PUR at Climate Week NYC

Climate Week NYC has become something of a ‘Save the Date’ moment in the calendars of climate and sustainability professionals around the world. Overlapping with the United Nations General Assembly, the week-long flurry of events, panels and gatherings across New York City sees a procession of business leaders, policymakers and celebrities descend on the Big Apple. 

This year’s event was much like years gone by, but perhaps with some added frisson. This being the so-called ‘decade of action’ has given added urgency to the conversations, with much more focus on finding solutions to reverse current climate trends. As Climate Group CEO Helen Clarkson said in officially opening Climate Week NYC, “It’s time to think about the crucial decisions and action we need to start taking right now…because history will judge us.”

PUR was excited to be a part of it. In fact, our team was on-the-ground to participate in a number of different panel discussions to explore the role of nature-based solutions and how innovative approaches – amongst others around biodiversity outcome measurement – can build corporate supply chain resilience while addressing the climate challenge at a landscape-level.

Over at the NEST Climate Campus, which took over the Jacob Javits Convention Center, not far from the Hudson River, the Nespresso story took center stage once more. Alongside PUR’s Chief Product and Development Officer, Andrew Nobrega, and Nespresso’s Head of Coffee Sustainability, Julie Reneau, Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology discussed the success of their partnership in measuring the reviving of ecosystems in coffee-growing regions. 

The session provided insights into the regenerative practices implemented in Nespresso’s supply chains, particularly through agroforestry. As Julie explained, Nespresso and PUR have partnered to plant over 9 million trees in coffee-growing regions since 2014 – with measurable biodiversity outcomes. 

Viviana demonstrated two main findings from the study of the PUR/Nespresso agroforestry coffee parcels in Colombia. Firstly, the Cornell Lab measured that tree cover has significantly increased in farms that are part of the agroforestry program. As Julie from Nespresso shared, back in 2014, the program was designed based on faith that trees would survive despite many reasons to believe the opposite given the uncertainty of nature and the impact of climate change. Science and facts have now demonstrated that what Nespresso had faith in actually happened. 

Secondly, the Cornell Lab found scientific evidence that trees can revive a landscape in less than a decade. By planting trees, an agroforestry program can increase biodiversity between 10% and 20% in less than ten years. For the first time in such a large-scale agroforestry program, biodiversity outcomes have been measured, and give confidence to all stakeholders to continue and scale the implementation of nature-based solutions in agricultural supply chains. 

You can watch the whole fascinating 20-minute panel discussion in the video below:

Our second thought-provoking session uncovered how public-private partnerships might shape the future of nature-based investments – and close the critical nature financing gap. Andrew Nobrega from PUR  was joined on stage by Agustin Silvani from Bregal Sphere Nature and Patricia Zurita of Conservation International. They emphasized the importance of scaling nature-based solutions within agricultural supply chains to foster climate resilience – something that demands greater awareness and enhanced commitment from business to transform supply chains​ for the benefit of people and the planet.

Then, in our ‘Beyond the Farm Gate’, PUR’s Andrew Nobrega had an opportunity to dive deeper into our landscape-level approach to carbon reduction and enhanced biodiversity. A packed audience heard about PUR’s supply-shed model which can play a crucial role in creating buffers and restoring degraded land, mitigating climate impacts while protecting biodiversity. The session highlighted the principles behind a landscape-level approach, the carbon accounting associated with it, and examples that clearly illustrate how connecting fragmented habitats and creating eco-corridors can improve both supply chain resilience and biodiversity​.

To close the afternoon, PUR’s Barbara Bonnet was joined by Nespresso’s Head of Coffee Sustainability, Julie Reneau and Federación Nacional de Cafeteros’ Marcela Gaviria Botero. They walked through their decade of working together on community-driven efforts to build climate-resilient coffee supply chains in Colombia. The long-term partnership, driven by Nespresso’s Positive Cup strategy, has achieved significant milestones, including planting 2.7 million trees and impacting more than 10,000 farmers​.

The panel emphasized the importance of trust and complementary expertise between the partners in a collaboration that has been instrumental in overcoming challenges, not least the instability in Colombia’s coffee-growing regions​. The success of the program serves as a blueprint for scaling climate-resilient coffee production globally.

Through innovative outcome measurements, public-private partnerships, landscape-level approaches, and community-driven efforts, PUR is driving the transformation needed to address the intertwined challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and supply chain resilience. Each of these sessions reinforced a central theme: collaboration across sectors and the adoption of nature-based solutions are essential to building a climate-resilient and sustainable future.

It was an incredibly busy week, but we were delighted to have been a part of what continues to be an important moment in the year; a chance to share ideas, showcase solutions and explore what’s possible as we find ways to shape sustainable supply chains and restore nature, all in the name of climate action.