Supply chains and livelihoods

It shouldn’t cost the earth for supply chains to meet our needs. Yet entrenched in many global supply chains are environmental abuse, poor working conditions, unequal distribution of profits, and inefficient use of resources.

Shifting these complex problems requires us to collaborate, remove barriers to progress, coordinate our efforts and innovate solutions in the face of disruptive change. Only then can we secure sustainable supply, viability and fair livelihoods across global industries.

What are our goals?

Engaging brands, retailers and consumers in buying sustainably sourced products.
Transforming supply chain business models to distribute value more equally.
Addressing barriers to transparency.
Identifying and building opportunities for sustainable jobs and livelihoods, and growing the resilience of farmers, workers and communities.

Talk to Charlene Collison, our Associate Director, Sustainable Value Chains and Livelihoods, or see more of our work below.

We're tracking this challenge live on the Futures Centre, head over to see what #signalsofchange we're spotting.

Beauty and Personal Care Sustainability Project

Demand for sustainable products is growing, and calls for safe and sustainable products, with transparent and clear ingredient lists, are increasing. So, how do we get more sustainable products on retailers’ shelves? Read more

Circular Leap Asia

Working with apparel manufacturers in Asia and other value chain players across the sector, our innovation programme aims to fast-track solutions towards a circular economy. Read more

Consumer Futures 2020

A practical tool based around four future scenarios to help consumer goods organisations plan for the years ahead. Read more

Cotton 2040

The production of sustainable cotton has enormous potential to create positive change. Sourcing more sustainable cotton is essential to reducing the apparel sector’s negative impacts and ensuring future supply. Read more

CottonUP guide

Together with the partners in the Cotton 2040 coalition, we are calling on brands and retailers to radically increase their sourcing of sustainable cotton and have launched a digital guide to support them with fast-tracking their sourcing strategies Read more

Decent Rural Living Initiative

Identifying, supporting and scaling solutions that improve the lives of rural workers in Indonesia. Read more

Eliminating single-use plastics with Asian food delivery companies

Promising convenience, affordability and choice for busy consumers, food delivery services have burgeoned in recent years, particularly in Asia. In 2015, the Asia Pacific region accounted for nearly half the total value of global home food delivery, and it’s expected to be the industry’s fastest growing region in the next 2 years. Read more

Tea 2030

We want to deliver a sustainable tea industry, from crop to cup. To do that, we need the cooperation and collaboration across the tea industry, from pickers and packers to producers and purchasers. Read more

Latest

Re-usable Buildings Pathfinder

“The future of the building marketplace is one where traditional construction is a thing of the past, where reconstruction and redeployment are commonplace. A world where buildings can be flexibly changed, adapted, expanded and reduced according to demand or use.

Edible Fats and Oils Collaboration

A collaborative, open-innovation initiative aiming to shift the edible fats and oils sector onto a sustainable footing.

Antarctica's Front Line on Climate Change Research

At the end of last year, I was fortunate enough to have a trip down to Antarctica, to look at some of the climate-related research work being done by Antarctica New Zealand, and part-funded by Air New Zealand, our principal Partner in New Zealand.

Community Energy Coalition

Our aim is to ignite an energy revolution which places communities at its heart and strives for a clean, affordable and secure energy system for all. We are achieving this by helping communities across the UK to own, generate and save energy together.

The Five Capitals

There are five types of sustainable capital from where we derive the goods and services we need to improve the quality of our lives.

Reinventing the way the world works.

We specialise in addressing critical global challenges by catalysing change in key systems, from food to apparel, energy to shipping.

Jobs

Sustainability and system change

Characteristics of a sustainable business model

Over the last year a new term has been rising up – the sustainable business model. So far it has been used to signal the need to go beyond innovating products or services, and change the fundamentals of how a business makes money. At Forum for the Future we are trying to work through the detail of what makes a sustainable business model so more and more companies can act.

Transformational strategies

Pioneering organisations create systemic impacts beyond their own boundaries. We help them understand the opportunities, and how to unlock them.

Protein Challenge 2040

The Protein Challenge 2040 is the first global coalition of its kind, aiming to tackle the question: How do we provide up to 10 billion people with enough protein in a way that is healthy, affordable and good for the planet?

Fashion Futures 2025

Working with Levi Strauss and Co using futures techniques to develop global scenarios for a sustainable fashion industry.

Net Positive

We reinvent strategies for a 1.5°C world. Our Net Positive approach helping business put back more into society and environment than it takes out. Unilever’s pioneering commitment to eliminate fossil fuels from its operations and directly support the generation of more renewable energy than they consume was driven behind the scenes by Forum.

Become a system change agent

We are now taking expressions of interest for Basecamp #7, kicking off in the UK in October! Visit our course page for more information.