Carbon Reduction FutureScapes
imagine what the future will hold and just as difficult to imagine what technologies we might need. Sony believes that technology can make a positive contribution to some of the social and environmental issues that might lie ahead in 2025.
As experts in technology, imagination and innovation we have plenty to offer with regard to exploring what business and consumer life- styles might be like in 2025 and how we might live more sustainable lifestyles. Clearly, many others have expertise, knowledge, opinions and insight too, so at Sony, we wanted to invite everyone to get involved in this impor- tant conversation.
In order to better meet the demands of the
future, the entire way in which we lead our lives needs to be reviewed; changes to the way we work, socialise, share ideas and access education can all make a difference – and tech- nology needs to be part of the solution. This is the challenge that Sony along with Forum for the Future, a leading non-profit organisation that works globally with business and govern- ment to create a sustainable future, are looking to explore with the FutureScapes project. At Sony, we have already been involved in ‘open innovation’ for sustainability – with the Forest Guard and Open Planet Ideas initiatives – and we are keen to carry on the conversation to help everyone better explore and understand the challenges we face and better innovate for a future which remains uncertain.
What is FutureScapes? FutureScapes is an exciting collaboration pro- ject which aims to explore the potential of technology and entertainment to create a better, more sustainable world in 2025. It is
26 | Sustainable Business | January/February 2012
Visions of the future O
ne thing is clear – the world of 2025 will be very different from the one we live in today. It is difficult to
What will the future be like in terms of consumer lifestyles in 2025? And how will these be affected by sustainability issues? The FutureScapes project aims to find out. Chris Clifton reports
not about predicting the future so much as imagining the possibilities. FutureScapes har- nesses the creativity of ‘futures’ experts and an eclectic mix of thinkers, writers, design- ers and the public to gather a wide range of perspectives about the opportunities and chal- lenges of life in 2025 and the role technology will play. Through highly engaging thought pieces; vlogs, stories, and events, the project will immerse its audiences in very different versions of the future, encouraging them to think more deeply about life in 2025 and how technology and entertainment might make a positive contribution.
From the infinite number of futures ahead of us, our project partner, Forum for the Future, experts in futures scenario work in the context of sustainability, have developed four 2025 scenarios which are being used as ‘thought starters’. These scenarios explore how global trends might change our world and how new business models and sustainable products and services could enter the main- stream. The scenarios, which were shared in the first phase of the project, are used as tools to challenge perceptions about what the future holds. Used as stimulus to kick off the thought process, they enable us to envisage a very dif- ferent tomorrow, and this in turn can help us to establish more robust ideas, thoughts, trends and possibilities for future innovations. Each scenario provides food for thought and allows people to imagine solutions to the chal-
lenges and opportunities that these radically different futures present. In the second phase of the project, audienc- es will create ideas for new technology areas and themes that will help people enjoy better, more sustainable lives. This will be achieved through innovation workshops with world- leading experts, a crowd sourcing ideas gener- ation initiative and a social media engagement campaign. The best concepts to emerge from this stage will be curated and shared through a white paper summarising key learnings about how to make progress through imagination on sustainability issues.
What are the ultimate objectives and intentions?
The intention of FutureScapes is to spark conversation around what the future in 2025 might be like in terms of consumer lifestyles and how these will be affected by sustain- ability issues (such as climate change, energy shortages, etc) and how technology may need to respond to these challenges. At the end of the process, Sony will have gathered opinions from people all over the globe; from the public, not-for-profit organi- sations, technologists, designers, corporates and a host of other influencers. As a result of this collaboration, FutureScapes has the potential to deliver an aspiring vision of the future that we can all work together to create. We hope this will demonstrate how we are taking a thought leadership position on sustainable consumer lifestyles, whilst fur- ther
strengthening the association between our brand and creativity, imagination and innovation. The project also has the potential to unlock and make use of the talent and imagination of the people who work at Sony. We have ensured there are opportunities for staff to be involved, such as inviting their par-
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