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Integrate nature into your business
Investing in biodiversity credits voluntarily shows that your business is going beyond just carbon commitments and helping nature thrive.
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Go beyond carbon and support nature directly
The biodiversity crisis is just as critical as the climate crisis. That's why we are proud to offer high-quality, voluntary biodiversity credits (VBC) as a way for businesses to support nature directly.
By supporting biodiversity projects, you will be contributing to the restoration and preservation of our planet's most valuable ecosystems with a focus on healthy soils, clean water and recovering species.
How voluntary biodiversity credits work to support nature
Businesses from any sector can voluntarily invest in nature and help support high-impact biodiversity projects. Much like carbon credits, businesses are able to financially support off-site projects that are best positioned to protect and restore threatened or degraded habitats and the wildlife within them.
A voluntary biodiversity credit represents an area of land within a project where actions being taken could include: the removal of invasive species improving water flow, sustainable land management, tree planting and even the reintroduction of species. In return, businesses receive the ‘credit’ for their support of this portion of the biodiversity project.
Our UK solution emulates the government-approved Biodiversity Net Gain methodology but fractionalises restoration into areas of 3m squared, providing an easier price point for businesses to offer their support.
Working with nature, not against it
Companies and governments are stepping up their commitment to nature, and you can too. In many industries, it can be hard to take action to protect or improve nature. Investing in trusted biodiversity credits shows that your business is committed to sustainability and is actively taking steps to combat the biodiversity crisis.
Investing in biodiversity credits is not just about doing good for the planet; it's a smart business strategy that can boost your reputation, protect your assets and contribute to a brighter future.
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Purchase biodiversity credits now
Earthly has built a unique methodology for businesses to support biodiversity.
Earthly’s voluntary biodiversity credits follow the highest standards and enable businesses to see exactly where they are having an impact thanks to our What3Words location mapping. Each credit is recorded on our fully transparent biodiversity credit ledger and your impact is tracked in a personal dashboard.
Sell biodiversity credits through Earthly
We empower land managers and proprietors across the United Kingdom in their pursuit of funding for their biodiversity initiatives.
Our community of responsible businesses is ready to support you in your mission for long-term financial backing that guarantees your projects make the substantial impact you envision.
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Want a more detailed discussion on biodiversity credits?
Catch up on the webinar episode where we took a deep-dive into the methodology behind our biodiversity credits and shared more about our first biodiversity partner: the Iford Biodiversity project.
How do we measure biodiversity impact? Earthly's biodiversity credit methodology is based on the UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs' biodiversity net gain (BNG) metric.
Looking for the biodiversity credit ledger? We record all biodiversity credit purchases, and their unique What3Words location, on a public ledger for full transparency and to avoid double counting.
Want to gain a more thorough understanding of biodiversity credits before making a decision? We've launched the Biodiversity Credits eBook, which explains everything you need to know.
Frequently asked questions
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General
While both Voluntary Biodiversity Credits (VBCs) and carbon credits contribute to environmental goals, they address different challenges and represent different outcomes.
Carbon credits represent a verified tonne of carbon either avoided or removed from the atmosphere. These credits are most commonly used by businesses to compensate for their emissions, with the unit of sale being a tonne of CO₂e. At Earthly, we go further; we only support carbon credits that also deliver measurable benefits for biodiversity and local communities.
Biodiversity credits, by contrast, represent a verified or quantified improvement in nature, such as the recovery of a key species, improved habitat condition, or enhanced ecosystem function. Interventions that are essential to improve soil structures, for adaptation to climate change, and to contribute to the prevention of natural disasters like flooding and droughts. Earthly also seeks to support projects that demonstrate a positive carbon and social impact. At Earthly, we assess these outcomes through a rigorous methodology and support the sale of biodiversity credits to companies looking to invest directly in nature restoration.
There isn't a fixed formula or ratio for the number of VBCs a business needs; it depends on your specific biodiversity goals and the scale of the impact you wish to achieve. The best way to determine your needs is to reach out to the Earthly team to explore options that suit your company's budget, goals and scale.
VBCs do not contribute to net zero targets in the traditional sense, they don’t directly compensate for emissions through measurable carbon removals or reductions. Net zero is primarily focused on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and balancing any remaining emissions with carbon offsets.
However, VBCs play a complementary role by funding nature-based solutions that enhance ecosystem resilience - a key pillar of climate adaptation. By supporting the restoration of habitats, species recovery, and ecological functions, VBCs help ecosystems withstand climate-related shocks such as floods, droughts, wildfires, and temperature extremes.
VBCs also address a major limitation of the net zero framework: its narrow focus on carbon. Many high-value conservation efforts like coral reef restoration, the removal of invasive species, or rewilding with keystone species do not result in significant carbon sequestration, and are often overlooked by carbon markets. By channeling investment into these kinds of interventions, VBCs ensure that biodiversity is not left behind in the race to address the climate crisis.
Unlike carbon emissions, there isn't a universally standardised method for businesses to directly quantify their comprehensive biodiversity footprint. However, setting biodiversity goals aligned with global targets like COP16 and your organisation's values can drive meaningful impact.
For businesses looking to understand their broader nature impact or dependencies, frameworks like the Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) or the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), which includes its LEAP approach, are emerging tools that can help. However, VBCs are designed to fund and support restoration initiatives that generate measurable biodiversity gains, rather than directly offsetting a company's operational impact.
When your business invests in Voluntary Biodiversity Credits (VBCs), you are supporting projects that quantify their ecological uplift. These projects use recognised biodiversity metrics like the UK Goverment approved DEFRA BNG metric. Specifically, projects quantify ecological uplift by using tools such as remote sensing, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, and field-based ecological surveys to monitor key indicators like habitat condition, species richness, and functional diversity.
Currently, Earthly’s VBCs are generated in England under the DEFRA framework but national and global expansion is being explored. Please reach out to our team for updates.
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For more insights on VBCs, visit our FAQ page.