Does biodiversity matter for firm value?

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between firms’ impact on biodiversity and its firm value and the economic and financial mechanisms underlying this link, filling a gap concerning the financial materiality of biodiversity loss. By analysing a global panel of 1,848 publicly listed companies across 49 countries from 2018 to 2022, this study highlights how the Corporate Biodiversity Footprint (CBF) influences not only firms’ market valuations (Tobin’s Q, Market-to-Book) but also their operating profitability as measured by Return on Assets (ROA). At the same time, the CBF affects firms’ cash generation capacity both decreasing the level and increasing the volatility of operating cash flows. Further heterogeneity analyses reveal that the effect of CBF on firm value is particularly strong for large firms, firms producing tangible goods, firms headquartered in megadiverse countries, and countries with a high level of biodiversity conservation. The erosion of ROA is especially evident in countries already severely affected by biodiversity loss. The results have important implications for investors, banks, corporate managers, and policymakers to improve risk pricing, forward-looking corporate governance, and realign corporate strategies and capital allocation with global biodiversity targets.