The Nature Footprint makes the biodiversity impact of every transaction visible — expressed as something people can easily picture.
Get in touchThe Nature Footprint is ekko's real-time biodiversity metric, embedded directly into the payment experience.
It shows consumers how their everyday spending affects the natural world — and gives them a simple way to act on it.
Carbon footprinting tracks greenhouse gas emissions. The Nature Footprint measures something different: how spending affects the living natural world through habitat loss, land use, freshwater stress, and pollution. We express this as an area of nature affected, and make it tangible by comparing it to familiar spaces, like a football pitch or a swimming pool.
Most consumers care about the natural world around them but don’t know how their everyday spending can impact it.
The purchase moment is one of genuine attention. Used well, it's a powerful opportunity to affect change.
89%
of global consumers want more environmental action
Source: Nature.com
85%
of shoppers say they expect brand ethics to play a role in where they shop in the future
Source: Worldpay
80%
of consumers want to live more sustainably
Source: Mastercard
64%
of consumers prefer brands aligned with their values
Source: CapGemini
Built on transaction data. No extra steps.
Every payment carries information about the type of merchant, the country of purchase, and the transaction amount. That's ekko's starting point.
From there, our model maps each transaction to the relevant economic sectors and supply chains, and calculates impact across twelve pressure points.
It works with data that payment providers already have. No extra input from merchants or consumers is required.
Grounded in established science.
The Nature Footprint draws on internationally recognised, peer-reviewed data sources and environmental accounting frameworks.
EXIOBASE
Global environmental input-output database
AWARE
Water stress indicators
Global Biodiversity Score
CDC Biodiversité impact indicators
Impact is calculated using Mean Species Abundance (MSA) — the core biodiversity metric used in the Global Biodiversity Score (GBS). MSA measures how intact biodiversity remains in an area compared to a pristine, undisturbed reference state. An MSA value of 1 means fully intact. Lower values indicate increasing loss.
That scientific measure is then translated into a simple, intuitive area of nature affected, making it meaningful for everyday consumers.
Proudly, the calibre of ekko's work and people continues to be recognised by industry bodies, fintech associations, and some of the world's leading environmental organisations.
