*When we say “sustainable,” we recognize that no companies are truly without negative ecological or social impact yet. Thus, "sustainable" here implies "more sustainable" or "especially sustainable within a specific sector."

Future Rating

Here at Future Maps, our mission is to make a genuinely sustainable way of living accessible, attractive and affordable for everyone.

A sustainability rating mechanism of companies

To achieve that, we develop a holistic, scalable sustainability rating mechanism of companies and businesses based on the ESG framework – the Future Rating. Future Maps as well as our partners like guud and RECUP use this rating to generate trustworthy recommendations for consumers. Together we seek to channel 1 billion euro per month into the sustainable* economy defined by Future Rating until 2030.

»More than the design of specific products or services, what matters most is the deep design of the organisation itself.«

»More than the design of specific products or services, what matters most is the deep design of the organisation itself.«

Kate Raworth


Author of Doughnut Economics, University of Oxford

Our Criteria

With Future Rating we aim to identify genuine companies with the intrinsic motivation to innovate and improve their sustainability as fast and thoroughly as they can – even if the public or the law doesn’t force them yet. That’s why Future Rating evaluates companies and businesses with a holistic perspective – taking into account their ecological impact, social impact and governance, including the company’s ownership structure.

Ecological Impact

Ecological Impact

The ecological impact of a company on the environment might include greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and land use – by their direct actions as well as within their value chain and by their customers. Our criteria describe best practices that reduce a company's ecological footprint significantly. Some of which are:

Social Impact

Social Impact

The social impact of a company does include labor conditions, fair payment, the inclusion of disadvantaged minorities or the support of art and culture – within their company and along their value chain. Our criteria describe best practices that improve a company's social impact significantly. Some of which are:

Governance

Governance

The governance of a company determines how genuine its sustainability efforts are and how likely these efforts will persist in the future. Our criteria describe best practices for internal and external auditing and place a special emphasis on best practices for ownership structures of companies that prioritize purpose over profit for now and the future. Some of which are:

How it works

1

Gathering of information on companies e.g. about their procurement sources, energy supplier or ownership structure.

2

Information is assigned to weighted criteria in the areas of ecological sustainability, social sustainability, and corporate governance.

3

Our algorithm generates an overall assessment of companies. Either a criterion with high weight or several criteria within different categories have to apply to be recommended as sustainable.

Examples

There are so many pioneers of a more sustainable economy. You can find them on Future Maps. Here are a view examples that highlight the potential for change:

  • Café Bellevue di Monaco

    Café

    Ecological Impact

    The cafe offers a diverse, changing menu and shows that this is possible with a purely vegetarian and vegan offer.

    Social Impact

    The café exemplifies beneficial cultural exchange between refugees and Germans by employing them, emphasizing inclusion. To increase accessibility, they offer reduced prices for those with limited finances.

    Governance

    The cafe is owned by a cooperative. All it’s profits are reinvested in the cooperative’s social programs.

  • Alnatura

    Supermarket

    Ecological Impact

    Alnatura sells only certified organically grown groceries. It plays a major role in supporting and growing the respective sustainable farming sector in Germany. In addition, Alnatura rescues and donates food to reduce food waste.

    Social Impact

    Alnatura is one of the first companies in the world to be certified for taking responsibility along the supply chain from the country of origin to the shelf.

    Governance

    Alnatura is in the process of being transferred to a foundation model. This model will ensure that profits are used for the benefit of the foundation's purpose: a supermarket with fair conditions for people and animals and operating in harmony with nature.

  • About Given

    Fair fashion store

    Ecological Impact

    About Given exclusively sells organic fashion from selected brands. Small quantities and a balance of trend pieces, timeless favorites and high-quality basics are important to ensure a long lifespan of clothing.

    Social Impact

    About Given has ensured for over 10 years that every garment in their range has been ethically produced. With their selection of mostly small brands and designers they support a diverse and sustainable fashion landscape.

    Governance

    About Given is a small company that belongs to its manager and doesn’t distribute profits to investors.

  • Bikekitchen München e.V.

    Repair cafe

    Ecological Impact

    Bikekitchen München is a non-profit association for the promotion of bicycle culture and has been organizing bicycle repair events in Munich since 2010 to give bikes an extended life and reduce waste.

    Social Impact

    Bikekitchen Munich combines repair facilities with cultural events to address different milieus and transfer knowledge about repairing. Bikekitchen is determined to create a space free of discrimination.

    Governance

    Bikekitchen München is a non-profit association organized through a volunteer-driven and donation-based DIY bicycle repair community. Thus every Euro spent at bikekitchen supports the project and its employees.

  • Café Bellevue di Monaco

    Café

    Ecological Impact

    The cafe offers a diverse, changing menu and shows that this is possible with a purely vegetarian and vegan offer.

    Social Impact

    The café exemplifies beneficial cultural exchange between refugees and Germans by employing them, emphasizing inclusion. To increase accessibility, they offer reduced prices for those with limited finances.

    Governance

    The cafe is owned by a cooperative. All it’s profits are reinvested in the cooperative’s social programs.

  • Alnatura

    Supermarket

    Ecological Impact

    Alnatura sells only certified organically grown groceries. It plays a major role in supporting and growing the respective sustainable farming sector in Germany. In addition, Alnatura rescues and donates food to reduce food waste.

    Social Impact

    Alnatura is one of the first companies in the world to be certified for taking responsibility along the supply chain from the country of origin to the shelf.

    Governance

    Alnatura is in the process of being transferred to a foundation model. This model will ensure that profits are used for the benefit of the foundation's purpose: a supermarket with fair conditions for people and animals and operating in harmony with nature.

  • About Given

    Fair fashion store

    Ecological Impact

    About Given exclusively sells organic fashion from selected brands. Small quantities and a balance of trend pieces, timeless favorites and high-quality basics are important to ensure a long lifespan of clothing.

    Social Impact

    About Given has ensured for over 10 years that every garment in their range has been ethically produced. With their selection of mostly small brands and designers they support a diverse and sustainable fashion landscape.

    Governance

    About Given is a small company that belongs to its manager and doesn’t distribute profits to investors.

  • Bikekitchen München e.V.

    Repair cafe

    Ecological Impact

    Bikekitchen München is a non-profit association for the promotion of bicycle culture and has been organizing bicycle repair events in Munich since 2010 to give bikes an extended life and reduce waste.

    Social Impact

    Bikekitchen Munich combines repair facilities with cultural events to address different milieus and transfer knowledge about repairing. Bikekitchen is determined to create a space free of discrimination.

    Governance

    Bikekitchen München is a non-profit association organized through a volunteer-driven and donation-based DIY bicycle repair community. Thus every Euro spent at bikekitchen supports the project and its employees.

  • Café

    Café Bellevue di Monaco

    Ecological Impact

    The cafe offers a diverse, changing menu and shows that this is possible with a purely vegetarian and vegan offer.

    Social Impact

    The café exemplifies beneficial cultural exchange between refugees and Germans by employing them, emphasizing inclusion. To increase accessibility, they offer reduced prices for those with limited finances.

    Governance

    The cafe is owned by a cooperative. All it’s profits are reinvested in the cooperative’s social programs.

  • Supermarket

    Alnatura

    Ecological Impact

    Alnatura sells only certified organically grown groceries. It plays a major role in supporting and growing the respective sustainable farming sector in Germany. In addition, Alnatura rescues and donates food to reduce food waste.

    Social Impact

    Alnatura is one of the first companies in the world to be certified for taking responsibility along the supply chain from the country of origin to the shelf.

    Governance

    Alnatura is in the process of being transferred to a foundation model. This model will ensure that profits are used for the benefit of the foundation's purpose: a supermarket with fair conditions for people and animals and operating in harmony with nature.

  • Fair fashion store

    About Given

    Ecological Impact

    About Given exclusively sells organic fashion from selected brands. Small quantities and a balance of trend pieces, timeless favorites and high-quality basics are important to ensure a long lifespan of clothing.

    Social Impact

    About Given has ensured for over 10 years that every garment in their range has been ethically produced. With their selection of mostly small brands and designers they support a diverse and sustainable fashion landscape.

    Governance

    About Given is a small company that belongs to its manager and doesn’t distribute profits to investors.

  • Repair cafe

    Bikekitchen München e.V.

    Ecological Impact

    Bikekitchen München is a non-profit association for the promotion of bicycle culture and has been organizing bicycle repair events in Munich since 2010 to give bikes an extended life and reduce waste.

    Social Impact

    Bikekitchen Munich combines repair facilities with cultural events to address different milieus and transfer knowledge about repairing. Bikekitchen is determined to create a space free of discrimination.

    Governance

    Bikekitchen München is a non-profit association organized through a volunteer-driven and donation-based DIY bicycle repair community. Thus every Euro spent at bikekitchen supports the project and its employees.

Rating Development

Future Rating is created by the Future Maps team with feedback by our community and in collaboration with our Scientific Sustainability Council. Future Rating is and will ever be work in progress. It continuously evolves through new research and increasing standards for sustainability in the economy.

Scientific Sustainability Council

Head of the Institute for Agricultural Policy and Market Research at Justus-Liebig-University Gießen

Researcher on climate movements and how contemporary states respond to them

 at Cambridge University and The New Institute

Project lead at LMU Munich
Impact Measurement and Valuation

Guiding Principles

When we define and weigh new criteria for certain economic sectors, we always think about balancing our three guiding principles of:



Genuine sustainability – We aim to identify only those companies that are really genuine about improving their ecological and social impact.

Wide impact – If we are too strict, Future Maps is empty and we don’t change anything for the better.

Scaleable rating process – We focus on simple criteria with available data, that at least offer a strong indicator of the sustainability of a company or business.

Contact & Feedback

Would you like to collaborate with us? Do you have feedback? We’d love to hear from you!