Sustainable development suffers from a longstanding paradox. We assume that Big Problems take Big Solutions. But what about those who live with the daily challenges of our rapidly changing world? They might be better placed to come up with real solutions.

Driven by necessity, people all over the world are constantly finding ways to overcome hurdles in their daily lives. Their creativity and ingenuity are helping to create more sustainable, inclusive cities and communities. But this work gets lost in the systemic noise. 

For Tomorrow is a cross-platform initiative that highlights sustainability’s unsung heroes. Inequality, mobility, access to services and resources--people face these challenges daily with creativity and ingenuity. for Tomorrow aims to gather these innovators under a human, global brand identity, and place them at the vanguard of a movement.

Central to for Tomorrow is a community-driven web platform that curates and showcases sustainability solutions from around the world. They benefit from connections to other innovators, UN officials, and Hyundai engineers. Radiating out from the web platform, a social media ecosystem and campaigns stocked with bespoke content features not only for Tomorrow innovators but advocates like Jessica Alba and K-Pop superstars BTS. Live and online events move the initiative further into the realm of practical action and a feature documentary set for release in 2022 will continue to spread the word, letting everyone know that they can make a difference.

for Tomorrow empowers individuals in the work they are already doing, helping them contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Concomitant with this were two important conceptual and strategic shifts: first, the brand’s role had to evolve from ambassador or advocate to active agent; second, the initiative had to redefine innovation, for itself and its audience.

And that audience is vast. Targeting not only grassroots innovators who might bring their solutions to the platform but everyone with a stake in the future, it is critical that for Tomorrow be a human story. That story is the potential inherent in us all, and the force with which inspiration and necessity can fire it into action. A story about individuals claiming agency. So, whether they were designing a solar-powered car in their bedroom in the dead of night or employing dozens by turning waste into cleaning products, people come first.

A lot of systems work happened with Hyundai and the UNDP before the partners were introduced. Hyundai had to shift its thinking from promoting itself to promoting others. The UNDP had to reframe how it communicates about the Sustainable Development Goals and how to meet them, moving from a discussion about closed systems to a consideration of open systems.

In 2020, for Tomorrow launched across both partners’ platforms, leveraging Hyundai’s channels and ambassadors and activating the UNDP online and through live events. The website connected innovators with UN officials, Hyundai engineers, the public and each other. Social media and campaigns like for Tomorrow: Earth Day 2020 showcased innovators. For the 2021 UN General Assembly, for Tomorrow hosted a sustainable mobility conversation. It was broadcast live, included a question period, and kickstarted ongoing connections between participants and experts, including Hyundai engineers, feeding back into the ecosystem and further amplifying their work.