Forum for the Future’s new 2023-2025 strategy, For a just and regenerative future, calls on us all to ‘go further and act faster’ if we’re to tackle our intensifying social, environmental and economic challenges. But we need to be clear on what that means. Forum’s CEO, Dr Sally Uren, explores what taking systemic, urgent action really looks like. Read more
As the Cotton 2040 initiative draws to a close in 2023, Forum’s Principal Programme Manager Hannah Cunneen, Principal Sustainability Strategist Yamini Srivastava, and Change Strategist Bhairevi Aiyer reflect on the key takeaways from Cotton 2040’s Masterclass series, co-hosted with our technical partners WTW Climate Resilience Hub. Read more
With health impacts of the climate crisis being felt worldwide, there is a growing call for the private sector to step up. In this blog, Forum’s International Managing Director, Hannah Pathak explores how the private sector can transform its products, services and practices to address this complex dual challenge of climate and health. Read more
Written by Laura Winn, Head of the School of System Change, and Charlene Collison, Forum's Associate Director of Sustainable Value Chains and Livelihoods, this blog contains quotes from participants on the School of System Change in Finance. Read more
Written by Caroline Ashley, Forum's Global Programmes Director, this blog draws on conversations with actors in and beyond finance, and on this new Forum paper on the Role of Finance in systems change. Read more
Written by Caroline Ashley, Global Programmes Director, Forum for the Future and Emilie Goodall, Affiliate, Forum for the Future, this blog draws on conversations with actors in and beyond finance, and on a new Forum paper on the Role of Finance in systems change. Read more
Forum's Associate Director of Sustainable Value Chains and Livelihoods, Charlene Collison, looks at how companies can improve the resilience of their value chains in preparation for an increasingly volatile climate. Read more
As the doors close on COP27, many are wondering whether it will make any difference in light of the escalating social and environmental challenges we face. For many, it is little more than an extravagant talk shop; for others, it’s a once-a-year opportunity to galvanise action. Having attended Sharm El Sheikh as an NGO Observer and to launch new private sector guidance on how to simultaneously tackle climate and health issues, Forum’s Chief Executive, Dr Sally Uren, shares her reflections - good Read more
Written by Caroline Ashley, Global Programmes Director, Forum for the Future and Emilie Goodall, Affiliate, Forum for the Future, this blog draws on conversations with actors in and beyond finance, and on this new Forum paper on the Role of Finance in systems change. Read more
After nearly seven years of convening actors across the cotton sector to align on issues critical for the industry’s future, the Cotton 2040 initiative is coming to a close. Here, Charlene Collison, Associate Director at Forum for the Future and director of Cotton 2040 reflects on how the sector has changed, and its readiness for the future. Read more
Prior to the U.S. midterm elections, Forum's Director - Americas, Sandra Seru, discusses how polarization and disinformation have affected the sustainability movement and created barriers to climate action. Sandra emphasizes the need to come together as a sustainability field to address polarization and create a united front against climate change. Read more
With the link between climate change and human health becoming increasingly clear, there is a unique opportunity for the private sector to tackle this complex dual challenge with integrated approaches. Here, Forum's Chief Executive Dr Sally Uren sets the context and explores upcoming guidance from the Climate and Health Coalition, which - with a focus on food, technology, healthcare and the built environment - is set to provide specific recommendations for action and enable the private sector to Read more
Following on from our Cotton 2040 blog series, here, programme facilitators Neil Walker from Forum for the Future and Nicola Thornley from Anthesis reflect on what we’ve achieved in the initiative in building uptake of sustainable cotton with 11 brands and retailers, and identify opportunities for growth. Read more
Cotton is one of the world’s leading commodities and its production can be associated with significant social, environmental and economic impacts. On World Cotton Day, five years since the inception of the Cotton 2040 initiative, programme facilitators Neil Walker from Forum for the Future and Nicola Thornley from Anthesis reflect on what we have achieved and learned through the initiative in building uptake of sustainable cotton with 11 brands and retailers. Read more
Forum’s Managing Director (Asia), Ariel Muller, reflects on our focus on addressing deep transformation versus shallow transitions, what we’ve learnt about enabling transformation in Asia, and how our programmes will deliver to these aims. Read more
Hannah Pathak, Forum for the Future’s Director of UK/Europe considers the latest sustainability trends and questions rippling across the UK and Europe, and explores the implications of Forum’s new 2023-2025 strategy for our work on food, energy and the role of business. Read more
Six years on and in line with Forum’s new 2023-2025 strategy, the School has now evolved, and will be operating in partnership with Forum. With more independence, the School is primed to flourish in pursuit of a world where people embrace complexity and address the challenges of our time through new ways of thinking, acting and being. Read more
Forum for the Future’s recently announced 2023-2025 strategy outlines our focus on enabling deep transformation in how we think about, produce, consume and value both food and energy, and the role of business in society and the economy. Here, Forum’s Director - Americas, Sandra Seru, reflects on current progress in the U.S. and outlines five ways in which sustainability professionals can work towards deep transformation. Read more
Right now, the sustainability movement faces a choice: to continue driving ‘shallow transitions’ or to start laying the foundations for the ‘deep transformation’ that’s long overdue. Forum’s Director of Global Programmes, Caroline Ashley, explores the difference between shallow and deep change. Read more
As Forum for the Future announces its new 2023-2025 strategy, For a just and regenerative future, Chief Executive Dr Sally Uren sets the context by exploring where the sustainability movement has made progress and where it’s fallen short. Recognising the crossroads the world stands at right now and the transitions already in play, Sally outlines Forum’s focus on enabling deep transformation over shallow, incremental gains, and how we will hone in on food, energy and business. Read more
Fashion brands and standardised measurements of their sustainability have come under greater scrutiny for inaccuracy and greenwashing. What can the fashion industry do as it seeks to become more sustainable? Karen Sim, Senior Sustainability Strategist at Forum, calls out for the inclusion of the ‘opaque middle’ to lead change in the fashion industry: manufacturers. Read more
This International Youth Day, Sangam Paudel, Forum’s first Sustainable Futures Fellow, shares his personal reflections on his past year working in the sustainability sector and what it could mean for youth hoping to make a positive difference through their work. Read more
The transition to regenerative agriculture in the US asks for nothing less than a complete rewiring of the current agriculture system. Here, Mary McCarthy, Forum’s Technical Lead, explores what we can learn from the collaboration and co-creation underway in the Growing our Future community about what’s needed to raise ambitions and drive deep transformation. Read more
As regenerative approaches in the United States gain momentum, how do we ensure that the transition to a regenerative food and agriculture system supports equitable economic prosperity while allowing people and the planet to flourish long term? Here, Forum’s Principal Strategist, Mary McCarthy, shares insights from the Growing our Future community’s latest report, ‘What’s next for regenerative agriculture in the US?’. Read more
In 1973, abortion was made legal across the US after a landmark ruling known as Roe v. Wade. The US Supreme Court has now overturned that right. In its widespread implications, set to ripple way beyond reproductive rights, the move represents a significant threat to what’s urgently needed: a future that is socially just, as well as ecologically sound. Here, Forum for the Future’s Associate Director of Global Development, Priya Kvam, explores the issue as a systemic challenge and outlines four ke Read more
At what is a critical moment for the sustainability movement, Forum for the Future’s flagship Future of Sustainability campaign shed light on what the past can teach us about our future. These insights formed the basis of our first US in-person event in more than two years. Here, Forum’s Managing Director – Americas, Sandra Seru, shares her reflections from an evening spent trading hope. Read more
What does climate adaptation look like in resilient cities? How can systems change and futures approaches be used as tools for transformative adaptation, and build resilience in ways that are equitable and inclusive? Forum’s Principal Sustainability Strategist Yamini Srivastava and Ashali Bhandari, Senior Urban Planner, Transitions Research, share key reflections. Read more
Civil society plays a critical role in driving action to address the climate emergency. Yet the sector is facing complex challenges, including increased scrutiny and shifting regulatory goal-posts. Here, we explore what is challenging the resilience of climate action civil society and what might strengthen it, building on the excellent work already being done. Read more
The UK government’s latest energy security strategy, released on 7th April, puts offshore wind and nuclear power at the heart of its new policy. Forum’s Associate Director of UK/Europe, Martin Hunt, and Climate Strategist, Iain Watt, share key reflections on the latest paper and the change needed to create a just and regenerative energy system. Read more
To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, Forum’s Chair, Rita Clifton CBE, and Chief Executive, Dr Sally Uren OBE, share personal reflections on their role models, what it means to advance gender equality in the context of multiple sustainability crises, what advice they would give to younger female voices in the sector, and how they balance the many competing demands of work and home life. Read more