Business in the Time of Nature: Toward a New Corporate Imagination

In the stories of the celebrated Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez, the boundaries between the real and the magical dissolve. Time stretches and loops. Spirits linger. The past speaks into the present. His style of magical realism reminds us that there is often more to the world than what we choose to see.

In the corporate world, it is practical to rely on the visible, the measurable, and the rational – to track progress, reduce uncertainty, and report to stakeholders. But what about the elements that are quietly shaping our reality?

Nature is one of those elements. It is present in every supply chain, every product lifecycle, and every community a company engages in. It sustains, supports, and connects practically all life on Earth, yet it is still not always considered material to core business operations. What if nature was not the scenery, but the strategy?

This shift in thinking—from nature as a passive context to nature as an active framework for innovation, resilience, and value creation—is where real transformation begins. And what companies need to explore with urgency, intention, and a long-term view.

Making the Invisible Visible

Nature’s contributions to business often go unnoticed until they’re gone. Soil fertility, pollination, water cycles, healthy ecosystems—none of these show up on financial statements, but their absence can bring operations to a halt. This is why we need a new kind of realism in business, one that acknowledges complexity, interdependence, and the full value of nature.

Most corporate strategies still view nature through two narrow lenses: as a risk to be managed or a resource to be used. While terms like “natural capital,” “ecosystem services,” and “offsets” help translate nature into business language, they can also oversimplify its complexity and mask the true depth of corporate dependency on healthy, functioning ecosystems.

When ecosystems stop delivering the services companies rely on, it’s not just a reputational issue or a moral failure; it’s a systems failure that ripples across supply chains, financial markets, labor forces, and even geopolitical stability.

From the Site to the C-Suite

Truly integrating nature into business means moving beyond isolated projects and stand-alone, short-term commitments. It requires embedding nature into every part of a company’s operations—from site-based engagement to corporate planning, supply chain decisions, and innovation portfolios. This is not simply a sustainability task; it’s an organizational transformation.

Convincing the C-suite to lead this shift is a necessary step, but it’s only the beginning. Change management must extend throughout the company. Embracing a new relationship with nature involves shifting mindsets, rewiring incentives, and building internal capacity. It means evolving the way teams operate, collaborate, and define success.

Metrics and scientific tools are essential, but so is culture. The real challenge lies in questioning long-held assumptions that have kept nature at the margins of strategic thinking. Leadership must move from asking “What is nature costing us?” to also asking, “What is nature teaching us?” and “How can our success be aligned with ecological health?”

Towards a New Corporate Imagination

Repositioning nature as strategy requires more than new frameworks. Initiatives like the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) help companies assess, prioritize, and disclose nature-related impacts. But the more fundamental shift is one of mindset: Can profit and nature conservation truly coexist?

Answering that question demands a new kind of corporate imagination—one where nature-based systems replace outdated linear models, where value is co-created with ecosystems and communities, and where transparency is not just a matter of compliance but a commitment to accountability. It also means recognizing that small steps and local actions matter, and that lasting change comes through integration, not isolation.

This is not idealism. It is the emerging reality for companies to understand that ecological intelligence is business intelligence and that nature is good business after all. Those who embed nature into their corporate strategy today will be the ones who thrive tomorrow—not only in market share but also in resilience, trust, and long-term relevance.

At Tandem Global, we work with forward-thinking companies that are making this shift. For example, some of our members are aligning their strategies with global frameworks like SBTN and TNFD, integrating nature-positive approaches across their operations, and developing innovative solutions to reduce their ecological footprint, all while enhancing biodiversity through pollinator programs, restoring critical habitats, and improving supply chain resilience. We help them navigate this complexity, moving from stand-alone projects to integrated strategies that connect site-level actions with corporate goals. We guide them in building internal capacity and creating the cultural change needed to truly make nature a strategic partner.

Contact me to learn more.