Written by Peter-Jan Roose
At BrightWolves, we don’t pretend to be futurists. On the contrary, we are pragmatists and do not pretend to own a crystal ball. Nevertheless, clients regularly ask us to paint a picture of the next decade and what choices they should make today, to have their businesses well-positioned for success in the reality that 2030 will bring.
The directions we take and the choices we make have an enormous impact, but these 5 trends will surely continue to reshape the world in 2030.
5 trends to keep into account when transitioning your business
TRANSPARENCY: a more open but less private world?
The ongoing trend of collecting information on every person, product, and organization will not cease. On the contrary, it will grow exponentially over the next decade, and so will the pressure to share that information with all stakeholders. The tools to utilize this information will become much better as well, making decision-making easier and more efficient in the process. However, these tools will deteriorate privacy in the process.
How will your business handle this transparent world?
GLOBAL POLICY: global or local, which will prevail?
Today, the discussions about a truly global policy on fighting climate change, resource pressures, inequality, and poverty continue to be a moving target. The exact outcome is still unclear, whether it will be a global approach or every region/country for itself.
The Paris Agreement was a great start: COP26 showed that some regions are stepping up … but in the end, it will be businesses that will lead the transition towards a more inclusive and sustainable world. Anticipating politics remains nearly impossible, and there’s no time to wait.
Are you already preparing for future policy in the locations you do business?
RESOURCE PRESSURES: constraints will be everywhere
Demographic growth, advances in technology, and income growth resulting in higher living standards are exerting growing pressure on the world’s natural resources. Confronting these constraints head-on will be important, especially if we want to keep volumes of major commodities in line with economic growth. Rethinking the material economy is necessary: