Centre for Sustainable Business hosts Summer Conference 2025

As organisations increasingly contend with the pressures between commerce and conservation, understanding the value and cost of nature has never been more urgent.

The Centre for Sustainable Business (CSB) at the University of Liverpool Management School (ULMS) explored this critical issue at its third annual Summer Conference, held on Wednesday 11 June 2025, themed ‘The Price of Nature? The Unintended Consequences of the Business Case’

Rethinking Nature in Business

The one-day conference brought together academics, business leaders and students to examine what happens when we assign monetary value to the natural world.

Keynotes and interactive roundtables challenged participants to reflect on the consequences of pricing nature in business settings.

Opening the event, Kieran Maguire (Senior Lecturer in Accountancy, ULMS) delivered an engaging keynote connecting sports finance and environmental accounting.

He illustrated how short-term financial reporting can hide long-term risks, offering a warning for those applying traditional financial tools to nature.

Professor Jo Meehan, CSB Director, challenged attendees to interrogate fundamental assumptions about the way nature is defined and valued in business contexts.

Her session encouraged honest dialogue about the limitations of business logics when applied to ecological systems and sparked deep reflection on our relationship with the natural world.

With Kate Dalton (External Engagement Officer, ULMS) finishing the morning session showcasing how businesses can collaborate with the Management School.

After a networking lunch, participants joined five interactive ‘world café’ sessions grounded in CSB research:

• Professor Pippa Hunter-Jones (Professor of Marketing, ULMS) discussed protecting vulnerable consumers
• Professor Helen Stalford (Professor of Law, School of Law and Social Justice) introduced legal views on climate justice and future generations
• Dr Bruce Pinnington (Senior Lecturer in Operations Management, ULMS) explored collaboration for greater societal value
• Dr Elica Krasteva (Lecturer in Accounting, ULMS) examined how boards can govern with nature in mind
• Clare Westcott (Postgraduate (PhD) Researcher and Chair of the CSB Advisory Board) reimagined business through seasonal, nature-aligned cycles.

These discussions fostered open dialogue for participants to test ideas, reflect on their practices and connect across sectors.

Nature at the Table

A highlight of the afternoon was a closing talk from Dave Mercer (Natural England), who offered a powerful narrative from the front lines of nature restoration on the Sefton coast.

He shared the realities of reversing habitat loss and emphasised the importance of community partnerships and long-term thinking.

A consistent provocation emerged throughout the event: What would nature say if she had a seat at the table? This question captured the spirit of the day, one that moved beyond pricing nature to considering how we might value, protect, and give voice to her in business decisions. 

The CSB Summer Conference 2025 was a resounding success, sparking challenging yet necessary conversations around the role of business in ecological terms.

Attendees left with renewed energy, a deeper understanding of the risks and responsibilities of pricing nature, and a collective commitment to more thoughtful, inclusive decision-making.

About the Centre for Sustainable Business

The CSB is one of six Management School Research Centres and serves as a hub of actionable research insights, supporting businesses and policymakers in finding solutions to the climate emergency and social justice issues.

The Centre focuses on bridging the gap between academics and organisations, by translating research into accessible guidance and collaborating with businesses on research projects to help achieve their sustainability goals.

Find out more about the Centre of Sustainable Business