2. Getting started
Irwin Corey
The transition to a Future-Fit Society will be long and arduous, but as with any journey we need only two things: a destination to aim for, and the means to track our progress along the way.
When it comes to guidance on social and environmental issues, a vast array of resources exists. Most focus on one issue (e.g. emissions, human rights) or tasks (e.g. reporting), or offer general advice which is not specifically tailored to business and which companies may struggle to translate into action (e.g. the UN Sustainable Development Goals).
The Benchmark complements such resources, offering one thing companies have been lacking: a clear, science-based destination to aim for, and the means to guide and monitor progress toward it.
At the core of the Benchmark are 23 Break-Even Goals, which together mark the line in the sand that all companies must strive to reach to ensure that they are in no way slowing down society’s transition to future‑fitness. A set of complementary indicators equips any company to measure, manage and explain its progress toward each Break‑Even Goal.
Many companies aspire to do more than cause no harm, by seeking to be a force for good in the world. The Benchmark supports such efforts, identifying 24 Positive Pursuits which characterize all of the ways a business may act to speed up society’s transition to future-fitness.
Using this guide.
“Where we are today: a systems view” describes where society finds itself today and how we got here, and applies systems thinking to explore what has to change going forward.
“Where we need to go: a Future-Fit Society” offers a shared destination to aim for, by identifying what a Future-Fit Society would actually look like.
“Actionable guidance for business” explains how these systems concepts can be translated into a practical business tool, to help individual companies play their part in our collective journey to future-fitness.
The last two sections introduce the Break‑Even Goals and Positive Pursuits.
The Future-Fit Business Benchmark is a public good, free for anyone to use. We would be delighted to hear about your experiences with the tool as we continue to improve it. You can reach our team at info@futurefitbusiness.org.