Futureproofing Business Resources
Futureproofing Business Resources
Produced in partnership with Royal London, these practical recommendations and resources help businesses build resilience, create shared prosperity and support a future-ready economy for people, places and planet.
Using the Futureproofing Business recommendations and resources
In October 2025, Business in the Community published the ‘Creating a Future Ready Economy’ report, produced in partnership with Royal London and drawing on insights from over 100 leaders across business, academia, and civil society. It explores how addressing social and environmental challenges can drive economic growth and the risks to future prosperity of ignoring them, as well as providing recommended actions for business and government.
We’ve now created this Futureproofing Business resource hub, organised into three core recommendations from the Creating a Future Ready Economy report, designed to help businesses at different stages of maturity identify practical next steps and resources to futureproof their business, whether they are just starting to explore future readiness or developing a more formal transition plan.
For businesses at the start of their journey, adopting and embedding sections of each recommendation will help build internal understanding, identify relevant risks and opportunities, and find actions that are proportionate to the organisation’s size, sector and influence.
For larger businesses, or those further ahead, the resources can also support transition planning. The Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) Disclosure Framework sets out an approach based on ambition, action and accountability, across five areas: foundations, implementation strategy, engagement strategy, metrics and targets, and governance.2 The recommendations can support these areas by helping businesses embed future-ready priorities into strategy, involve stakeholders in planning, and invest in resilience with the places and partners affected by transition. For these businesses, the leading and embedding sections of each page will provide the most useful guidance.
Adopting
Understanding the issue, building awareness and taking first practical steps.
Embedding
Integrating future-ready thinking into business processes, decision-making and delivery.
Leading
Taking action at scale, influencing suppliers, partners and peers, and sharing learning.
Transforming
Helping to reshape markets, systems and places so that people, nature and business can thrive together.
Thank you to Royal London
These resources have been collated by Business in the Community with support from Royal London, building on the insights and recommendations from the Creating a Future Ready Economy report.
Explore the recommendations
Organised under three core recommendations from the Creating a Future Ready Economy report, our resources are designed to help businesses move from insight to action. Each recommendation brings together BITC resources, tools and case studies that support the report’s recommendations for business, helping organisations embed future readiness into strategy, transition planning and community investment.
Embed action for a future-ready economy in core strategy
Make sure climate, nature, social inclusion, and resilience are recognised within business models, embedding responsible business into core strategy rather than treating it as an add-on.
Co-create transition plans with stakeholders
Involve employees, young people, supply chains and wider communities in developing transition plans. Move from top-down consultation to genuine co-design, ensuring benefits such as warmer homes, lower bills and local jobs are tangible and visible.
Invest in building resilience with the communities you serve
Use your purchasing power, partnerships and investment to support community wealth-building, help SMEs and social enterprises become more resilient, and enable local ownership of assets such as renewable energy, retrofit and nature-based projects.
What is a future-ready economy and why does it matter?
In the ‘Creating a Future Ready Economy’ report, Business in the Community defines a future-ready economy as one that enables societal resilience to social, geopolitical and environmental shocks, while supporting prosperous businesses, secure work, affordable housing, energy and food security, and thriving nature.1
The report highlights compounding pressures on the UK economy, including climate and nature impacts, inequality and pressure on global systems. It argues that coordinated action can help businesses and communities shape the transition, rather than respond only when disruption occurs.
For businesses, future readiness can support long-term value creation by strengthening the systems that business depends on, including resilient communities, a stable climate, healthy ecosystems and secure work.
“The businesses that act now will be better placed to manage disruption, support the people and places they depend on, and contribute to a stronger UK economy. These futureproofing business resources provide practical support to help organisations turn the report’s recommendations into action, building resilience, creating lasting value and strengthening the UK’s long-term prosperity.”
Joanna Walker, Group Director of Responsible Business, Royal London
Futureproofing Business frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Practical tools, guidance and case studies to help businesses take action, whether you’re just starting out or building a transition plan.Â
A future-ready economy helps businesses and communities adapt to climate, social and economic change, supporting resilience, secure work and thriving natural systems.Â
A just transition ensures the shift to a low-carbon, future-ready economy is fair and inclusive, supporting workers, communities and supply chains with the skills, opportunities and benefits they need.Â
It helps organisations manage risk, respond to disruption and create long-term value by strengthening supply chains, communities and the environment.Â