature

Copenhagen

Associate Director, Nature, BSR

Copenhagen

Erin helps lead BSR’s nature team where she focuses on the climate/nature nexus, including credits, nature-based solutions (NbS), and beyond value chain mitigation.

She leads engagements with companies to evaluate their nature impacts, devise nature positive strategies, and implement operational and supply chain solutions that further both biodiversity and decarbonization goals. She also works closely with companies on supplier engagement for Scope 3 emissions reductions and nature action, helping to develop resources like the Supplier Engagement Guide and the Climate Fit: Net Zero Training course on the SME Climate Hub.

Erin brings more than 18 years of experience, including remaining on the faculty at Copenhagen Business School following her prior role as an Assistant Professor. Before academia, Erin worked in CSR and sustainability at Target, where she built external partnerships and developed strategies to drive both business resilience and community impact. She began her career in sustainability consulting, working on public policy and social impact projects for nonprofit, public, and private clients.

Erin holds a PhD in Sustainability Governance from Copenhagen Business School, a MSc in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in Honors History from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Recent Insights From Erin Leitheiser

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Juliette Pugliesi

Manager, Nature

Paris

Manager, Nature, BSR

Paris

Juliette is part of BSR’s Nature team, where she helps companies assess their impacts and risks to Nature and develop ambitious strategies to mitigate them across multiple industries.

Prior to joining BSR, Juliette worked at WWF, where she supported companies on their nature issues (biodiversity, forest, climate, fresh water). She also contributed to the Science Based Targets for Nature initiative, where she was lead coordinator for the working group on biodiversity metrics for companies. Prior to WWF, she worked for Mazars’ sustainability services as a senior CSR consultant.

Juliette holds an MSc in Public Policies and Environmental Strategies from AgroParisTech, a master's degree in Sustainable Development and International Affairs from the University of Paris Dauphine, and a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from the same university. She also went on an academic exchange program at the University of Quebec in Montreal, where she studied environmental sciences and nature conservation. Juliette speaks French and English.