Big pharma accused of ‘free-riding on nature’ as global fund attracts just $7,000
A global biodiversity fund intended to collect $1 billion annually from pharmaceutical companies has raised only a fraction of its goal. Critics accuse the industry of 'free-riding on nature' by profiting from genetic resources without contributing to conservation efforts.
Why it matters
The failure of this fund underscores the difficulty of enforcing voluntary corporate social responsibility in the pharmaceutical sector regarding environmental sustainability.
Collecting samples from nature for digital sequencing – the pharma industry relies on genetic information from organisms for the development of new medicines. Collecting samples from nature for digital sequencing – the pharma industry relies on genetic information from organisms for the development of new medicines. The age of extinction Pharmaceuticals industry Big pharma accused of ‘free-riding on nature’ as global fund attracts just $7,000 The Cali Fund, set up to raise $1bn a year for biodiversity from drug companies, remains near empty
About this content Rebecca Ratcliffe Thu 22 Oct 2026 10.00 BST Last modified on Thu 22 Oct 2026 10.03 BST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google Big pharmaceutical companies have been accused of “free-riding on nature”, after a landmark biodiversity fund that invites businesses to put some of their profits back into conservation was left virtually empty.
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