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Future Days 2025: Governing unthinkable futures

Future Days, Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal – On the final day of Future Days 2025, Simon Höher, systems change lead at strategic design nonprofit Dark Matter Labs, delivered a standout talk titled Governing Unthinkable Futures. He argued that the most radical futures aren’t just unlikely; they are unimaginable within today’s systems of thinking.

According to Höher, we are now living in what he calls the ‘age of consequences,’ a period shaped by decisions and infrastructures built by past generations. Climate breakdown and economic instability are no longer abstract risks but outcomes we are already experiencing.

He introduced the idea of ‘glitches’ – unexpected societal anomalies that offer glimpses of possible futures. When a glitch starts to feel plausible, it becomes a signal. Just a day before the conference, a nationwide power outage disrupted Portugal, turning an abstract risk into a real-time example. It served as a stark reminder: the unimaginable is already happening and we’re not prepared.

Between talks, attendees could observe work by students from the Royal College of Art’s SuperFUTURES research unit, who explored possible futures through speculative artefacts. One standout project was Drained by Chesta Kela. Set in 2047, it envisions a world where the supply and demand for blood plasma have shifted from altruistic donation to a commodified market.

In this imagined future, donors become obsessed with the quality of their plasma, sparking new industries for plasma-enhancing supplements and even competitive sabotage to improve one’s ranking. While such ideas may seem far-fetched, as Simon Höher noted in his talk, it’s essential to explore the unthinkable in order to prepare for what may lie ahead.

For more insights on why foresight is a necessity, join us on 13 May 2025 for a free webinar introducing our new strategic foresight masterclass series. If uncertainty is a virus, then strategic foresight is the best way to inoculate your organisation against it. RSVP now.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how to monitor emerging 'glitches' –unexpected disruptions or anomalies– across sectors. Treat them as early signals for innovation, adaptation and creativity, not just risks

Clinique La Prairie targets epigenetic wellness with Epinome supplement launch

Clinique La Prairie, Switzerland

Global – Clinique La Prairie has launched Epinome, an ultra-targeted supplement designed to support cellular health and longevity through epigenetic regulation. Developed over three years in collaboration with epigenetic testing firm Genknowme, the product reflects the clinic’s commitment to cutting-edge nutraceutical science. Epinome works at a molecular level to restore healthy methylation patterns – a process vital to regulating gene expression and cellular repair.

The formula combines seven plant-based compounds, including sulforaphane and cucurbitacin B, with Clinique La Prairie’s proprietary Holistic Complex to combat inflammation, oxidative stress and cellular decline. Backed by rigorous epigenetic testing, it addresses one of the 12 recognised mechanisms of ageing.

Positioned within the brand’s Holistic Health range, Epinome marks a bold expansion into at-home longevity solutions, with a 30-day supply priced at £390 ($519, €460). Launching in June 2025, it will be stocked at premium retailers including Harrods and Mandarin Oriental.

Our Breakthrough Biohacks report spotlights the pathways and biohacks maximising longevity and effectively treating and preventing age-related conditions.

Strategic opportunity

As longevity culture moves from clinic to consumer, health and beauty brands should consider how they can create bio-personalised wellness products that align with the rise of at-home biohacking and precision supplementation

Stat: Consumers are exploiting retailers’ flexible return policies

thredUP, US

UK, US – A new report reveals the hidden cost of consumer-friendly return policies, with nearly half of online shoppers admitting to abusing them.

Conducted by The Harris Poll for digital commerce platform Forter, the research questioned more than 4,000 adults in the US and UK. It found that 68% of respondents believe retailers make it too easy to exploit generous return systems, while 49% said they had done this in the past year.

Among those, 29% admitted to misusing policies to avoid paying full price, while 30% confessed to ‘wardrobing’ – wearing expensive items they couldn’t otherwise afford before sending them back. This trend spikes among younger people, with 46% of US and 48% of UK 18–34-year-olds admitting to the practice.

Financial pressures are fuelling more opportunistic shopping behaviours, with 48% buying more from retailers with lenient policies.

Our New Codes of Value report dives into shifting attitudes towards brands, as inflationary prices and the enshittification of products and services have left many feeling disillusioned and entitled to bend or break the rules.

Strategic opportunity

Consider adopting dynamic, data-driven returns policies that reward genuine loyalty while deterring serial returns abusers, such as shoppers who have the highest return frequencies, thereby protecting margins without alienating core audiences