Futerra

History

In 2001, Solitaire Townsend and Ed Gillespie co-founded Futerra in London. Lucy Shea joined in 2003 and was later appointed CEO. In 2008, the company expanded its operations with the opening of an office in New York City and Stockholm in 2010. Futerra’s mission is ‘to make sustainable development so desirable it becomes normal’.

Mondelēz International

Futerra developed the Mondelēz International ‘Coffee Made Happy’ commitment, a strategy to transform Mondelēz International’s supply chain by empowering one million coffee entrepreneurs by 2020.

Sustainable Lifestyles Frontier Group

In April 2013, The Sustainable Lifestyles Frontier Group was launched in collaboration with BSR. The objective of the working group is to frame the business case for consumer behaviour change towards sustainable lifestyles.

The working group was initially launched with nine member companies – Carlsberg Breweries, Cathay Pacific, eBay, Hilton Worldwide, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal, Mondelēz International, Mars, Inc. and The Walt Disney Company.

In September 2013, the Sustainable Lifestyles Frontier Group launched a survey report, Value Gap – The business value of changing consumer behaviors. The report reveals companies’ expectations that consumer behaviour change towards sustainable lifestyles will drive significant business growth, according to insights gathered from interviews with over 50 corporate leaders.

In November 2013, BSR and Futerra along with the member companies launched the Business Case Builder. The online tool provides access to over 30 downloadable case studies and guides companies through six steps to help build a business case for promoting consumer behaviour change.

BSkyB

Futerra created a new visual identity and messaging for the ‘Sky Rainforest Rescue’ campaign including tactics to engage the public around BSkyB‘s partnership with WWF. The concept for the campaign was developed on the foundations of Futerra’s Branding Biodiversity thought leadership.

Kingfisher

Futerra partnered with Kingfisher to help develop its ‘Net Positive’ business strategy. Futerra created the brand, visual identity and stakeholder engagement strategy for the campaign’s launch.

Unilever

In partnership with Unilever, Futerra helped communicate the company’s Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, the commitment to halve the size of their footprint while doubling the size of their business.

AkzoNobel

To engage AkzoNobel’s 55,000 employees globally, Futerra created an internal communications campaign using storytelling, gamification and design for its Global Sustainability Day.

UNEP

Futerra created the brand and messaging for The UN International Year of Biodiversity, a year-long celebration of biological diversity and its value for life on Earth, in 2010. The logo was used in 146 countries, in 29 languages, by 90 different governments, 21 UN agencies and over 1000 organisations. Futerra was awarded a Global Green Award for Best International Campaign in 2010.

Defra

Commissioned by Defra and published in 2011, Futerra’s ‘Games Theory’ looks at how large-scale events such the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, can be used to inspire pro-environmental behaviour change. The report was used to guide Defra’s work on the Inspiring Sustainable Living agenda and the commitment to deliver a truly sustainable London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Change-maker Cards

In June 2013, Futerra launched the Change-maker Cards. The 13 cards each include guidance on a behaviour change tactic and a case study to bring it to life, from global brands including Walmart, NBC, Zipcar and L’Oréal amongst others.

The Naked Environmentalist

Co-Founder of Futerra, Solitaire Townsend, released a short e-book in May 2013 entitled ‘The Naked Environmentalist’. The e-book outlines the need for a transformative shift in sexual signalling, away from material goods and towards virtual social status to dematerialise the global economy.

Planet Brands Index

In 2012, Futerra created the Planet Brands Index. It lists the 100 brands that have the potential to help people live greener, safer, and more sustainable lifestyles. These are the brands that have the necessary reach and influence to allow them to change the behaviours of billions of people for a more sustainable future.

Branding Biodiversity

Coinciding with the UN’s 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, Futerra released the thought leadership report ‘Branding Biodiversity’. The report is a practical guide to effectively communicating biodiversity to business, government and the public. It raises the need for a new nature message, one that focuses on the ‘Love not Loss’ of biodiversity.

Sizzle: The new climate message

In early 2010, Futerra released the thought leadership report Sizzle: The new climate message. The guide suggests that climate change is no longer a scientist’s problem, but a salesman’s problem. It calls to climate and sustainability communicators to build a positive narrative and compelling vision of low carbon future.

Swishing

Swishing refers to swapping items of clothing, shoes or accessories with friends and acquaintances at events and parties. Lucy Shea, CEO of Futerra, founded the Swishing concept in 2005, to make clothes swapping aspirational and second hand clothing more glamorous. Swishing gives women the chance to get new clothes without making an environmental impact.

The Greenwash Guide

Futerra’s ‘Greenwash Guide’ analyses the current state of corporate greenwashing and what’s being done about it. The guide also identifies the top ten signs of greenwashing. The report has been translated into five different languages.

New rules: New game

Released as a follow-up guide to ‘The Rules of the Game’, Futerra’s ‘New rules: New game’ focuses on changing behaviours to mitigate climate change using a range of tactical approaches.

The Rules of the Game

Futerra’s ‘The Rules of the Game’ is a guide released in 2005 which made recommendations to the UK government’s Climate Change Communications Working Group on the principles of communicating climate change.

Awards

Futerra has received several awards and nominations: