Forum for the Future | Sustainability Systems Change Charity

Forum for the Future | Sustainability Systems Change Charity

Advisory & Certification

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals, SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth

Company Overview

Forum for the Future is an international sustainability charity that works in partnership with businesses, governments and civil society to accelerate systemic change toward what it describes as a just and regenerative future. Founded in 1996 by Jonathon Porritt, Sara Parkin and Paul Ekins, the organisation is registered as a charity and a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales.

The organisation’s work centres on three areas of focus: transforming food systems, accelerating the energy transition, and reimagining the purpose of business in society. It applies futures and strategic foresight methods alongside systems change thinking to help partner organisations navigate long term sustainability challenges rather than address isolated symptoms.

Forum for the Future engages with organisations through direct advisory work with businesses and through philanthropically funded multi-stakeholder collaborations. Its client and partner base has included companies such as Unilever, ALDI South, MAS Holdings, Bupa, Burberry and Wates Group, among others named in its published case studies and testimonials.

The organisation is the founding partner of the School of System Change, a learning provider that has operated as a sister brand since 2015, offering systems change education to professionals separately from Forum’s core advisory services. Forum for the Future operates from offices in London, Brooklyn (New York), Mumbai and Singapore, and marked its thirtieth year of operation in 2026.

Why These SDGs Matter

Forum for the Future’s food systems work directly supports SDG 2, as it partners with agricultural and food businesses on regenerative and agroecological transitions, including projects in India and the United States. Its energy transition programmes align with SDG 7, addressing renewable energy adoption and clean power system change. SDG 8 is relevant because the organisation’s business advisory work focuses on reshaping corporate purpose and value chains toward more equitable economic models. SDG 12 connects to its work on circular economy principles and sustainable production across sectors such as fashion and food. SDG 13 reflects its core climate focused strategy and decarbonisation advisory work, including scope 3 emissions support for corporate partners. SDG 17 is central to its operating model, since nearly all of its work is delivered through multi-stakeholder coalitions bringing together business, government and civil society partners.

Products & Services
  • Sustainability and just transition strategy development
  • Double materiality assessments for corporate clients
  • Executive coaching on sustainability leadership
  • Multi-stakeholder collaboration convening and design
  • Scope 3 decarbonisation advisory support
  • Futures and strategic foresight consulting
  • Systems change capability building programmes
  • Horizon scanning for corporate boards
  • Just transition roadmap co-creation
Business Challenges Solved
  • Fragmented, symptom level corporate sustainability strategies
  • Lack of long-term foresight in business planning
  • Difficulty aligning multiple stakeholders around shared sustainability goals
  • Weak internal capability for systemic decision making
  • Unclear corporate purpose amid competing ESG demands
  • Scope 3 supply chain emissions reduction planning
  • Resistance to change within complex value chains
Approach & Methodology

Forum for the Future delivers its work through two linked methodological traditions: futures and strategic foresight, and systems change practice. Rather than treating sustainability issues as isolated technical problems, the organisation uses these frameworks to examine the underlying structures, incentives and relationships that produce outcomes across a food, energy or business system.

Its futures and strategic foresight work involves horizon scanning and scenario development, methods used to surface emerging trends, weak signals and long-term uncertainties. Partner organisations use these scenarios to test the resilience of existing strategies against multiple possible futures, rather than planning around a single forecast. This is applied through structured exercises such as horizon scans for corporate boards, which are used to inform strategy and investment decisions.

Its systems change methodology draws on systems thinking to map the interrelated causes behind complex sustainability challenges, identifying leverage points where an intervention can shift behaviour across an entire system, such as a supply chain or industry, rather than a single organisation. This is delivered through facilitated processes including double materiality assessments, stakeholder mapping and multi-stakeholder convening, where diverse actors across a value chain are brought together to agree shared priorities and coordinate action.

Engagements typically combine one-to-one advisory work, such as coaching and implementation reviews, with convened collaborations funded philanthropically alongside direct client fees. Systems change capability is also built through training delivered in partnership with the School of System Change, the organisation’s founding education partner since 2015.

Market Position

Forum for the Future operates within the sustainability advisory and multi-stakeholder collaboration segment, distinct from compliance-focused ESG consultancies or software providers. Its primary clients are large multinational corporations, particularly in food, fashion, energy and consumer goods sectors, alongside funders such as trusts and foundations that support its collaborative programmes. Its positioning is built on nearly three decades of continuous operation and long-standing relationships with major corporate partners, differentiating it through futures based and systemic methodologies rather than transactional reporting or certification services.

Procurement Considerations
  • Confirm which specific advisory workstream (strategy, coaching, collaboration convening) fits the engagement need
  • Clarify whether engagement is direct fee-based advisory or a philanthropically funded collaboration
  • Request references from named prior corporate partners for comparable engagements
  • Confirm project timelines, since systems change and strategy engagements are typically long-term rather than one-off
  • Verify charitable status and registration details independently via the Charity Commission register
  • Assess cultural and organisational fit given the emphasis on facilitation and multi-stakeholder process
  • Clarify reporting and deliverable formats expected from a non-profit advisory engagement
Funding, Recognition & Ecosystem
  • Registered charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, No. 1040519
  • Company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, No. 2959712
  • Founding partner of the School of System Change, operating as a sister organisation since 2015
  • Philanthropic funding received from trusts and foundations supporting multi-stakeholder collaborations
  • Marked 30 years of operation in 2026, an anniversary recognised with an event at the London Stock Exchange
Natnavi Analysis

Forum for the Future occupies a distinctive position among sustainability service providers as a charity rather than a commercial consultancy, a structure that shapes both its funding model and its client relationships. Its near thirty year track record and continued engagement from major multinational corporations across multiple sustainability cycles suggest a degree of institutional credibility that is uncommon among newer entrants in the ESG advisory space.

Its emphasis on futures thinking and systems change methodology distinguishes it from compliance-driven ESG consultancies that focus primarily on reporting and disclosure. This positions Forum for the Future closer to strategic advisory work than to auditing or certification services, which is a meaningful distinction for procurement teams comparing providers.

The organisation’s reliance on philanthropic funding alongside direct corporate fees introduces a hybrid funding structure that is less common among for-profit competitors, and this may affect how engagements are scoped, priced or prioritised. Its long operating history in the UK, US, India and Singapore points to an established international footprint, though the depth of operational presence may vary by region.

Overall, Forum for the Future represents a mature, relationship-driven model of sustainability advisory work built around systemic thinking, long-term partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Sources & References
Website
Founded: 1996
Company Stage: Non-profit
Headquarters
London, England, United Kingdom
Geographic Presence
Forum for the Future operates from offices in London (UK), Brooklyn, New York (US), Mumbai (India), and Singapore. Its advisory and collaboration work engages corporate partners internationally across food, energy and business sectors, including named partnerships with companies operating in Europe, Asia and North America such as Unilever, ALDI South, MAS Holdings and Burberry.
Solution Type
Consultancy, Non-Profit Advisory, Service Provider
Sustainability Outcomes
Business Transformation, Carbon Reduction, Circular Economy, Climate Resilience, Renewable Energy Adoption, Sustainable Agriculture
Industries Served
Agriculture & Food, Construction & Real Estate, Energy & Utilities, Government & Public Sector, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Retail & Consumer Goods
Last Reviewed: July 28, 2026

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