We imagine a future where clothes circulate in closed loops instead of piling up in landfills. Where communities power themselves with renewable energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Where food economies are regenerative: restoring soil back to health, paying a living wage to farmers, and providing more nutritious food to communities.

It may seem like a utopian fantasy, but it doesn’t have to be. Research shows this future is not only possible but within reach within our lifetimes. But only if we recognise our world - our clothes, our food, our homes, our energy - is made of systems that need to be redesigned in ways that stay within planetary boundaries.

Around the world, changemakers are already driving it forward through research, advocacy, collaboration, and innovation. However, cities, businesses, and non-profits have an inordinate role to play in this transformation. To hit their sustainability goals, we’ll need to go beyond siloed solutions and target deeper, systemic levers. And to do that, we all will need a better understanding of the many components at play in every system, particularly people.