💫 The Spark Spotlight: Nature Governance

This is a special edition of the newsletter from Bemari where we talk about how to not get lost in sustainability. 

This edition is about how to focus the energy where it matters and not get distracted by “shiny” things in various industries. We invite practitioners to share their insights on how businesses can create positive impact and change in their organisation, sector and beyond. 

Tell us more about the role of Nature in your governance?

We are very transparent about our governance structure and ownership. The business is family owned, and our founder transferred 100% of the gains / benefits of ownership to nature via a Foundation, called Fondazione Capellino. The change was made in 2018, with a donation of all the shares of the Almo Nature business to this foundation, which is a completely separate legal entity, paying taxes under the Italian law. At the time it was a unique and history-making decision in Italy –for a non-for-profit to own a commercial entity.

This was structured as an irreversible donation. It cannot be bought back, vs.some other brands who may have a similar Nature ownership model.  The foundation is solely funded by the work of the Almo Nature business - so the more successful our business is, the more the Foundation benefits. We call this the Reintegration economy.

Our activism has become our overall mission – Almo is legally registered as a Benefit company which is a distinct legal structure under Italian law - Società Benefit. We want to give back what we take. Given the environmental impact of pet food, we have to work hard on our supply chain and products, whilst at the same time using our Foundation as a mechanism to fund projects that support nature restoration and those which benefit both animals and humans.

All projects are science-backed, and managed in partnerships with academic institutions, such as universities and research centres all around Europe, theUSA, and Canada.. We monitor progress on a regular basis – currently, at 2-5-10 year marks.

We go beyond activism. We have very strict requirements for our supply chain, and continuously engage with suppliers and trade partners to push progress forward. The importance of nature translates into how we approach our own operations. For example, we measure our environmental impact and have detailed action plans that we report on regularly. The pet food sector has its challenges, but we believe that there is no substitute for direct action and engaging a wider range of stakeholders to collectively make change happen.

What benefits have you seen from adopting this structure?

We have seen important benefits for the team – everyone knows that they work for a mission rather than for the benefit of one person or a small group of people (shareholders in a conventional business). This gives additional meaning to the work everyone does and helps align the teams around the same purpose, leading to better engagement.

We communicate the work we do and the impact it creates to our customers, who appreciate being part of positive action. Sustainability credentials are not necessarily the primary reason to buy pet food for the majority, especially for cat owners – cats are very fussy eaters, so finding food that cats eat is the first priority. Pet food is a very emotionally charged topic – pets are part of the family.  Pet food is typically not very cheap, so customers are careful to consider the economic factors before considering sustainability. However those customers who do value our sustainability efforts also have an opportunity to feel part of the mission, which helps build customer loyalty.

It has been an important differentiation point for our brand.   We work hard on engaging our partners and raising awareness about the importance of nature for business, however there are still challenges for some of the commercial trade partners to understand what our governance structure and activism means for them. 

What advice would you give to other organisation that are looking to integrate nature in their business?

• Be patient - it will take time, but it becomes clearer and easier step by step as customers, partners and teams start to see what it means for them, for their activities and contribution. We have been on this journey for over eight years, and we have evolved our model over time and have learned a lot of lessons that help us refine what we do.

• Be prepared to change your mindset - the way you will see the business and your day-to-day work will be different. Decision making works differently too, as there is always discussion and evaluation of ecological impacts. Integrating Nature in governance is a different way to understand what is happening in the world. 

• Meet your stakeholders where they are - we are not going back to the times without mobile phones and electricity, but we do need to make changes to the way we do business now. This is about moving forwards, and everyone moves at a different speed. Profit is essential for business – this is why we interlink it to the success of our Nature governance. 

• Build a community around your purpose and your initiatives. We call it a “ReCommunity” - community of those who want to be part of building a ReIntegration economy. As part of this community we support a range of projects, submitted by members, sign relevant petitions, and engage with stakeholders who share our passion. 

Do not work alone. We do not just engage within our supply chain. We are actively working with organisations across industries to ensure we share our lessons learned and learn from others, so that collectively we can move forward faster. And by reading this feature, you’re part of this change!  

Recap of Good News this month

Bemari is a B Corp certified impact consultancy helping businesses accelerate the just transition towards more restorative and regenerative practices. We can help you evaluate your environmental impact and support your transition to nature positive and regenerative business practices. Here is what we offer and how we do it. We also offer training to support your transition.

If what we say and do resonates with you, why not get in touch to discuss how we can support you? We would love to hear from you at [email protected]