Business Call to Action: Land and Sea, a Vital Connection for a Thriving and Resilient Economy

New York, United States of America

In a joint Business Call to Action, more than 80 businesses and supporting organisations from 25 countries, including 55 businesses representing over €600 billion in turnover and 2 million employees, have urgently called upon both private and public decision-makers to strengthen global cooperation and accelerate action to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.

Driven by an unprecedented group of leading business networks, this call comes ahead of the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice. It builds on the proven experience of leading businesses and organisations already championing a sustainable blue economy. It underscores the vital, interconnected role of land and sea, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The Business Call to Action is directed at all economic actors, whether directly or indirectly connected to the ocean. It includes:

• A call to businesses to accelerate action on maintaining ocean health through various business initiatives, such as contributions to ocean science, monitoring and reducing environmental impacts, incorporating ocean considerations into their climate and nature roadmaps and investing in blue solutions.
• A call to policy makers to pursue ambitious science-driven policies and measures that stimulate sustainable business action and to jointly address land and ocean for enhanced global resilience

With this Business Call to Action, companies and business networks urge policymakers to:

• agree on, adopt and implement international agreements: champion strong, sustainable outcomes for existing and upcoming ocean-related agreements,
• invest in ocean science and support strong science-policy interfaces,
• acknowledge and embed into policies the links between ocean, nature and climate,
• help all actors to collectively adapt to sea-level rise,
• develop robust and innovative finance mechanisms,
• raise awareness to encourage all actors to care for the ocean, even those based on land.

The Business Call to Action is convened by global and leading business networks including International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), World Economic Forum (WEF), We Mean Business Coalition (WMB), Business for Nature (BfN), Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF), UN Global Compact Network France and Association française des Entreprises pour l’Environnement (EpE).

Quotes from business leaders

Ulrike Decoene, Groupe Chief Communication, Brand and Sustainability officer - AXA, France
“Oceans play a vital role as climate regulators, but they are now facing critical challenges. Biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, acidification, and rising sea levels threatening coastal communities: these are significant risks we must address. As an insurer long committed to combating climate change, AXA is naturally joining the Business Call to Action to encourage public and private stakeholders to work together in designing innovative solutions, thereby fostering a more ocean-friendly economic model.”

Ingrid Reumert, Senior Vice President of Global Stakeholder Relations - Orsted - Denmark
“Businesses are taking action for ocean health, whether it’s through their core business, innovative finance mechanisms, or voluntary investment in our one ocean. Business action also requires a consistent and robust regulatory framework – we applaud the United Nations in their efforts to build a lasting framework for our future oceans, and the people and economies.”

Ayla Bajwa, Group Senior Vice President of Sustainability - DP World - United Arab Emirates
“With 90% of global trade carried by sea, the health of the ocean is vital to our business and the global economy. At DP World, we’re committed to sustainable maritime practices that protect marine ecosystems, build supply chain resilience, and support coastal communities. Our Ocean Strategy puts our commitment to ocean stewardship into action by setting out a long-term roadmap for advancing a sustainable blue economy and ensuring a future where trade, people and nature thrive together. By signing this Business Call to Action, we join others committed to driving collective progress toward healthy, thriving oceans.”

Serge Raemaekers, Co-Founder and Executive Director - Abalobi - South Africa
"At ABALOBI, we are building a business model rooted in the Triple Bottom Line—placing equal emphasis on social equity, ecological stewardship, and economic resilience. Through our verifiable traceability tools and transparent data systems, we enable small-scale fishers to actively participate in — and benefit from — sustainable seafood supply chains. We are committed to working alongside industry, governments, and communities to realise the principles in the Business Call to Action, fostering inclusive, fair, and regenerative ocean economies

Pierre-Yves Pouliquen, Vice-President Multifaceted Performance and Sustainable Development - Veolia - France
“For more than 170 years, Veolia has been working to preserve marine environments by reducing the impact of land-based pollution on them. This commitment, consistent with our Purpose and our Multifaceted Performance, is reinforced by our new GreenUp strategic plan to decarbonize, depollute and regenerate. Under the responsibility of local authorities, our expertise in wastewater treatment, plastic pollution prevention, the recycling of urban and industrial waste and the treatment of hazardous waste contribute to the preservation of coastal ecosystems and related economic activities.”

Gloria Fluxá Thienemann - Vice-Chairman & Chief Sustainability Officer - Iberostar Group - Spain
“At Iberostar, we deeply recognize the ocean's vital role as the heart of coastal tourism, intrinsically connected to our business, communities, and the global economy.  This includes operational and value chain mitigation, from responsible sourcing and pollution prevention to wider adaptation strategies that foster healthy coastal ecosystems and prosperity, while building resilience. We believe it's imperative for inter-sectoral and multi-stakeholder action to collaborate, forging partnerships that can achieve the scale we need in destinations to ensure a thriving ocean for generations to come.”

Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer - Ragn-Sells Group - Sweden
“The business community is not standing still – We are actively engaged in building a sustainable framework for the oceans. Ragn-Sells is proud to join this call to action to the global business community and policy-makers in working together to conserve and maintain a sustainable use of our oceans.”

Benoît Clocheret, CEO Artelia - France
"As an international multidisciplinary consultancy firm and world reference in maritime engineering, we at Artelia have signed this declaration, which reflects our concrete commitments to ecological transition. We firmly believe that the health of the oceans is essential to the prosperity of our territories and economic activities. Preserving marine ecosystems means taking tangible action to promote a resilient and inclusive economy, particularly in the fields of coastal engineering, marine energy and pollution control."

Read the Business Call to Action here:

• EpE: https://www.epe-asso.org/business-call-to-action
• United Nations Global Compact French network:  https://pactemondial.org/2025/06/08/land-and-sea-a-vital-connection-for-a-thriving-and-resilient-economy
• Business for Nature: https://www.businessfornature.org/news/joint-business-article-oceans
• World Economic Forum, United Nations Global Compact: URL not yet active

Press contacts:

• United Nations Global Compact: gee@unglobalcompact.org; boelt@unglobalcompact.org; jared.sheppard@unglobalcompact.org
• World Economic Forum: Erin.Skoczylas@weforum.org
• ICC: daniel.grajales@iccwbo.org ; raelene.martin@iccwbo.org
• Business for Nature: lucy.coast@businessfornature.org
• MEDEF: pfouquet@medef.fr; presse@medef.fr
• United Nations Global Compact French network: olivier.gil@pactemondial.org; alice.tan@pactemondial.org
• EpE: ndelafalaise@epe-asso.org; florence.bardin@agencef.com