Future 500

Materials/supply chainsince our inception, future 500 has been at the forefront of recycling policy and materials stewardship. In fact, our engagement model pulls from the success of a corporate-ngo alliance built by our founder to pass the ca bottle bill. As we look to the future, we acknowledge that the us and other global geographies need more comprehensive, circular economy structures encompassing broader waste streams that help society improve resource recovery and reuse. Future 500 has progressed several processes to drive innovative waste management policies focused on extended producer responsibility (epr) policy, a proven recycling structure implemented in dozens of countries across the globe. What might such a policy mean for the united states and other nations and states? How should governments and industries continue experimenting with the policy to test effectiveness and scale from there to natinal solutions that create unifying approaches rather than a patchwork of more localized policies?

People/powerfuture 500 faces a future of increasing ecological and economic deficits around the planet. Concurrently, we are amidst a global technological revolution transforming every aspect of human lives, causing significant social change. The agent of this revolution is a new family of technologies - broadband, the internet, microchips, software support, ai, and advanced data measurement and analytics - that is drawing the world together into a single, coexisting whole for the first time. By unleashing the innovative capacity of civil society and corporations to use technology for good, we can potentially reverse these deficits toward the betterment of people, planet and profit.

Food/wateras the planet grows more crowded and affluent, protecting the universal human right to safe food and clean, plentiful water is straining the capabilities of our natural resources. This competition for resources is illuminating the interconnectedness of the food, water, and energy systems. Actions taken in one area inherently impact the other two: the agriculture and energy industries are the most significant global consumers of fresh water; transporting and heating water requires enormous amounts of energy; energy resource extraction reduces available land for food production and may contaminate local water sources. More than ever, sustaining our food and water supplies requires integrated solutions that reduce externalities and improve efficiency across sectors and geographies. Toward this end, future 500 works with various stakeholders to advance systemic solutions at this critical nexus of food, water, and energy. We align stakeholders to explore approaches that leverage the corporate supply chain and political power to drive improved resource quality and quantity.