10 Purpose Trends for 2025
A view of the year ahead for purpose, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Expect companies to continue taking stances
Expect more businesses to be pressured to respond to social developments with words and deeds as they react to the Trump presidency, the success of the far right in Europe, geopolitical uncertainty, and heated debates about immigration. We also expect to see more companies to become more vocal about some of the harmful consequences of artificial intelligence.
Pop culture gets more involved in the culture wars
We expect the arts and sports to leverage their ability to unite people. We expect to see more actors and athletes using their platforms to highlight causes that matter to them. Still, we also expect a counterreaction from some of their fellow professionals in their industries.
Sustainability and DEI teams working more closely
As the sustainability agenda becomes more interconnected with social justice (and as the environmental movement tries to ensure that it is more diverse than it currently is), expect these two parts of many organisations to collaborate more on initiatives and messaging.
More focus on the resilience of teams
DEI professionals are venturing into uncharted waters in a rapidly evolving discipline. Fatigue and burnout have become common, particularly in the last few years, as the DEI agenda has faced backlash and criticism from some quarters. Expect more organisations to focus on supporting the resilience and well-being of teams.
Disability inclusion gets the spotlight
Often neglected by organisations as part of the DEI landscape, we expect more organisations to put disability inclusion at the forefront of their thinking, especially as a driver of financial success. The Valuable 500’s SYNC25 accountability summit on disability inclusion will also be a key highlight of the year.
The fight to keep climate out of the culture wars intensifies
We anticipate attempts to decouple the fight against climate change from culture wars, with the climate movement reframing climate change as a focus on delivering things voters want. This pivot may lead to some conflict in messaging between ‘disentanglers’ and activists who primarily see the climate crisis through the lens of social justice.
Discourse on how to win over young men takes centre stage
Expect a lot of debate this year about how progressives engage younger men. In the 2024 election, Trump won 18–29-year-old men by 14 points (Our Purpose Pulse also reveals that younger women are 10 points more likely than men to trust businesses that champion DEI). Also, expect Richard Reeves’ book Of Boys and Men to be cited frequently.
Regulators will make bolder moves on DEI
The new football regulator will introduce a new corporate governance code requiring clubs to publish what action they are taking on DEI. The Financial Conduct Authority is expected to outline its expectations on DEI governance later this year. Other regulators and similar bodies will publish strategies for encouraging more inclusion in their respective sectors. Expect regulators to be bolder in raising the bar for how organisations they regulate tackle these issues, but also expect those regulators to make the case for why DEI matters to the success of regulated activity more effectively than before.
Mental health will remain a dominant issue for Gen Z and Millennials
Mental health is not going away as an issue. Our Purpose Pulse report shows that concerns about mental health in these cohorts remain as strong today as they were in the aftermath of the pandemic. This will increasingly become an issue that cuts across other themes such as productivity, growth, social media, discrimination, and the culture wars.
Social mobility willtake on greater strategic importance
Though not a new topic, some have argued that socioeconomic diversity has been neglected as an aspect of the DEI landscape. In the UK, an eagerly anticipated curriculum review, a commitment to elevate oracy in schools and the launch of Skills England will have implications for how the country closes the achievement gap amongst young people. Activists will also frame social mobility as a way to fight against populism in the UK and beyond.
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