A universal tutorial for developing 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, more than 60% of species (excluding birds) and 81% of protected habitats are in poor or very poor condition, while 60 to 70% of soils are degraded. At its level, voluntary standardization is taking action. On October 7, 2025, in Kigali, during its general assembly, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) presented ISO 17298, the first international standard dedicated to biodiversity. The result of work initiated and led by AFNOR, which represents France at ISO, this voluntary standard is presented as a universal guide for economic actors wishing to integrate biodiversity into their strategy. You can purchase it here in the AFNOR collection (please note: be sure to enter the ISO prefix, as the NF EN 17298 standard—without this prefix—already exists, on a completely different subject). Listen to Fanny Bancourt, 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 (businesses, local authorities, NGOs, and public institutions) with common guidelines for protecting nature while remaining competitive. Like other world-renowned standards, such as ISO 14001 on the environment, it approaches the subject from a management system perspective: it provides recommendations for internal organization with a view to continuous improvement. For an environmental manager, ISO 17298 will thus constitute the biodiversity component of ISO 14001 .

ISO 17298, a global standard inspired by France

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

The standard offers multiple benefits for organizations: it prepares them for upcoming non-financial reporting requirements, such as the CSRD at the European level, facilitates access to green financing, strengthens 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 chairing the international technical committee. ISO/TC 331 "Biodiversity" , confirming France's leading role in defining global sustainability rules. An initial national standard had been in place for four years: the NF X32-001 This French standard forms the basis of the AFAQ Biodiversity certification , a recognition mark awarded by AFNOR Certification to economic actors wishing to demonstrate that they are properly organized to address the issue. AFNOR Compétences offers training courses on the approach here AFAQ certification will soon be updated to reflect the new international standard.

At the heart of French standards, ISO standards, and certification: a dual materiality approach inside-out/outside-in formalizing a company's interdependent relationship with biodiversity. Organizations influence (directly and indirectly) natural ecosystems (soil for an aggregate company, for example). These ecosystems, in turn, impact organizations in their economic activity: variations in soil productivity, depletion of natural resources, disruption of water cycles, etc.  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 is also a source of opportunities for organizations, insists Caroline Lhuillery.

Listen to this episode of our AFNOR podcast here on the topic, titled “Biodiversity: The Invisible Ally of All Businesses,” featuring Matthieu Delabie (French Biodiversity Agency) and Claire Coletti (Guerlain).

France plays a strategic role in international standardization, the soft power that shapes the global economy. According to the 2025 international barometer AFNOR is one of the world leaders in chairing ISO committees, a key position for influencing international standards, although it is closely followed by China. In 2026, its centenary year, AFNOR will host the 170 ISO member countries in Paris for their general assembly.