ABSTRACT
This chapter develops a methodology to enable every organisation, no matter how small or large, to begin to take nature consciously into account. It discusses four main elements. The first is an intellectual foundation for the guidelines that follow. The second is guidelines for choosing materials with least impact on biodiversity. The third is a decision-making procedure which is intended to help purchasers find the best solutions in the short and longer term. The final outlines a biodiversity-aware approach to life-cycle assessment. More and more organisations are improving their environmental performance, usually starting with their operations and then often moving on to look at their product design and purchasing. There are two possible broad justifications for pursuing ecological sustainability. One is to support human well-being through maintaining life-support systems and biologically based economic resources. The other is to support the viability of other life-forms for their own sake.
