Assessing VP Capital’s biodiversity dependency for more resilient portfolios
Client
VP Capital’s mission is to channel capital toward lasting environmental and social value. With biodiversity restoration as a strategic priority, they partnered with PRé to deepen their understanding of how their portfolio depends on nature. Together, we built a tailored biodiversity dependency and risk assessment - equipping them with the insights to guide investments, strengthen stewardship, and stay ahead of emerging standards.
About
VP Capital is an impact-first, family-owned investment firm with a strong ambition to create positive environmental and social impact. Their commitment to sustainability is embedded in three core pillars: using their own organization as a force for good; investing and donating capital toward positive impact; and leveraging their influence as an investor by actively engaging their network on critical topics such as biodiversity, climate change, and inequality.
With a strategic focus on biodiversity restoration, VP Capital is exploring ways to deepen their impact, including direct investments in biodiversity projects in the future.
Challenge
In 2024, VP Capital conducted an initial biodiversity footprint of their portfolio with the support of PRé. In 2025, building on this, they sought a comprehensive biodiversity dependency assessment to:
- Identify the ecosystem services (ES) critical to their investment portfolio.
- Conduct detailed, value-chain-specific dependency analyses for key ES linked to select investments.
- Support strategic decision-making, inform investment steering, and enhance engagement with portfolio companies aimed at reducing biodiversity loss.
What are ecosystem services (ES)?
Ecosystems provide the essential goods and functions that underpin human societies and economies. These “ecosystem services” include the supply of clean water, fertile soils, raw materials, climate regulation, and many other processes that sustain life and enable economic activity.
Ecosystem services are generally grouped into four categories:
• Provisioning – tangible goods such as food, water, timber, and medicines.
• Regulating – natural processes like pollination, carbon sequestration, and flood control.
• Cultural – non-material benefits such as recreation, heritage, and inspiration.
• Supporting – foundational services including soil formation, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity.
Why ES matter?
Degradation of ecosystems reduces these services, creating risks not only for human well-being but also for economic stability. For businesses and financial institutions, assessing dependencies and impacts on ecosystem services is increasingly critical. Understanding these relationships helps identify risks, secure long-term value, inform ESG and natural capital disclosures, and guide investment toward more sustainable futures.
Aligned with their commitment to the Finance for Biodiversity (FfB) Pledge, VP Capital wanted to better understand their portfolio’s dependencies on nature and to integrate these insights into their stewardship activities.
Calculating biodiversity footprints in the banking sector
Solution
Building on our past experience in doing and developing methodologies for ES Dependency Assessment (ESDA), in line with the PBAF standard, PRé designed a tailored Biodiversity Dependency and Risk Assessment approach that met VP Capital’s specific needs.
- Portfolio-wide ESDA. Using the ENCORE database (a globally recognized framework referenced by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) and natural capital accounting guidelines), we assessed VP Capital’s portfolio to identify the most material ES their investments depend on.
- Deep-dive dependency analysis. We conducted in-depth dependency assessments for five companies across various sectors in the portfolio, zooming in on value-chain-specific dependencies and opportunities for mitigation or positive impact in line with PBAF and TNFD recommendations.
- Capacity-building. Throughout the project, VP Capital was actively engaged at key decision points concerning scope, methodology, and data choices, ensuring full transparency and enabling them to confidently interpret results for effective decision-making. In addition, we held a dedicated workshop on biodiversity dependency assessments for financial institutions, guiding them on the interpretation and practical application of the results.
Benefits
This comprehensive approach delivered critical insights and actionable outcomes for VP Capital:
- Enhanced understanding of portfolio exposure to specific ES, guiding focused mitigation and investment strategies.
- Clear identification of key sectors and companies to prioritize stakeholder engagement, raising awareness of ecosystem dependencies and encouraging mitigation actions.
- Reporting aligned with emerging standards and regulations, such as TNFD and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which helps VP Capital meet evolving ESG disclosure requirements.
Working with Pré has been very valuable for us. Their expertise and guidance helped us understand a complex but important topic, while also strengthening our own knowledge and capacity. They supported us in gaining insight into our biodiversity dependencies and in defining potential next steps. The collaboration was professional and pleasant, and it has provided us with a solid basis to further shape our biodiversity strategy.
Jobien Laurijssen, Sustainability Manager at VP Capital