Seven voluntary standards committed to biodiversity

Ultra-minority on a global scale, yet ultra-destructive? Unsurprisingly, it's us: human beings. We represent only 0.01% of biomass (PNAS 2018 study), far behind plants, bacteria, and other living creatures. But according to estimates, we are responsible for the disappearance of 83% of wild mammals and 50% of wild plants.

The good news, however, is that some of us are rolling up our sleeves to change the situation... Where are they? Well, they can be found in AFNOR's standardization committees, as Franck Lebeugle, the group's director of standardization activities, pointed out this summer.

The combination of legislation and standardization

The leader reminds us that what we are trying to save, more than the planet, is above all our species. But surely we can do better than that and reduce our environmentally destructive behaviors. he suggests. That's why I'm following closely the law on nature restoration , discussed in July 2023 in the European Parliament, as well as voluntary standardization efforts aimed at providing organizations with the methodological and organizational means to protect living organisms.

AFNOR constantly reminds manufacturers, and more broadly French business leaders, of the key role they have to play in promoting biodiversity. Through the AFNOR group, France has taken international leadership at ISO , the International Organization for Standardization, on this essential topic. We develop voluntary standards that enable the market to comply with the direction set by the European Union (notably the Green Deal) and global bodies (the Kunming-Montreal Agreement adopted at the end of the COP15 on biodiversity in December 2022) , explains Franck Lebeugle. To date, there are four voluntary French standards and three voluntary ISO standards:

Biodiversity – Organizations' biodiversity approach – Requirements and guidelines ( NF X32-001 )
Biodiversity and ecological engineering – Methodology for conducting projects that promote ecosystems ( NF X10-900 )
Biodiversity and ecological engineering – Approach to conducting an initial assessment of biodiversity within the framework of a project ( NF X32-102 )
Biodiversity – Measuring and monitoring the impact of organizations on biodiversity – State of the art ( FD X32-002 )
Biodiversity – Vocabulary – Part 1: General terms (ISO TS 13208-1)
Biodiversity – Process for designing and implementing net biodiversity gain ( ISO 17620 )
Biodiversity – Strategic and operational approach for organizations — Requirements and guidelines ( ISO 17298 )

We would also like to mention three related projects:

• Ecological networks – mapping standardization needs
• Biodiversity and the food sector: guidelines on how to improve the biodiversity performance of food companies and food retailers (ISO/PWI TS 18244, Germany)
• Biodiversity and raw materials: Considering biodiversity protection in the first stage of the supply chain—extraction of abiotic raw materials and production of biotic raw materials—the issue of these impacts on biodiversity (ISO/PWI TS 18260, Germany)

Join the French standardization commission on biodiversity, which is currently recruiting, to participate in these initiatives. This is particularly relevant if you work in the agri-food industry: your impact on the ground is significant. Your footprint is strong!