What is futures?

Futures, also known as strategic foresight and futurology, is an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the likelihood of trends and events in the future, and of possible scenarios. We use futures to help organisations grapple with uncertainty and change.

By revealing the complex interplay of dynamic trends around us, and identifying risks, opportunities and powerful innovations, our futures work helps organisations to discover where to act for long-term success.

Read about our futures projects here.

Latest

Love, futures and philanthropy: Why giving in a polycrisis needs to start from the heart

How do love, futures and philanthropy intersect, and why is this intersection so critical in tackling complex challenges in a polycrisis? Hannah Pathak, Forum’s International Managing Director, explores more in this blog.
Why organisations must prioritise climate and health in 2024 – and how some already are

Following World Health Day this past Sunday, Hannah Pathak, Forum’s International Managing Director and co-director of the Climate and Health Coalition, shares findings from a recent network roundtable about how organisations are focusing on climate and health in 2024, and why taking action now is more urgent than ever.
Pathways to transforming unethical recruitment practices

If a strong foundation of trust among diverse stakeholders is established in a complex system, how can this be built on to create lasting, effective change? In the last of a three-part blog series, we explore possible pathways to an effective changemaking system in responsible recruitment, and opportunities for value chain actors to act in transformative ways.
The women of Madre Tierra are fighting for farmworker justice. Here’s how.

Hormis, Elvira and Claudia are three of over two million farmworkers working to grow and harvest crops for the over 331 million people who live in the US. For Farmworker Awareness Week, Christina Daniels-Freeman, Programs Advisor at Forum for the Future, sat down with these three fierce advocates to learn about their stories, groundbreaking potential of the upcoming Farm Bill, and the role we all must play in fighting for farmworker justice.

New direction needed for Philippines’ renewable energy sector to be at pace with urgency of the climate emergency

The Responsible Energy Initiative Philippines consortium argues that not attending to emerging risks in utility-scale renewable energy value chains may likely slow down the just energy transition in the Philippines.
Businesses must adopt a transformative mindset to build resilience through the climate crisis

New report from international non-profit Forum for the Future highlights five key shifts businesses should implement to build operational resilience through intensifying social and environmental crises
Leading Environmentalist and Founder Director of Forum for the Future, Jonathon Porritt, Steps Down After Almost 30 Years of Service

International sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future has today announced that its Founder Director, Jonathon Porritt, is stepping down after almost 30 years of service.
For the RE sector to lead responsibly, it must address land use, circularity and financing

Investors, policy makers, bureaucrats and representatives of India’s growing renewable energy sector assembled in Delhi on 14 Feb 2023 to discuss three key challenges to making the country’s RE sector ecologically safe, rights-respecting and socially just.
Fairness, transition cost-sharing and recalibration of value-sharing headline findings of 2023 Oxford Farming Conference report
Latest guidance for the private sector on how to simultaneously tackle escalating climate and health crises
New Coalition formed to mobilise private sector on climate and health

International sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future and leading healthcare businesses Bupa, Haleon, Reckitt and Walgreens Boots Alliance have joined forces to mobilise and equip the private sector to accelerate the integrated transformation of health and climate systems, delivering benefits for both people and planet.
Boycotts and bans are not the solution to creating a sustainable edible fats and oils sector

Global multi-stakeholder initiative, the Edible Fats and Oils Collaboration, urges the food and feed industry to advocate for new policy that considers the sustainability aspects of all fats and oils in one holistic system, instead of vilifying individual ingredients.
Half of all cotton growing regions could face severe climate risks by 2040

The first-ever global analysis of climate risks to global cotton production reveals that runaway climate change could expose half of all global cotton growing regions to high risks from temperature increases, changes to rainfall patterns and extreme weather events by 2040.
How do I start regenerative agriculture?

Transforming to regenerative agriculture is a systemic challenge. We created a seven-point-roadmap which identifies key actions that players across the supply chain must take to drive change in the industry.

The Five Capitals - a framework for sustainability

The Five Capitals Model provides a basis for understanding sustainability in terms of the economic concept of wealth creation or ‘capital’. Any organisation will use five types of capital to deliver its products or services. A sustainable organisation will maintain and where possible enhance these stocks of capital assets, rather than deplete or degrade them.
Jobs

We are a growing organisation and we are regularly on the look out for new recruits to join our teams around the world.
For a just and regenerative future

Forum for the Future is a leading international sustainability organisation running out of offices in the UK, US, India and Singapore.
Growing our Future US

Working together to accelerate the transition to a just and regenerative agriculture system in the United States.
Sustainability and system change

Climate change, malnutrition, inequality, poverty, ecological degradation. The global challenges we face are so urgent and tricky that we need a solution to match their scale and complexity. This is where system change comes in. We use systems thinking to understand the web of interrelations that create complex problems, anticipate unintended consequences, and identify how and where to take action to meet the SDG goals.
What is Net Positive?

We reinvent strategies for a 1.5°C world. Our Net Positive approach helps 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.
Transport or Mobility: What’s the difference and why does it matter?

Recently, the word transportation is being replaced with mobility. Why is this happening? What’s the difference between them? And why should we care about this change?
Become a system change agent

Learn more about upcoming system change programmes and express your interest.
6 ways Unilever has achieved success through sustainability - and how your business can too

A year ago this week, Unilever launched its Sustainable Living Plan (USLP), one of the most ambitious strategies that a global company has ever embarked on. Pioneering a bold new business model, the company pledged to double in size at the same time as halving its environmental footprint.
Transforming the Purpose of Business

More and more businesses like are setting ambitious targets for positive impact on their operations, value chains and wider operating context. For more than 25 years we have partnered with businesses to navigate this complexity and design impactful solutions that deliver the deeper change that’s needed. Why not get in touch to find out more?