Nature risk: what does your business depend on? | CyberChat 20

CYBERCHAT / EPISODE 20

By Joanna Whitear · Reviewed 4 October 2026

A fictional 1990s chatroom conversation about real sustainability questions. Joanna and Al appear as themselves; the dialogue is scripted and the other characters are invented.

How can a business identify its dependencies on nature?

Nature belongs in business planning as well as environmental projects. Ask which natural resources your products and services depend on, where those dependencies sit and what disruption could mean. Start with one important purchase, investigate the local context and connect your findings to practical decisions.

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[21:01] Al says: evening all. nature has appeared on the sustainability agenda. we rent an office. what exactly are we meant to do?

[21:02] net_junky says: buy a fern. appoint it biodiversity director

[21:03] Joanna says: Start by asking what your business depends on nature to provide. Think about water, the raw materials in your products and the conditions needed to produce them. Your connection may sit several steps back in the supply chain.

[21:04] Sunshine_girl says: so this is relevant even if we do not own any land?

[21:05] Joanna says: Yes, although the significance will vary. A food supplier, a laundry and a software business have different starting points. Look at what you actually buy and deliver before deciding which nature issues deserve closer attention.

[21:06] Ace_Ventura says: the fern has requested a proper job description

[21:07] Al says: is this just another name for our environmental impact?

[21:08] Joanna says: There are two questions. What does your business rely on, and what pressures does it create? For water, that means considering both the supply you need and how your activities affect it. Looking at only one side leaves gaps.

[21:09] net_junky says: we have a water bill. dependency identified. next?

[21:10] Joanna says: Now ask what would happen if supply became restricted or unreliable. Which activities would be affected? How quickly? Could a key supplier face the same problem? A bill records a purchase; it does not explain the consequences of disruption.

[21:11] Sunshine_girl says: our own office uses very little. should we still spend time on water?

[21:12] Joanna says: Perhaps your main exposure is elsewhere, or another issue matters more. Look for the connection to your core service or important purchases. Do not build a major programme around office water simply because that is the easiest figure to collect.

[21:13] Al says: give me a supplier example that is not just farming

[21:14] Joanna says: Imagine a business supplying textiles to healthcare customers. It could ask where important materials are produced and processed, and whether water availability affects those stages. That is a starting question for investigation, not a conclusion that every textile supplier faces the same risk.

[21:15] net_junky says: our wholesaler is in Leeds. does that answer where?

[21:16] Joanna says: It tells you where the wholesaler is based. Ask what they know about the origin and processing of a priority product. Record the information they can provide and any gaps. You can start with one important product rather than demand a complete map immediately.

[21:17] Sunshine_girl says: why does the location matter so much?

[21:18] Joanna says: The conditions around the activity matter. Ask whether the issue concerns a particular production area or water source, and what local evidence supports that view. A company-wide total may not reveal where a resource problem could interrupt your supply.

[21:19] Ace_Ventura says: the spreadsheet has discovered geography

[21:20] Al says: how do we choose where to start without another enormous assessment?

[21:21] Joanna says: Pick a product or service that matters to delivery, has a plausible connection to nature and contains a gap you can investigate. Consider consequences as well as spending. A relatively small purchase could still be essential to keeping your service running.

[21:22] net_junky says: management will ask what this has to do with the budget

[21:23] Joanna says: Describe a credible scenario: what resource becomes constrained, which activity is affected and what choices follow? Discuss possible delays, replacement costs or lost capacity. Make assumptions explicit. You do not need to invent a precise financial value for nature to explain a business dependency.

[21:24] Sunshine_girl says: could we solve it by buying from somewhere else?

[21:25] Joanna says: An alternative may help, but check whether it depends on the same source or faces similar pressures. Also ask whether your purchasing practices could support improvement with the existing supplier. Moving an order does not necessarily remove the underlying problem.

[21:26] Al says: what if the issue is bigger than anything our supplier can fix?

[21:27] Joanna says: That is a reason to explore relevant local or industry partnerships. Ask the supplier what work already exists, who is involved and where a smaller customer could contribute. Shared resources need attention beyond the boundary of a single business.

[21:28] net_junky says: we sponsor a tree-planting day. can that cover it?

[21:29] Joanna says: It may be worthwhile on its own terms. Ask whether it addresses the dependency or impact you identified. A project elsewhere does not automatically resolve a problem at a production site. Protecting what is already functioning also deserves attention alongside restoration.

[21:30] Sunshine_girl says: how do we tell whether a partnership is useful?

[21:31] Joanna says: Ask what problem it addresses, who helped define the work and how affected communities and local expertise are involved. Establish responsibilities, funding and follow-up. A business should listen to the people managing and depending on the place before deciding what intervention it needs.

[21:32] Ace_Ventura says: local knowledge has entered the boardroom

[21:33] Al says: and what would we count as progress?

[21:34] Joanna says: Keep activity and outcome separate. Paying into a project shows a contribution. It does not by itself demonstrate a healthier ecosystem or a more reliable supply. Agree suitable evidence with the people doing the work, including the timescale and what remains uncertain.

[21:35] net_junky says: one useful action before we commission the nature-themed annual report?

[21:36] Joanna says: Choose one important purchase. Write down the natural resource it may depend on, what you know about its source and what could happen if that resource became constrained. Ask the supplier one focused question, assign a follow-up and bring the answer into your purchasing or continuity planning.

End of chat · Understand the dependency. Find the location. Ask what could change.

What this means for you

• Choose one important purchase and identify the natural resource or ecosystem service it may depend on.
• Ask where production or processing happens and what evidence supports a possible disruption scenario.
• Record the consequences, information gaps and action owner; check whether proposed partnerships address that specific dependency.

Sources and further reading

1. Nature: The Missing Line Item

   Adapted from the source transcript. Relevant sections: 02:07–02:56 on relevance beyond land-based businesses and conservation; 03:33–04:53 on identifying material dependencies; 05:00–07:45 on water and acting before a crisis; 08:11–09:57 on supply-chain priorities, shared resources and the business case; 10:04–13:53 on partnerships and testing new approaches.

Editorial note: the dialogue and small-business examples are original adaptations. The source’s corporate case studies and numerical claims are not independently verified or adopted here. This article introduces practical questions about nature dependencies; it does not prescribe a reporting framework or add Evergreen assessment requirements. Watch the source conversation.

About the author

Joanna Whitear is the founder of Kintera Limited and supports suppliers with NHS Evergreen assessments and Carbon Reduction Plans. She has more than 15 years of sustainability and climate experience and is a lead ISO 14001 auditor.

Related reading and support

• Ask suppliers about important dependencies
• Record sources, gaps and follow-up actions

Explore ownership and operational control.

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