Each year, Future 500 releases a report of what we predict will be the most critical social and environmental issues driving corporate-stakeholder engagement in the coming year. This year, we anticipate that corporations will be challenged to go even further than last year, using their economic influence on policy and politicians while being asked to take a bigger stand on global issues. This dynamic will be showcased at COP21 in Paris, where stakeholder expectations of companies’ commitments to mitigate climate change will culminate.

In 2016, we predict that stakeholders will continue to organize around issues like chemicals, water scarcity and local control of resources, challenging the private sector to drive change in their supply chains, make more time bound commitments and be more transparent. We anticipate increased focus on women impacting the global economy and concern around global ocean health, an issue moving to the forefront of our list.

As presented in the report (downloadable below), 2016 promises to be another exciting year to break through conflict and drive workable solutions through proactive stakeholder engagement opportunities. We hope that our annual report continues to help companies and their stakeholders see beyond conflict to find ways to collaboratively forge common ground solutions to our most pressing global problems.

Want to dive deeper into any of the issues discussed in this report, or learn more about our sustainability and stakeholder engagement services? Contact Kellen Klein, Director – kklein@future500.org.

For media inquiries, please contact James Glaves, Sr. Advisor - Communications – jglave@future500.org.