The objective of LDN is to maintain or even improve the amount of ecologically healthy and productive land
resources over time, and to do it in line with national sustainable development priorities.Businesses, through their operations, impact land and depend on land according to their business model.

Engaging in LDN can in fact be an opportunity for companies to ensure sustainable and environmentally
sound production and value chains. A number of factors need to be in place for companies to become land degradation neutral and contribute to national or global LDN targets. This includes sufficient funding as well as accountability in terms of clear monitoring and reporting frameworks. Building on other relevant sustainability targets and initiatives may also enable and support company engagement.

This publication, which is targeted at private and public decision-makers, aims to provide a business perspective on the LDN target and what it will take to scale it up. It is based on the assumption that business has an important role to play in moving the world towards land degradation neutrality and explores how LDN can be implemented in a company’s direct and indirect areas of influence. By assessing the total economic value of their land assets, including all related ecosystem services, companies can make informed decisions on how to best manage them. Engaging small-scale producers in the value chain will be fundamental to scaling up LDN.

The companies contributing to this paper highlight that LDN will have to make economic sense for small-scale producers or it will be difficult to engage them. Large companies—in particular, consumer good companies dealing with a range of different products with massive outreach to producers—can play an important role in engaging these actors.