Rapidly scaling up action on climate change and biodiversity loss – NatureCo collaborates with a global network of partners to deliver nature-based carbon projects that create enduring benefits for local communities around the world.
At NatureCo, our roots run deep. Evolving out of the 40 plus-year history of one of Australia’s largest environmental NGOs, Greening Australia, we are built on decades of experience in land restoration, community engagement and carbon markets.
A global for-profit and for-purpose company, NatureCo represents an emerging space between NGOs and profit-driven organizations, intentionally drawing on the best aspects of both to succeed and create lasting impact for nature and local communities. “We exist to do good for people, nature and the global climate – that’s our primary goal,” says NatureCo CEO and Co-founder, Todd Berkinshaw. “But we also bring the entrepreneurial spirit of a for-profit company, using private capital to scale up action on climate change and biodiversity loss.”
NatureCo was founded in response to growing industry demand for nature-based carbon projects, and a gap in the market for a for-purpose business solely focused on nature-based solutions.
While Todd Berkinshaw was working as CEO of Biodiverse Carbon (Greening Australia’s nature-based carbon business, now Canopy Nature-based Solutions), he recognized a mounting interest from multinational companies looking for nature-based carbon programs in Australia and increasingly internationally.
At the time, Todd was meeting regularly with Neil Salisbury, Co-founder and CEO of international sustainability firm, Point Advisory. Neil was also looking to create a new type of entity to develop global nature-based projects and was speaking with Brendan Foran, CEO of Greening Australia. “The opportunity was significant, and it kept growing,” says Todd, “So Neil and I got together over a 6-month period to develop a plan that brought the two entities together to form NatureCo.”
NatureCo was established in October 2021, in equal part by Canopy and the Point Group, and its authority in the industry was further reinforced by the knowledge and experience brought by its founders and board of directors.
As a global for-profit, for-purpose entity, NatureCo looks to challenge the status quo and disrupt the market by offering something the world hasn’t seen before: a for-profit company 100% focused on nature-based solutions and driven to provide benefits back to local communities – whilst embracing the latest technological innovations and developing new investment models to attract global capital.
The business is also grounded in the belief that nurturing long-term partnerships, whether with local community organizations or some of the world’s largest corporations, is the fastest and most equitable way to build projects at scale to solve the world’s climate and biodiversity crisis.
“Our approach is not transactional. We’re going to work in partnership with local communities and companies across 20-25-year periods – so alignment of our values with the companies and communities we work with is incredibly important to us,” says Todd.
“We have a strong focus on local capacity building and training programs, bolstering the skills of local organizations so they can participate long-term in the carbon market. This creates enduring benefits for local people, not just from an economic and social perspective but also from an environmental perspective. We work closely with them to design programs that meet the communities’ visions for the future and improve the sustainability of local landscapes.”
Wherever possible, NatureCo seeks to collaborate and leverage, not replicate and compete. This includes our ongoing relationship with our founding companies Canopy (Greening Australia’s environmental markets business) and Point Zero (part of the Point Group).
Canopy focuses on developing nature-based environmental credit solutions in Australia, including carbon development programs, while NatureCo operates nature-based carbon projects and programs internationally. Point Zero is a retail carbon brokerage business that sources carbon credits from a range of international projects for organizations that need access to these credits immediately.
Working in close conjunction with these companies and leveraging each other’s capabilities, means NatureCo can offer a complete set of services to support our clients’ needs and generate widespread impact.
NatureCo’s deep-rooted history in NGOs, land restoration and carbon markets, combined with our entrepreneurial spirit and critical understanding of capital raising, enables us to innovate and scale up high-integrity, high-impact projects around the world. We represent the future of a new type of environmental enterprise, creating a lasting legacy for people, nature and the climate.
Are you interested to learn more about NatureCo’s approach to developing nature-based carbon projects with global partners, or investing in nature-based solutions to help meet your climate goals? Get in touch with us.