What is corporate sustainability and why does it matter?

Corporate sustainability is how organisations integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into their strategy and operations. It matters because of increasing regulatory requirements (CSRD, UK SRS), stakeholder expectations, and the business case for resilience. Companies that embed sustainability outperform those that treat it as compliance.

What is CSRD and does it apply to my company?

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is EU legislation requiring detailed sustainability reporting. It applies to large EU companies, EU-listed SMEs, and non-EU companies with significant EU revenue (€150M+). UK companies may be affected through EU subsidiaries or supply chain requirements.

What are SBTi targets and how do companies set them?

Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) provides frameworks for companies to set emission reduction targets aligned with climate science. Companies submit targets for validation, typically covering Scope 1, 2, and increasingly Scope 3 emissions. The process involves baseline calculation, target setting, and ongoing reporting.

How do SMEs approach sustainability without enterprise resources?

SMEs can start with materiality assessment to identify what matters most, focus on quick wins (energy efficiency, waste reduction), leverage supply chain requirements as a framework, and use simplified reporting approaches. The key is proportionate action - not everything at once, but consistent progress on what matters.

What is the difference between ESG and sustainability?

ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) is a framework for measuring and reporting sustainability performance, primarily used by investors. Sustainability is the broader goal of meeting present needs without compromising future generations. ESG is one way to structure and communicate sustainability efforts.

PANDIONSTUDIO

LAYER 2: LANDSCAPES & JURISDICTIONS

Regenerative Agriculture

Farming that restores – not just sustains. Building soil health, sequestering carbon, and enhancing biodiversity while producing food.

In 30 Seconds

Regenerative agriculture is a principles-based approach to farming and ranching that goes beyond sustainability to actively restore degraded land. Where sustainable agriculture aims to “do less harm,” regenerative agriculture aims to rebuild what's been lost:

Soil health– Rebuilding soil organic matter, structure, and biology
Carbon sequestration– Drawing down atmospheric carbon into soils and biomass
Biodiversity– Restoring habitat, soil life, and ecosystem function
Water cycles– Improving infiltration, retention, and water quality

Key insight: There is no single “regenerative” practice. It's a principles-based framework adapted to local context – climate, soil type, crops, and community. What works in Kent won't work in Kenya.

Where This Fits

Regenerative agriculture sits in Layer 2: Landscapes & Jurisdictions – because it's fundamentally about how we manage land at the landscape scale.

L5: Corporate Action

L4: Policy & Governance

L3: Ecosystem Services

L2: LANDSCAPES & JURISDICTIONS ← YOU ARE HERE

Regenerative Agriculture as landscape approach

L1: Planetary Foundations

Connection to L1: Soil

Regenerative agriculture directly addresses soil health – the cross-cutting foundation beneath all four life-related planetary boundaries. Soil is both the mechanism and the outcome.

Connection to L3: Ecosystem Services

Regenerative practices enhance multiple ecosystem services: carbon sequestration (regulating), soil formation (supporting), food production (provisioning), and landscape aesthetics (cultural).

The Six Core Principles

Multiple frameworks exist, but most converge on these principles. They work together – applying one without the others limits results.

Understand Context

Work with local climate, soil, ecology, and community. No universal prescriptions.

Examples: Soil testing, climate analysis, local knowledge integration

Minimise Soil Disturbance

Reduce tillage to preserve soil structure, fungal networks, and biology.

Examples: No-till, minimum-till, direct drilling, reduced passes

Keep Soil Covered

Protect soil from erosion, temperature extremes, and moisture loss.

Examples: Cover crops, mulch, crop residues, living mulches

Maintain Living Roots

Year-round root presence feeds soil biology with carbon exudates.

Examples: Cover crops, perennials, relay cropping, agroforestry

Maximise Diversity

Plant diversity above ground creates diversity below ground.

Examples: Crop rotations, polycultures, intercropping, diverse covers

Integrate Livestock

Grazing animals can accelerate nutrient cycling and soil building (when managed well).

Examples: Adaptive multi-paddock grazing, mob grazing, silvopasture

The Principle Behind the Principles

Work with nature, not against it. Conventional agriculture fights natural processes (weeds, pests, decomposition). Regenerative agriculture harnesses them. The soil food web, nutrient cycling, and ecological succession become allies rather than adversaries.

Key Practices

Practice	What It Is	Soil Benefit	Climate Benefit
No-till / Min-till	Planting without ploughing	Preserves structure, fungi, aggregates	Reduces CO2 release from oxidation
Cover Crops	Non-cash crops grown between seasons	Adds organic matter, prevents erosion	Photosynthesis pumps carbon to soil
Diverse Rotations	Multiple crops in sequence	Breaks pest cycles, varied root types	Legumes fix nitrogen, reduce fertiliser
Adaptive Grazing	Planned, rotational livestock movement	Stimulates root growth, cycles nutrients	Can build grassland carbon stocks
Agroforestry	Trees integrated with crops/livestock	Deep roots, leaf litter, shade	Above and below-ground carbon storage
Compost / Organic Inputs	Adding organic matter to soil	Feeds biology, builds SOM	Stable carbon addition
Reduced Synthetic Inputs	Minimising pesticides and fertilisers	Protects soil biology	Avoids embodied energy, N2O emissions

Important Nuance

Not all practices are suitable for all contexts. No-till may not work on heavy clay. Cover crops may not establish in arid climates. Livestock integration requires land and skills. Context determines practice – which is why Principle 1 (Understand Context) comes first.

Soil: The Central Mechanism

Regenerative agriculture is fundamentally about soil. Every principle and practice ultimately serves soil health. For the science behind this, see our dedicated Soil page.

What Healthy Soil Provides

• Carbon storage: 2-3x more carbon than atmosphere and vegetation combined
• Water retention: Holds 20x its weight in water (SOM)
• Nutrient cycling: Soil biology makes nutrients plant-available
• Disease suppression: Diverse biology outcompetes pathogens
• Structural stability: Resists erosion and compaction

The Soil Food Web

• Bacteria & fungi: Decomposers and nutrient cyclers
• Mycorrhizal networks: Connect plants, share resources
• Protozoa & nematodes: Predators that release nutrients
• Earthworms: Engineers that create structure and aeration
• Roots: Feed the whole system with carbon exudates

The virtuous cycle: Healthy soil grows healthier plants. Healthier plants photosynthesise more and pump more carbon to roots. More root carbon feeds more soil biology. More biology builds more soil structure and nutrient availability. The system feeds itself – if you let it.

Carbon Sequestration & Climate

Regenerative agriculture is increasingly positioned as a climate solution. The mechanism is simple: plants photosynthesise, capture CO2, and pump carbon to roots. Roots feed soil biology. Biology stores carbon in stable forms. But the reality is nuanced:

The Potential

• Global soils could sequester 1.2-3.0 GtC/year (IPCC)
• Agricultural soils have lost 50-70% of original carbon
• Regenerative practices can rebuild this over decades
• Co-benefits (water, biodiversity, yield resilience) are well-documented

The Caveats

• Sequestration rates vary enormously by context
• Soil carbon can be re-released if practices stop
• Measurement (MRV) is challenging and expensive
• Won't offset continued fossil fuel emissions alone

The Honest Position

Regenerative agriculture is part of the climate solution, not THE solution. Its greatest value may be co-benefits: resilience to climate impacts, reduced input costs, improved water cycles, biodiversity gains. Carbon is real but shouldn't be oversold. See our MRV Systems page for measurement challenges.

Certification & Standards

The regenerative space has multiple certification schemes – some more rigorous than others. Key players include:

Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)

Patagonia, Dr. Bronner's, Rodale

Focus: Soil health + organic + social fairness

Strength: High bar, includes animal welfare and worker rights

Regenagri

Control Union

Focus: Outcome-based soil improvement

Strength: Measurable soil health metrics, widely adopted

Land to Market

Savory Institute

Focus: Holistic planned grazing

Strength: Ecological outcome verification

A Greener World

AGW

Focus: Certified Regenerative

Strength: Practical, farm-focused, accessible

SAI Platform

Industry consortium

Focus: Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA)

Strength: Supply chain integration, corporate adoption

Cool Farm Tool

Cool Farm Alliance

Focus: GHG calculator for farms

Strength: Free, widely used, science-based

The Standards Landscape

Unlike organic (which has legal definition), “regenerative” has no universal standard. This creates opportunity for greenwashing. When evaluating claims, look for: outcome measurement(not just practice adoption), third-party verification, and transparency on methodology.

Why Business Is Paying Attention

Scope 3 & FLAG Emissions

The SBTi FLAG guidance requires companies with land-intensive supply chains to set targets for land-based emissions. Regenerative practices can reduce and remove emissions – making them relevant to net-zero commitments.

Supply Chain Resilience

Healthy soils = more resilient farms. Better water retention, reduced erosion, natural pest control. As climate impacts intensify, regenerative suppliers become more reliable than degraded land.

Insetting Opportunities

Rather than buying offsets elsewhere, companies can support regenerative transitions within their own supply chains. This builds relationships, reduces risk, and generates verifiable removals.

Consumer & Investor Pressure

“Regenerative” is becoming a marketing differentiator. Investors are asking about nature risk and soil health. TNFD disclosure includes land and soil indicators. Proactive companies are getting ahead of this.

Major Corporate Commitments

Nestlé, Danone, PepsiCo, General Mills, Unilever, Walmart, and others have made significant regenerative agriculture commitments. These create demand throughout supply chains – and pressure on suppliers to demonstrate regenerative practices with credible evidence.

The Pandion View

Regenerative agriculture is one of the most promising landscape-scale interventions available. But it's not magic, and it's not simple.

The value is real: healthier soils, more resilient farms, multiple environmental co-benefits. But context matters enormously. What works depends on climate, soil type, crops, livestock, economics, and farmer capacity. Generic “regenerative” claims should be met with questions: Which practices? Measured how? Verified by whom?

For corporates, regenerative agriculture offers genuine opportunity to address Scope 3 emissions, build supply chain resilience, and demonstrate nature-positive action. But it requires investment – in farmer support, in measurement systems, in long-term relationships. Quick wins are rare.

We help organisations navigate this space honestly: understanding what's achievable, what's measurable, and what's meaningful. Not greenwashing, not scepticism – clear-eyed assessment of where regenerative approaches can genuinely contribute to sustainability goals.