SDG 15: Life on Land

The adoption of regenerative agriculture practices is critical if we are to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15: Life On Land. This goal highlights the need to restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss.

We spoke to B Corps from the UK, France, Africa and the US to find out how they're using regenerative agriculture to address SDG 15. Read on to hear from Greg Pilley from Stroud Brewery, Rosie Kissel from Armonia, Vava Angwenyi from Vava Coffee, Emma Detain from Mindful Chef, Jean-Gabriel Levon from Ÿnsect and Ed Ayton from Abel and Cole - and discover how their businesses are helping life on land to flourish.

Regenerative agriculture means working in harmony with nature, not against it. - Emma Detain, Sustainability Manager, Mindful Chef

With social and environmental issues, such as biodiversity loss and climate change, as pressing as they are, we need our farming systems to do more than just sustain, we need them to be regenerative, to leave the resources they use, the landscapes they occupy and the communities they employ in a continually better condition. - Ed Ayton ,Sustainability and Communications Officer, Abel and Cole

Regenerative agriculture is a way to build income resilience amongst the smallholder producers we work with as they adapt to various impacts of climate change and choose a more sustainable path to coffee production. Understanding the farm-system as a whole is essential to reflect farm reality and to increase long-term value for livelihoods and the environment. - Vava Angwenyi, Founder and CEO, Vava Coffee

We are a dedicated organic brewery. All our malt and hops are grown on organic farms. This brings biodiversity benefits and reduced inputs. Lower nitrate and phosphate added to the land with reduced consequence of run off or habitat depletion. Organic farming focuses on soil health and retention. Working with natural systems fosters a different approach to land husbandry. - Greg Pilley, Managing Director, Stroud Brewery

Our vertical farms can’t thrive without a healthy biodiversity around it to feed our mealworms. We sponsor a project to replant 1.8 millions trees over 20 years. Our aim is to contribute to the re-creation of the hedge network in the north of France - where we are located, around 35,000km of hedge has disappeared since 1950. We aim to replant 1,700km of it. - Jean-Gabriel Levon, Co-Founder, Ÿnsect

Everything sold at Abel & Cole is either organic or sustainably-sourced wild. This offers the assurance that it has been produced by working with nature, not against it, promoting environmental preservation and enhancing the health of soils, water and air, plants and animals, and the balance between. - Ed, Abel and Cole

That regenerative agriculture isn't just the latest buzzword and that companies like ours are able to work with suppliers to help finance, share best practice from farmers/growers already engaging in regenerative agriculture practices and actively engage consumers in the benefits to climate, soil health, biodiversity, nutritional value etc. of regenerative agriculture. - Emma, Mindful Chef

That the millions of hectares around the world under coffee can all shift towards regenerative agriculture. - Vava, Vava Coffee

Our hope is that regenerative agriculture is recognised and invested in as a solution for climate change, biodiversity loss, and declining rural economies. We envision more cows on grass, more diverse and regionalised food economies, and more just and resilient supply chains. We believe that the future of regenerative agriculture requires the financial industry to reclaim its original purpose: to serve society. - Rosie, Armonia

Are you curious about how your business is performing against SDG 15? Register for the SDG Action Manager and start tracking your impact and making a difference today.

Stroud Brewery was established in 2006, initially the brewery was a passion project for founder Greg Pilley; an adventurer, environmentalist and beer lover. His purpose was simply to make great tasting beers for the local community whilst being the change he wanted to see in the business world. Today Stroud Brewery is a thriving enterprise and their tap room has become one of Stroud’s cherished local landmarks.

Armonia's mission is to restore harmony. They make long-term investments in projects that promote regeneration. Collaboration is at their core. They operate through a constellation of like-minded partners, linked by trust and common values. Together, they are moving beyond sustainability to adopt and promote regenerative practices in agriculture, finance and business.

Vava Coffee’s vision is to challenge the status quo and promote positive social disruption within the Coffee industry. This vision comes from an inborn Kenyan passion for coffee and a drive to promote the sustainable production of coffee within Kenya’s and the wider East African region by tracing the production of high quality coffee beans to the independent small holder coffee farmer, who works day in and day out, against major obstacles and with meager resources to produce some of the world’s best tasting coffees, often without an understanding or appreciation of the final fruits of their labor.

Back in 2015, three school friends Myles, Giles and Rob were on a fishing boat off the beautiful Exe estuary in Devon bringing in the day's fresh catch to the locals. They had an idea: what if everyone in the UK had access to such brilliant local healthy produce? Mindful Chef was born. As a B Corp, they’re using their place in the world as a force for good, putting people and the planet first.

Abel & Cole want to provide easy ways to help the planet. That’s why they put in all the hard work behind the scenes, from sourcing the finest, organic food to reducing unnecessary packaging, so all you have to do is choose your sustainable, weekly shop. From supporting independent growers and makers to cutting carbon emissions, every organic box that lands on your doorstep makes a world of difference.

Ÿnsect transforms insects into premium, high-value ingredients for pets, fish, plants, and human beings. From its purpose-built state of the art farms, Ÿnsect offers an organic, long-term sustainable solution to accelerate consumption of protein and plants. Due to its negative carbon activity, Ÿnsect uses pioneering proprietary technology protected globally by c.300 patents to produce Molitor and Buffalo mealworms in vertical farms.