Growing Beyond Carbon: How Prysmian’s Biodiversity Journey Supports Its Net Gain Ambition

By Flavia Pane, Sustainable Solutions & Product Development Senior Engineer, R&D, Prysmian North America

As the world confronts the twin crises of climate change and ecosystem decline, sustainability leadership means going beyond carbon accounting. At Prysmian, our environmental strategy reflects this reality: we are committed not only to decarbonization but also to protecting and restoring biodiversity across the landscapes touched by our operations, products, and infrastructure projects. 

This commitment is embedded in Prysmian’s global sustainability targets, which include achieving Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) by 2035, a pledge to ensure that the areas we influence leave nature better off than we found them. Biodiversity Net Gain is quickly becoming a non-negotiable expectation across the energy, telecom, and infrastructure sectors. As grids expand and renewable energy deployment accelerates, Prysmian is integrating nature's positive principles into how we design, evaluate, and deliver our solutions worldwide. 

Why Biodiversity Matters for an Energy Infrastructure Leader 

Healthy ecosystems are essential for the long-term resilience of communities and critical infrastructure alike. For Prysmian, investing in biodiversity means:

• Reducing ecological impacts where cables and systems are installed
• Strengthening resilience to climate change at project sites
• Supporting local communities and maintaining social license to operate
• Aligning with customer expectations, particularly among utilities
• Preparing for emerging biodiversity regulations and disclosure frameworks 

In markets like the UK, developers are now required to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain for new projects, setting up a precedent that is influencing global infrastructure planning. Prysmian supports customers by incorporating biodiversity assessments, ecological surveys, and positive nature design. But our ambition goes beyond compliance. Biodiversity is becoming a standard part of our responsible project philosophy worldwide. 

Our Biodiversity Net Gain Commitment: Net Gain by 2035 

Prysmian’s sustainability strategy includes a clear and measurable nature objective: Net Gain by 2035. Achieving Net Gain requires a science-based approach:

• Assessing ecological baselines
• Avoiding or minimizing impacts during project design
• Restoring or enhancing habitats beyond their original condition
• Ensuring all gains are measurable and reportable
• Engaging with communities, NGOs and local stakeholders 

This framework informs us how we think about biodiversity across both land-based and marine projects. 

Nature-Positive Actions Embedded into Project Delivery 

Prysmian integrates biodiversity considerations into the full life cycle of project delivery.

1. Ecological Baseline Surveys

   Professional ecologists conduct surveys for protected species, such as amphibians, birds, mammals, and sensitive plant species, before projects begin.

2. Avoidance and Mitigation 

   To prevent unnecessary disturbance, Prysmian works with customers to adapt construction approaches by:

   • Reducing project footprints
   • Avoiding tree removal
   • Preserving native vegetation and soils

3. Land and Marine Habitat Protection

   Prysmian supports both terrestrial and marine biodiversity through:

   • Habitat conservation and restoration plans
   • Measures to protect marine mammals using JNCC-compliant protocols for offshore projects

4. Long-term Monitoring 

   Monitoring programs help identify conservation opportunities and ensure the ongoing success of habitat enhancements.

New North America Partnership: Supporting Cardinal Land Conservancy 

To strengthen our biodiversity work in the communities where we operate, Prysmian North America launched a new initiative in 2025: a sponsorship and volunteer partnership with Cardinal Land Conservancy, a respected local nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and restoring natural spaces. 

Through its work, Cardinal Land Conservancy:

• Protects and restores natural areas for wildlife, safeguarding regional biodiversity
• Creates and maintains beautiful natural places for the public across Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
• Preserves working farmland, supporting local food production and sustainable land use 

To support these efforts, Prysmian joined Cardinal as a corporate sponsor in 2025 and encourages employees to use volunteer time off to participate directly in Cardinal’s conservation activities. This partnership reflects our commitment to living our sustainability values, not only through operational practices and project delivery, but also through community engagement and hands-on stewardship.

Biodiversity’s Connection to Prysmian’s Broader Sustainability Mission 

Our biodiversity actions reinforce the wider sustainability pillars within Prysmian:

1. Climate commitment: Healthy ecosystems capture carbon, support soil and water stability, and strengthen climate resilience.
2. Circularity and resource efficiency: Biodiversity initiatives complement sustainable materials and waste reduction programs.
3. Customer partnership: Utilities and developers increasingly require biodiversity assessments and Net Gain contributions in tenders.
4. Community value: By protecting natural areas and supporting land conservancies, Prysmian contributes positively to local quality of life.

Looking Ahead: A Nature Positive Future for Energy Infrastructure 

Biodiversity is indispensable to a stable climate, resilient communities, and sustainable businesses. By integrating biodiversity considerations into our global project delivery, empowering employees through volunteer programs with local environmental partners, such as our 2026 sponsorship with Cardinal Land Conservancy, Prysmian is taking meaningful steps toward a nature-positive future. 

Our commitment is simple and ambitious: to leave ecosystems better than we find them and to help ensure nature thrives alongside the networks that power our world. 

For a detailed overview of Prysmian’s climate strategy, performance, and targets, refer to Prysmian’s 2025 Integrated Annual Report, which provides comprehensive, audited information on our decarbonization journey.