Porsche Consulting and LAND launch the "Nature-Factory Manifesto"

Porsche Consulting, the management consulting firm affiliated with the renowned automotive brand, and LAND, the international landscape consultancy, have joined forces to launch a new sustainable growth model. The idea is to extend the concept of ‘Nature-Positive Cities’ by creating large urban ecosystems where Nature becomes a fundamental element of economic development and citizen well-being.

In this way, companies become active producers of Nature, extending their influence beyond current boundaries. Public and private sectors work in unison, ensuring greater investment opportunities. Natural Capital thus becomes the indicator of economic well-being, making results transparent and serving the decision-making and policy processes.

“This represents a paradigm shift that moves away from concepts of compensation or restitution and is the key to transforming sustainability from a regulatory obligation to a competitive advantage,” stated Josef Nierling, CEO of Porsche Consulting Italy, during the opening keynote.

In today’s assertive geopolitical landscape, advancing climate action through centralized agreements presents significant challenges. However, implementing concrete initiatives in major global urban areas can yield immediate and tangible benefits for local residents.

“Cities, and especially large urban regions, become attractive for talent, a fundamental element of future competitiveness. That’s why it is in the interest of companies to play an active role: producing Nature around them makes society and the territory attractive, countering the demographic threat and securing the most precious resource – people,” Nierling concluded from the stage.

The “Nature-Factory Manifesto” presented in Davos embodies a strategic vision capable of actively transforming industries and landscapes, combining environmental resilience with new formats of profitability and competitiveness. This radical mindset shift will revolutionize traditional models of sustainable urban development, positioning companies at the forefront of the ecological and social transition through the adoption of Nature-Positive principles.

“Today, every single architecture must contribute to the increase of natural value. Only in this way does the productive landscape become the driving force behind the indispensable social and ecological transition, actively contributing to the enhancement of Ecosystem Services and natural resources for a more resilient society,” stated Andreas Kipar, CEO of LAND and member of the World Economic Forum Task Force for Nature-Positive Cities.

Nature, conceived as a pillar of economic growth, will foster the creation of public-private partnerships to overcome financial constraints and contribute resources and investments to urban development. “Through Natural Capital Accounting, it will be possible to monitor the benefits introduced by Ecosystem Services, assess the impact of Natural Capital on human activities, and facilitate the Nature-Positive transition of cities and territories,” Kipar emphasized.

The panel also featured Verena Ehold, Managing Director at Environment Agency Austria, and Andrea Illy, President of illycaffè and co-Chair of the Regenerative Society Foundation. In his contribution to the discussion, Andrea Illy provided a brief overview of the path that the coffee company illycaffè has been following for years to raise public awareness of technological solutions that support the natural regeneration of plantations. Regenerative farming practices are indeed capable of halting deforestation and soil degradation, giving life back to the land.