How Melrose used Leafr to map water and biodiversity risk across all their global sites

Overview

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Melrose, through GKN Aerospace, supplies advanced aerospace components and systems to over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers. With 32 manufacturing sites across 12 countries, the company is a critical player in the global aerospace supply chain, and is committed to embedding sustainability across its operations. When the need arose to assess environmental risks across all global sites, Melrose turned to Leafr to bring in specialist expertise quickly and effectively.

Challenge

As part of its evolving ESG strategy, Melrose needed to assess water and biodiversity risks at each of its global sites in order to feed into internal sustainability targets and their upcoming annual report. The project required an expert who could interpret and apply leading methodologies (WRI and WWF) to map risk levels across varied geographies, while also tailoring outputs to business-critical metrics like site size, revenue, and operational footprint.

This was a highly specialised task that didn’t require a full-time hire, but demanded rigour, independence, and deep subject knowledge. Melrose needed someone who could handle complex data, navigate environmental risk frameworks, and contribute meaningfully to the company’s ESG narrative.

Solution  

Melrose used Leafr to find an environmental risk specialist with a background in biodiversity and water assessments for large infrastructure and transport projects. The expert got up to speed quickly, reviewing existing methodologies and carrying out a comprehensive, desk-based assessment using WRI and WWF tools, supplemented with global biodiversity data sets like IUCN and KBA.

Results

The project delivered a clear prioritisation of environmental risks across all sites, with documented outputs ready to feed into sustainability reporting. The methodology was refined to enable future updates, creating a reusable framework that Melrose can continue to build on. With limited time and internal capacity, the team appreciated how seamlessly the consultant integrated and delivered value.

- Specialist access on demand: Leafr matched Melrose with an expert who brought both deep technical skill and a practical, delivery-focused approach.
- Flexible resourcing, real results: The project was delivered by a fractional specialist, avoiding the cost and delay of a full-time hire or large consultancy.
- Reporting-ready outputs: Documentation and risk summaries were built to plug directly into the sustainability report, saving time and internal effort.
- Reusable framework: The methodology was refined for future application, setting the business up to regularly revisit and evolve its risk assessments.

Conclusion  

Melrose didn’t need to build an in-house team to tackle a specialised environmental assessment. With Leafr, they accessed targeted expertise exactly when they needed it, delivering fast, strategic results with lasting impact. The project became a cornerstone of their 2024 sustainability reporting and set the foundation for smarter, more proactive environmental risk management going forward.

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