Natural systems are the water, air and land, the plants and trees, the mammals, insects and fish, the bacteria and yeasts, the jungle, the coral reefs, the mountains, the deep seas and the deserts. Natural systems are everything around us on earth. It is life and everything that makes life possible. It is the sunlight, the clouds, the rain, the soil and the minerals. It is the cells, the proteins, the lipids and the hormones. It is the immune system which keeps us free of diseases and the nervous system which enable us to observe, reflect and act. It is the genome, nature's key to reproduction of all species.

Natural systems are integrated into our lives so deeply that we don't always recognize them and their incredible capacity to support life and absorb pressures. However, natural systems  are sensitive to pressures, and human beings are in fact damaging the natural systems  seriously by exploiting huge amounts of resources from the ground, destroying vast areas of land and by emitting enormous amounts of substances into the air, water and ground.

By protecting natural systems, we can protect our natural capital, our business and our lives and health, but to do so we need to understand our role within nature and our interaction with natural systems. In this site we will see how our products interact with natural systems from raw material extraction though production and use to disposal or recycling - from "cradle to grave."  Illustrated by a simple example - a whiteboard marker.