Summer 2025 Update: What’s Happening? A lot!
Future 500 Team & Board Retreat
Our team and board once again convened in Union, Washington, at St. Andrews Conference Center, a lovely setting to plan and play in honoring our 30th year. We leveraged shared insights and perspectives to inform our strategic planning during a dynamic and challenging period for corporate sustainability efforts. Joining us for the first time was our newest board member, Mark Spears, who added to our board’s energy and thoughtful guidance to inform our planning.
Future 500 Corporate Affinity Network (CAN) Update
In early June in Detroit, Michigan, we hosted our second Corporate Affinity Network (CAN) meeting of 2025. We want to praise our engaged, expert guest contributors and participants who brought a collaborative spirit in sharing insights into how companies and civil society can work together to advance positive change.
Missy Lahren, Board Chair of Earth Law Center, spoke about the growing global movement to advance the legal rights of nature and the implications for business planning.
Mijo Vodopić, Senior Program Officer at the Macarthur Foundation, explored evolving priorities in climate philanthropy and implications for business investment in pollution reductions.
Erica Lasdon, Director of Environmental Justice and Climate Change, Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), conveyed the continued importance of shareholder advocates collaborating with corporate leaders to manage material social and environmental risks to enable superior long-term shareholder returns.
We also want to thank the many Detroit-based impact leaders who attended our multi-stakeholder dinner, most of whom were meeting us in person for the first time. You all brought an open spirit for engaging unlikely bedfellows to learn and explore collaborative potential.
Key Take Aways:
The Earth Jurisprudence Movement is expanding fast, now covering 500+ regions and pushing legal rights for ecosystems, especially clean water. While U.S. ESG rules face deregulation, new policies in the EU, Asia, and at local levels are stepping up, encouraging companies to stay committed to sustainability. Businesses are aware of climate risks but need stable policies to invest confidently in reducing pollution. Though shareholder advocacy dipped slightly in 2025 due to SEC changes, company-shareholder engagement remains strong.
CAN D&D: Detroit onto Denver
We departed Detroit and immediately began planning our next Corporate Affinity Network (CAN) meeting in Denver, September 9-10. Our team has secured a cool venue in Denver’s Ramble Hotel, offering the “magic and escapism a hotel can provide,” with presentations from prominent foundation, NGO, corporate, and governmental leaders working on the front lines of responding to rising political and legal risk. Our guest speakers will include:
Jennifer Krill, Executive Director of Earthworks, an influential environmental campaign group focused on the responsible extraction of mineral and energy resources in the US and worldwide. Jennifer will speak to the critical role NGOs serve for investors, communities, local regulators, and customers in holding companies accountable for responsible mining and oil & gas development amidst an increasingly deregulated environment.
Dr. Cecilia Martinez, Chief of Environmental and Climate Justice at the Bezos Earth Fund, will speak to a Philanthropic Perspective on The Evolving Landscape of Equity and Justice Priorities. Cecilia will share her insights on the state of environmental policy, environmental justice, and how companies can approach the issue of equity in today's context, and opportunities for enabling local communities and industrial companies to engage and collaborate.
Bill Ritter, Former Colorado Governor, has worked hard to balance the needs of his once-purple, now blue-leaning state, to enable cleaner, affordable, abundant energy. As states become more left or right-leaning, what is the role of natural gas, carbon capture, and other energy strategies in imagining a net-zero world by 2040 or 2050? Whether you are governing or a corporate leader, people need to be "reaching across the aisle" to enable constructive paths forward.
To read our full agenda, get details on logistics, costs, and how to register, click here.
Erik Wohlgemuth spoke to Reuters on why companies under fire from critics should build bridges, not bunkers
Reuters Journalist Oliver Balch, recently sat down for an engaging discussion with our CEO, Erik Wohlgemuth, to explore the challenges companies face in “dodging the culture wars.” In the face of such political and legal attacks, corporations are increasingly “putting the shutters up” and greenhushing. Read on.
A Misty Farewell to our Colleague, Phoebe Fu
We are both proud and sad to announce that our colleague, Phoebe Fu, is leaving us to matriculate at the Harvard Kennedy School. We will miss her deep analytical research, networking fearlessness, unparalleled knowledge of fun facts (see the bottom of this newsletter), creativity with icebreaker activities, and thoughtful certificates of recognition she doles out to teammates at our retreats. Phoebela, we’re here for you, anytime.
Where We’ve Been
Responsible Business USA 2025 I New York, NY
Future 500 team members Gleeson Ryan and Erik Wohlgemuth kicked off Reuters Responsible Business (RBUSA) with a dynamic workshop featuring Holly McHugh, Mejuri’s VP of Sustainability and Social Impact, and Bhushan Joshi, Ericcson’s Head of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility in the Americas. Speakers and participants shared their perspectives on greenhushing and exchanged guidance on walking the line between transparency and risk management in an evolving and highly charged political and legal landscape.
In addition, Erik moderated a powerful closing discussion with Tara Helms, Director of Sustainability North America at Electrolux Group, John Gardella Co-Owner of CMBG3 Law, and Hugh Welsh, President at DSM-Firmenich, on navigating rising polarization using political scenario mapping to build durable sustainability strategies for long-term value creation.
A huge thank you to our panelists and everyone who joined us in the room. We’re committed to helping leaders navigate complexity with clarity, courage, and collaboration. Let’s keep the conversation going.
Brendon Steele on Corporate Transparency & Disclosures
Our VP, Brendon Steele, attended the Innovation Forum’s Future of Food & Beverage Forum in Minneapolis. One of his key takeaways: Transparent reporting, while often burdensome and sometimes risky, when done strategically, can be an intentional opportunity for companies to share learnings and educate their stakeholders. Use your data to tell a story while being mindful of political and legal risk. Ultimately, reporting without engagement is less effective in influencing the marketplace while increasing risk.
Where We’re Going
Members of our team will be online and on the road participating in several events this fall. Let’s meet up!
Reuters Events Webinar, August 21, Virtual
Coming up this month on August 21, Our CEO, Erik Wohlgemuth, will be moderating a webinar entitled, Mastering Your Sustainability Narrative: Build Trust and Future-Proof Your Sustainability Story, hosted by Reuters Events Sustainable Business.
In a time of increased political scrutiny and legal risks, strong and credible sustainability communication is more important than ever. Erik will guide this conversation with industry leaders Jessica Thurston (Paramount), Janice Anderson CPA, CA, GCB.D (Nutrien), and Susanne Mathis-Alig (Mondelez International), tapping their wisdom and insights into how organizations can effectively navigate these challenges and build trust with stakeholders.
To join them — or catch the session on demand, register here!
Sustainability Reporting USA, October 9-10, Boston
Brendon Steele, VP, will be moderating a session for Reuters Sustainability Reporting USA on October 9-10th in Boston, MA. Learn how to navigate evolving sustainability regulations and future-proof your reporting strategy. Use code FUTURE300 at checkout for a $300 discount on passes. Click here to learn more and register.
Sustainable Packaging Innovation Forum, Oct 28-29, Chicago
The two-day forum will bring together industry leaders and sustainability experts from across the packaging value chain. We’ll discuss the link between innovation and commercial solutions, looking at material and design choices, emerging technologies and regulatory drivers. Our vice president, Brendon Steele, will be representing the organization. Full panel information will be announced soon.
Click here to register. Register early to take advantage of the early-bird discount.
Trellis Impact 25, Oct 28-30, San Jose, CA
Our CEO, Erik Wohlgemuth, and Founder, Bill Shireman, will be attending Trellis Impact 25: Verge/Bloom/GreenFin event in San Jose at the end of October. Click here to learn more and register for the event.
Media Grabbing Our Attention & Why
Environmental Health News, 8/6/25 Quick Take: The outcome will impact myriad corporate supply chains in terms of chemical transparency, advanced recycling technology, production limits, etc. — not surprisingly, there remains a lot of disagreement. Fingers crossed that an agreement can be forged so the work can begin.
As plastics treaty talks enter the final round, here’s what to expect
Trellis, 8/5/26 Quick Take: Following the Republican electoral victory in fall 2024, some blue states are facing hard choices in helping their citizens make ends meet.
In Battle to Save Sacred Land From Mining Giants, Apaches Hope for a Miracle
Wall Street Journal, 8/4/25 Quick Take: Landscapes are more likely to be healthy and intact when indigenous tribes have title or claim to the land. But as the geopolitical battle for ramping up critical mineral production unfolds, we will see increasing conflict.
Nations who fail to curb fossil fuels could be ordered to pay reparations, top UN court rules
The Guardian, 7/23/25 Quick Take: As we profiled in our Force for Good 2025 report, litigation will be rampant. This case is understandably being heralded as a landmark by climate advocates. Time will tell if it has teeth.
Methane-Tracking Satellite Is Lost, in a Blow to Climate Efforts
New York Times, 7/2/25 Quick Take: As we featured in our 2025 Force for Good Forecast Report, driving down methane pollution is one of the few areas of general agreement between civil society and leading companies. MethSat was providing a clearer picture of planet-warming emissions from oil and gas sites. Without this transparency, will regulatory efforts lose steam and mistrust between companies and advocates rise?
Trump Administration Sues Federal Bench in Maryland, Escalating Fight With Judiciary
New York Times, 6/25/25 Quick Take: Reflecting the broadening of litigation strategies and tactics as the worsening relations between the Trump Administration’s objectives and the courts charged with interpreting and upholding the nation’s laws.
X’s Sales Pitch: Give Us Your Ad Business or We’ll Sue
Wall Street Journal, 6/10/25 Quick Take: As we noted in our 2025 Force For Good Forecast Report, companies face rising litigation risk for upholding (or not) their corporate purpose. In this case, “Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino launched a campaign to strong-arm advertisers back onto the platform.”
Why the Boats Got Bigger as the Rich Got Richer
Bloomberg, 5/30/25 Quick Take: A 12X+ increase in billionaires since 1990 (66 to 800+) has led to the yawning wealth disparity between the “Haves and Have-Yachts” that “has destabilized the foundations of the country and now threatens to swallow it whole.” With protests in the streets increasing, this has implications for how companies plan for an uncertain future and if and how they seek to weigh in.
PetroStates and ElectroStates in a World Divided by Fossil Fuels and Clean Energy
The National Interest, 5/27/25 Quick Take: Fossil fuels and clean energy are reshaping global power with enormous implications for social and environmental outcomes as we define the future of energy and influence.
Don’t Mention Climate: Now, Clean Energy Is All About the Money
New York Times, 5/21/25 Quick Take: Can you say “greenushing?” Reflecting today’s political moment, to preserve the U.S. climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), corporate and civil society supporters are understandably talking $ and jobs, not climate.
FUN FACT: In light of our next Corporate Working Group in Denver… Denver is nicknamed the “Mile High City” because it is exactly one mile high (if you stand on a certain step on the State Capitol Building)!
