A universal tutorial for building your biodiversity approach

No need to remind you: global biodiversity is collapsing. At the end of September 2025, a report by the European Environment Agency indicated that within the EU, over 60% of species (non-avian) and 81% of protected habitats are in poor or very poor condition , while 60-70% of soils are degraded. Voluntary standardization is taking action. On October 7, 2025, at its General Assembly in Kigali, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) presented ISO 17298, the first international standard dedicated to biodiversity. The result of work initiated and piloted by AFNOR, which represents France at ISO, this voluntary standard is presented as the universal user guide for economic players wishing to integrate biodiversity at the heart of their strategy. You can obtain it here in the AFNOR collection (note: be sure to type in the ISO prefix, as the NF EN 17298 standard – without this prefix – already exists, on a totally different subject). Listen to Fanny Bancourt, a member of the AFNOR standardization committee in her capacity as biodiversity consultant at BL Evolution, describe the standard in 59 seconds!

The new ISO 17298 standard, aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (COP 15), provides organizations of all sizes (companies, communities, NGOs or public institutions) with common guidelines for protecting nature while remaining competitive. Like world-renowned standards such as ISO 14001 on the environment, it treats the subject in management system mode, providing recommendations for internal organization and continuous improvement. For an environmental manager, ISO 17298 is the biodiversity component of ISO 14001.

ISO 17298, a French-inspired global standard

In concrete terms, ISO 17298 gives organizations the keys to identifying their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity, and assessing the risks and opportunities, in order to build an effective action plan to preserve life on earth “, explains Caroline Lhuillery, biodiversity standardization project manager at AFNOR, and leader of the ISO/TC 331 committee that produced the standard.

The benefits of the standard for organizations are manifold: it prepares them for future non-financial reporting obligations, such as the CSRD at European level, facilitates access to green financing, boosts investor confidence and opens up new market opportunities. It will be highlighted at the next UN COP on Biological Diversity in Armenia in 2026, as a practical tool for turning intentions into action.

Since 2020, AFNOR has been leading the international technical committee ISO/TC 331 “Biodiversity” , confirming France’s leading role in defining the global rules of the game for sustainability. The first national standard was issued four years ago: NF X32-001 . This French standard forms the basis of the AFAQ Biodiversité certification , a sign of recognition distributed by AFNOR Certification to economic players wishing to demonstrate that they are properly organized to deal with the subject. AFNOR Compétences offers training courses on the approach here . AFAQ certification will soon evolve to take account of the new international standard.

At the heart of the French standard, the ISO standard and certification: a double materiality inside-out/outside-in approach formalizing a company’s relationship of interdependence with biodiversity. Indeed, organizations influence (directly and indirectly) natural ecosystems (soils for an aggregates company, for example). These, in turn, have an impact on the economic activity of organizations: variations in soil productivity, depletion of natural resources, disruption of water cycles, and so on. Our economy depends on healthy ecosystems. Taking biodiversity into account in a strategic action plan is not just a regulatory constraint or a question of image: it’s also a source of opportunities for organizations. insists Caroline Lhuillery.

France plays a strategic role in international standardization, the soft power that shapes the global economy. According to AFNOR’s International Barometer 2025, France is one of the world leaders in ISO committee leadership, a key position for influencing international standards, although China is close behind. In 2026, the year of its centenary, AFNOR will welcome the 170 ISO countries to Paris for their General Assembly.