Beating the credit and climate crunch:
staying ahead in a recession and beyond

Climate change, natural resource shortages and global poverty, won’t go away just because there's a recession. Planning how to survive it is not enough: successful businesses should also be preparing for the post-recession world.

The short-term pressure the recession puts on budgets and delivery can mean it’s very difficult to take the longer-term view and think hard about sustainability. Yet putting this off is dangerous. We firmly believe that those businesses that tackle sustainability today will not only come through the recession, but will be better positioned for long-term success in a world which will be shaped increasingly by climate change and natural resource shortages.
 
Forum for the Future can help you become more sustainable in a way that makes business sense today and tomorrow. Here are our five top tips.

Get your priorities right

We know that tackling sustainability issues like energy, water use and waste can reduce operating costs and help the environment at the same time. But with a tight budget and high delivery pressures, you need to ensure you prioritise those issues which will have the greatest impact. If your business hasn't done this yet, we can help.

We have a set of clear, customised processes which can help you decide what to focus on in a recession. Read more about risk and opportunity mapping.

Make the sustainable choice

The past few years have seen growing public demand for products which combine value and quality with positive social and environmental impacts. Even in these tough economic times, insight data tells us that the vast majority of consumers still care about environmental and social issues, but they need business to make the sustainable choice the easy choice.

Our innovation team can help you combine sustainability with affordability, from tweaks to radical re-thinking, and help you find and develop the products and services you need for success. Read more about cheap and green innovations.

Build for the future

Smart companies will invest their resources in opportunities which help them both survive the recession and prosper in a post-recession world.

We can help you develop a future-proofed strategy, giving you sustained competitive advantage by preparing you for the trends which are shaping our world. Read more about future-proofing your strategy.

Fight the temptation to stick your head in the sand

Don’t assume the recession, climate change and the resource crunch will all go away without the need for any major changes to your business model. This is not likely to be a successful long-term strategy.

We can help you to understand the cost of doing nothing by assessing the value that you will put at risk if you don’t have a pro-active strategy to deal with the triple crunch in credit, climate and natural resources. Read more about understanding the value at risk.

Spot the profitable and sustainable new business ideas

Learning to recognise new business ideas which are both profitable and sustainable will serve you well now and in the future.

We can help you broaden your understanding and evaluation of new business ideas by focussing on the environmental and social impacts as well as financial viability. Read more about developing a sustainable business model.