Trend Report: Sustainability

HOLLIE WEBB-HINTON N0693942

WORD COUNT: 3198

SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINAB ILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUST AINABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY

ETHICS

This submission is the result of my own work. All help and advice other than that received from tutors has been acknowledged and primary and secondary sources of information have been properly attributed.

Should this statement prove to be untrue I recognise the right and duty of the board of examiners to recommend what action should be taken in line with the University’s regulations on assessment contained in its handbook. signed ............................................................................ print name ………………………………………………....... date .................................................................................

C O N T CONT 01. INTRODUCTION: P.1 02. METHODOLOGY: P.2 03.TREND ORIGIN: P.3 04.TREND DEFINITION: P.4 05.TREND EVOLUTION: P.5-P.6 06.TREND DRIVERS: P.7-P.10 07. TREND CONSEQUENCES: P.11-P.15

E N T S ENTS 08. INDUSTRY IMPLICATIONS: P.16-P.23 09. TREND POTENTIAL: P.24 10. CONCLUSION: P.25 11. APPENDIX: P.26-P.30 12: IMAGE REFERENCES: P.31-P.36 13. REFERENCES: P.37-P.39 14: BIBLIOGRAPHY: P.40-P.42

01.

INTRODUCTION

This report will detail the progression of sustainability as a macro trend; highlighting its origination and evolution, the outside influences that have directly affected its development, and its expansive impact on varying industry sectors (including fashion, technology, and travel). A nonbiased, well-rounded presentation of the arguments that exist around and within this trend will feature throughout, exploring all sides of the discussion equally as a means of showcasing how sustainability is affecting both consumers and businesses alike. The tensions revealed by these arguments will be discussed within the trend potential section, highlighting potential opportunity areas for brands in the future, whilst at the same time providing an insight into how this trend will evolve in the future.

Aims and Objectives: Explore the entirety of the sustainability macro trend, from its origination through to its impacts on industries and consumers in the present day, so best to present its evolution.

Explore a variety of different secondary resources, to better present a variety of different perspectives within the arguments surrounding this trend.

Track where this trend might lead, detailing opportunity areas for brands based on consumer tensions revealed through the conduction of research.

1.

Secondary research has been utilised to inform this report from start to completion, as a means of thoroughly exploring and presenting the sustainability macro trend. Information has been collated from a vast compilation of resources including: books, articles, documentaries, journal articles, marketing research reports and websites; with some of these sources informing more sections than others.

The key sources employed to inform important sections within this report include: research reports detailing the factors driving sustainability created by The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership (which were used to help formulate the trend driver section), marketing reports published by Mintel, Euromonitor and J.W.Thompson Intelligence, which informed the debated featured in the consequences section, and finally articles published on The Guardian’s environmental website page which helped map out the ways in which industries are impacted by sustainability and the innovations they are creating as a result.

The diagram below (see appendix, fig 1) illustrates the advantages and limitations of these methods.

02.

METHODOLOGY

2.

Given that initial discussions of sustainability date back as far as the eighteenth century, the evolution of this trend has been so vast, that it is often ‘frequently misunderstood’ by the general public (Farrer, 2011). Its origination was traced back to ideas put forth by the scholar Thomas Malthus in the late eighteenth century, detailing his argument that ‘population growth would eventually outstrip Earth’s ability to support that population’ (Portney, 2015). In the 1950’s, original rationale was to focus on ‘social change to alleviate global poverty’ (Farrer, 2011), as a result of this constant change in meaning, misinterpretation has ensued. This problem has been exacerbated by ‘businesses, marketers, educators, and politicians’ who have ‘cherry picked values from the sustainable agenda’ to suit their own personal agendas.

03.

SUSTAINABILITY WAS...

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04.

SUSTAINABILITY IS...

The most cohesive and up-to-date description of the trend, provided by Bruntland (1987) explained that Sustainability is ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’, meaning, sustainable solutions must support the growth of industries and the needs of consumers without damaging the environment.

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05.

TREND EVOLUTION LATE 1800’s- EARLY 1900’s: THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

1800’s: Thomas Malthus: Population crisis theory

Technological development, and ‘economic growth’ were prioritised at the ‘expense of everything, including the integrity of the environment’ (Caradonna, 2014).

1950’s: Discussions around sustainability were focused on a

aleviating ‘global poverty’ (Farrer, 2011).

1968: THE POPULATION BOMB MODEL.

Sustainability’s focus shifts again to overpopulation. In his ‘population bomb model’, Ehrlich recognised that society was consuming more than it could regenerate, putting pressure on the Earth’s finite resources.

1981: Belgium became the first country to elect

a Green Party candidate to a parliamentary seat.

5.

2015: THE UN PARIS AGREEMENT.

175 countries signed up to the agreement, committing themselves to delivering a ‘zero carbon economy’ (Barnatt, 2018).

2008: UK enforced their Climate Change Act, commiting the country to reducing carbon emissions

2017: David

Attenborough’s Blue Planet brought attention to plastic pollution in oceans.

1992: UN RELEASES AGENDA 21.

The agenda was designed to generate better ‘measurement tools for understanding the value of natural capital.

2018: COPENHAGEN FASHION SUMMIT.

Prompted a governmental investigation into the polluting nature of fast fashion.

6.

06.

DRIVERS DRIVERS DRIVERS DRIVERS DRIVERS 7.

Increasing pressure on natural resources and a growing shortage of finite materials have driven ‘prices upwards and put geopolitical pressure on producers’ (the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, 2017), which in turn has driven a universal demand for sustainable solutions to help minimize the impact of such a colossal crisis.

Such strenuous pressure has revealed a ‘monumental market failure’, within which current price signals are ‘too weak to change economic behaviour, despite the costs that arise from business as usual’ (the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, 2017), meaning, the profit collected from industry will not be enough to prevent this ‘ecological credit crunch’ which would be ‘far worse’ (The Guardian, 2008) than previous financial crisis’s, given that natural resources (such as water, air, soils, and oils) cannot be replenished in the same volume, at the same speed as we are consuming.

This problem is becoming increasingly more seismic, as ‘populations and consumption keep growing faster than technology finds new ways of expanding what can be produced from the natural world’ (The Guardian, 2008), so much so, that ‘by 2025 1.8 billion people will face absolute scarcity’, and ‘two thirds of the world will not have enough water for industry in the relatively near future’ (Barnatt, 2018:a).

8.

It is because of such depravity that businesses, politicians and consumers alike have begun to recognise their dependency on the natural world and, as a result have started to place ‘commercial value’ (the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, 2017) on materials/resources that were once perceived to be more expendable. Depletion of the resources upon which society relies, has pushed the Sustainable agenda to the forefront of the minds of businesses and their leaders, driving all of their choices, from the methods that they employ to produce their goods, to the materials and resources that they use within the production process. For example, with regards to methods of production, ‘Business leaders face a triple imperative to manage energy costs and energy security, and meet environmental targets.’

(J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). It is in fact their understanding of the ‘impact of resource efficiency on the bottom line’ that makes their survival ‘easier’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018), and ensures their longevity. Resource scarcity alone has given way to a worldwide understanding that treating the Earth and its resources as if they are dispensable, not only limits the lifespan of irreplaceable finite materials but of industries and humanity alike.

With ‘manifestations of climate change’ becoming ever more disruptive, so have their implications ‘for consumers, supply chains and policy makers, who will be increasingly expected to respond’ (the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, 2017). The expansive and destructive impact of climate change on the planet, has forcibly pushed political leaders and governments to step in, creating legislation and reforms committing the world to sustainability, in the hopes that this will help ‘limit increasing global temperatures’ and the depletion of finite resources that cannot be regenerated (Barnatt, 2018:b).

Examples of such legislation include: the 2015 UN Paris Agreement, and the 2017 UK Clean Growth Strategy.

UN Paris Agreement (2015): As the first ‘truly global and binding agreement on climate change’ (the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership, 2017), the UN Paris Agreement commits 175 countries (UN, 2016) to specific actions on how to ‘deliver a zero carbon economy’ (the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership, 2017), limiting the increase in global temperatures to below ‘2 degree Celsius’ (Barnatt, 2018:b).

Acting as a ‘watershed for humanity’, putting more emphasis on ‘process as opposed to progress’ (Barnatt, 2018:b), the legislation details a lengthy commitment to the remediation of impacts caused by climate change and the prevention of further damage.

The implications of such an act on businesses are vast and longitudinal, forcing them to consider how their methods of production, approaches to innovation and creation of emissions will have to change.

Businesses’ beliefs regarding climate change are now ‘secondary’ to ‘climate change mitigation measures that will increasingly be put in place and enforced in most nations’ (Barnatt, 2018:b). As a means of ensuring their survival, businesses have had to create their own sustainable agendas, ‘engaging’ with their stakeholders on ‘climate change issues to identify product and service opportunities and threats’ (the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, 2016), so that they can meet consumer expectations and operate within the confines of market regulation. This act alone has singlehandedly forced businesses to accept accountability for their polluting actions and replace these with more sustainable alternatives, ensuring that they be an expectation as opposed to a point of differentiation in a crowded market.

9.

In his reinterpretation of Ehrlich’s ‘Population Bomb Model’ (see Appendix fig 2), Ray Anderson (‘the sustainability pioneer and then CEO of Interface’) illustrated that technology is in fact the catalyst, through which sustainability can progress, reducing rather than increasing the ‘impact’ of climate change on ‘the environment and society’ (The Guardian, 2014). Such technological development has given way to innovations that have ‘accelerated more sustainable lifestyles’, creating a ‘sustainable infrastructure’ that has started to ‘disrupt businesses and society’ by bringing about ‘more efficient use of resources in response to environmental challenges’ (the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, 2017). According to research produced by the McKinsey Global Institute, through the use of these technological innovations alone, the ‘resource challenge can be met’, by employing ‘resource productivity improvements’ which use ‘existing technology’, eventually satisfying ‘nearly 30 percent of demand in 2030’ (McKinsey Global Institute, 2014).

Technological innovations surrounding the sustainability macro trend have birthed what some describe as ‘another renaissance’ in the ‘industrial revolution’ (The Guardian, 2014), plunging both businesses and consumers into a new age that forces them to swap their more polluting behaviours, for ones that are more efficient and cost effective. Arguments surrounding the adaptation of sustainability into the lifestyles of the world’s population, large in part refer to it being unattainable, due to the fact that for most it is inconvenient and therefore difficult to maintain. The creation of sustainable innovations through technological development, help resolve this issue, providing solutions that make the process of developing sustainable habits and methods of production easier and therefore more convenient for the mass majority.

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07.

CONSEQUENCES

Widespread coverage of sustainability has begun to fuel society’s understanding of why it is so imperative that the world take action to help combat the effects of climate change. This in turn, has pushed individuals to consider their own impact on the planet, adapting their patterns of consumption and behaviours accordingly. As a result, ‘mindful consumption is emerging, replacing the conspicuous consumption of the past’ (Euromonitor, 2017) , large in part because ‘over-consumption generally draws attention as a reflection of the disregard for the environment’ (Sheth, J., Sethia, N., and Srinivas, S., 2010).

The emergence of this version of consumption has led to the formulation of the ‘New Mindful Consumer’, a group predominantly consisting of environmentally conscious Millennials and members of Gen Z, that are immensely ‘value driven’, favouring brands that tap into these environmental values and ‘demanding options that don’t harm the planet and its people’ from those that don’t (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018).

Motivated by ‘personal values around duty, doing the right thing and making a positive contribution, rather than extrinsic motivations associated with the praise or judgement of others’, the new mindful consumer is committed to making a concerted effort to be more sustainable. This was highlighted by a survey conducted by J.W.Thompson Intelligence (2018), which found that ‘92%’ of all respondents claimed to be ‘trying to live more sustainably’, with a further ‘83%’ stating that they would always ‘pick the brand that had a better record of sustainability’.

This strong set of shared values has ensured that the provision of sustainable products/services, and the adoption of a sustainable agenda no longer be an ‘optional extra for brands’, and as a result, ‘sustainable credentials’ are ‘becoming an imperative’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018).

11.

The Green Gap: While the intentions of the new mindful consumer are good, there is often a ‘disparity between those intentions’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018) and ‘useful action’ (Beside, 2018) , this disparity is often referred to as the ‘green gap’ and it is unfortunately the space within which most consumers exist (Beside, 2018). For the mass majority, sustainable living as still an ‘aspiration’ as opposed to a ‘24/7 lifestyle commitment’, large in part because the sustainable options available at present don’t conveniently fit within the busy day-to-day lives of consumers (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). In the words of Hege Sæbjørnsen (country sustainability manager at Ikea), ‘Convenience is absolutely key. If it’s not convenient, it’s very difficult to get people to do something.’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). In this regard consumer tensions stem from accountability, and that lies with businesses. The new mindful consumer group has expressed a ‘clear broad-based desire to adopt sustainable behaviours’, but in order for these to become habits, ‘brands should consider how well they deliver accessibility, affordability, convenience and ease of repeated use’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018), as these factors will give them a point of differentiation over their competitors. .

THE NEW MINDFUL CONSUMER 12.

GREENWASHING In a competitive market place driven by a group of ethically motivated, value lead consumers, some brands have resorted to ‘greenwashing’ as a means of avoiding fully adopting ‘sustainable business practices’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). Greenwashing, the act of ‘showing off environmental credentials while neglecting issues of sustainability’, has become a commonplace occurrence (Kasriel-Alexander, 2016), with brands deceptively employing their own ‘green marketing’ to ‘promote the perception’ that their ‘products, aims and policies are environmentally friendly’ (Kasriel-Alexander, 2016) in an attempt to effectively target the ‘New Mindful Consumer’ group aforementioned within this report. An example of a well-known brand that utilized eco-illusion, in an attempt to target environmentally concerned consumers, is McDonalds with their ‘ill-advised Going Green campaign’ (Kasriel-Alexander, 2016).

‘Tired of being held up as an example of corporate evil and greed’, the fast food giant curated their own set of ‘social initiatives’, making their iconic red and yellow logo ‘green’ and adding a few ‘sustainable options’ to their menus believing that this redesign alone would be enough to widen their consumer base ‘enticing people to spend more time there and therefore spend more money’ (The Guardian, 2007). The redesign in actuality had an adverse reaction, failing to attract mindful consumers who recognised that McDonald’s ethical policies wouldn’t change with ‘a lick of paint’ (The Guardian, 2007). The general consensus with regards to greenwashing on the whole is much the same. Consumers are more educated on sustainability given it’s widespread coverage in the media, in reaction to drivers including resource scarcity and government imposed legislation. As a result, they are ‘increasingly aware of environmental problems and skeptical of empty claims’ (Kasriel-Alexander, 2016), choosing to support brands that are more transparent when it comes to communicating their agendas and production processes over those that don’t.

13.

The Consequences of Greenwashing: Call out Culture An overall consumer distrust in brands that profess to be sustainable has ensued because of greenwashing. Consumers are now more exacting of brands with regards to ethical practices, issuing harsh penalties to those that fail to meet their high standards. According to a recent research report published by J.W.Thompson Intelligence (2018), ‘91%’ of all survey respondents felt that ‘companies and brands that pollute the environment should be fined’, with a further ‘86%’ stating that ‘companies that continue to deplete finite resources are stealing from the future’, meaning, consumers aren’t afraid to ‘advocate harsh penalties’ to companies that adopt surface level attempts at creating sustainable agendas as a means of boosting their profit margins. Businesses have now entered a new age, in which, informed consumers have the power to dictate who survives based on the perceived credibility of their ‘ecological credentials’ (Kasriel-Alexander, 2016), ‘utilising social media to highlight bad practices’ (Angus, 2018) . As a result, sustainability is now an expectation of brands, as opposed to a point of difference.

14.

Governmental emphasis within legislation, placed on finding environmentally friendly alternatives to eliminate the usage of finite materials, has birthed the circular economy. Designed to replicate a ‘circular ecosystem’, in which everything is ‘renewable, and nothing is wasted’, this new process of production and consumption helps ‘link together and uphold nature’s vital balance and business’ bottom lines without compromise’ (Beside, 2018). As illustrated by Dame Ellen MacArthur in her ‘Power of Circularity’ discussion at the 2017 Business of Fashion Voices event, previous conversations surrounding finding a solution to help improve the impact of resource scarcity used to be about ‘using less’ (MacArthur, 2017). Now businesses and consumers alike recognise that ‘just using less isn’t a solution’, it simply ‘buys you time’ (MacArthur, 2017). As a result of this common understanding, focus has now been placed on building a system that is both ‘regenerative and restorative’, a system explored by MacArthur in her ‘Circular Economy System: Butterfly Diagram’ (see appendix fig 3). Within this model of production, ‘the most economic value lies within the inner loops’ (MacArthur, 2017), in the usage of materials that can later be extracted from a product at the end of its lifecycle and be remanufactured to make another.

Biomimicry versus Circularity: is a cradle-to-cradle approach more effective?

Arguments surrounding the circular economy for the most part are centered on what aspect of it is most effective: Biomimicry (aka the cradle-to-cradle approach), or circular systems (that rely on recycling products that contain finite materials which can be mined and remanufactured into newer ones).

The cradle-to-cradle approach seeks to ‘design for effectiveness in terms of products with positive impact and reducing the negative impacts of commerce through efficiency’ (The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2018) . It perceives the ‘safe and productive processes of nature’s biological metabolism as a model for developing a technical metabolism flow of industrial materials’, meaning, it replicates the regenerative and circular systems within nature, creating ‘product components’, that can be ‘designed for continuous recovery’, eliminating the ‘concept of waste’ (The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2018).

For example, designers such as Stella McCartney and Danielle Trofe are using Mycelium, ‘derived from the root structure of mushrooms’ (Fashioned by Nature, 2018) to develop sustainable and fully circular versions of fabrics like leather, which are completely regenerative and don’t produce any harmful waste. However, while ‘tapping into nature’s design’ is beneficial because it provides the opportunity to ‘harness the power of billions of years of evolution’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018), it is an expensive and time costly process making it less practical than more traditional circular methods of production. .

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY 15.

08.

INDUSTRY IMPLICATIONS

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FASHION During the 2018 Copenhagen Fashion Summit, the fashion industry was revealed to be the ‘second most polluting industry’ in the world after oil, with ‘87 percent of fashion landfilled or incinerated every year’ (Vogue, 2018) . Such a revelation proved to be a wakeup call for politicians, companies, and consumers alike, prompting the UK Environmental Audit Committee to investigate the industry, specifically the ‘social and environmental impact of disposal fast fashion’ (The Commons Select Committee, 2018) .

The investigation revealed the increasing demands placed on the environment and its resources by the fast fashion business model, in which brands treat clothing like fast moving consumer goods, ‘releasing up to 52 collections a year’ (Segell, 2018). The same investigation found that the industry ignores the rules imposed by governmental legislation (such as the UN Paris Agreement), exporting its polluting production processes abroad, ‘destroying the environment in those countries’(Minney, 2018) . As a result, brands such as Levi’s, Stella McCartney, Everlane and Birdsong are attempting to minimise their contribution to this crisis, releasing fewer collections per year, exploring biomimicry, and adopting cradle-to-cradle business models.

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‘Sensitive to the impact their individual choices make’, and increasingly keen to adopt more sustainable lifestyles, travelers are adapting the way in which they approach going on vacation, by selecting options that ‘reduce environmental impact while making positive social change’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). Tapping into this preference, companies are responding by offering conscious consumers sustainable options in travel and accommodation, providing them with experiences that are ‘mutually rewarding’. Sustainable tourism ‘takes into full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities’ (The United Nations World Tourism Organisation, 2018).

In its initial stages, conscious travel was large in part the responsibility of the consumer, requiring them to plan out the trip themselves: tapping into the slow travel trend by ‘going to fewer countries’, supporting the local economies by purchasing souvenirs from the locals, and selecting tour operators that ‘protect and support’ both ‘wildlife and cultural heritage’ (The National Geographic, 2017) . Noticing this gap within the market for all-inclusive sustainable trips, organisations like the Global Himalayan Expedition started expanding their offering; inviting travelers to help ‘electrify’ impoverished Himalayan villages by ‘building solar microgrids’ (Global Himalayan Expedition, 2018). Other examples of companies/organisations implementing sustainable tourism within their business agendas/offering include: the Nam Ha Ecotourism Project (NHEP), which is ‘designed to protect natural and cultural resources in the Nam Ha National Protected Area’ (Mintel, 2010), and luxury hotel operator Six Senses.

CONSCIOUS TRAVEL 19.

Six Senses: Energy positive hotels Renowned as a pioneer in sustainable tourism, Six Senses is committed to keeping ‘sustainability at the heart’ of their ‘decisions and actions as a company’ (Six Senses, 2018) . Their resorts and spas around the world boast their own ‘Sustainability Fund to support social causes’, such as ‘providing clean water, which supports the local community’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). In addition, all of their hotels are solar powered, ensuring they be ‘energy positive’ producing more power than they consume (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). This commitment to ethical consciousness proves very attractive to consumers, particularly those who want to support companies that share their sustainable values. As an opportunity area for innovation, sustainable tourism is expansive and constantly developing. Those that are successful within this field are the business that not only protect but also enhance ecological and social efforts by utilising regenerative energy.

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DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY As aforementioned within the trend driver section of this report, digital technology has helped progress sustainable innovations, acting as the catalyst through which sustainability can progress. These innovations are designed to help reduce the impact of climate change/pollution on society, providing alternative solutions to harmful methods of production, the ability to track and monitor pollution, and software that can create alternatives to finite materials.

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At present, companies spanning from tech giants to small start-ups are employing technology including: ‘machine learning, algorithms and artificial intelligence’, to accelerate ‘humanity’s efforts to tackle sustainability issues’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). These companies include Microsoft, who recently announced a $50m investment in their AI for the Earth program at the One Planet climate change summit. This initiative is dedicated to helping ‘projects in climate, water, biodiversity and agriculture harness’ AI technologies (Microsoft, 2018). A recent beneficiary of this initiative is ‘Wild Me’, a conservation project dedicated to ‘harnessing computer machine learning to monitor and track’ endangered species down to the last animal (Redmond, 2018), collating this information from millions of images ‘from scientists and members of the public’ into ‘Wildbook’ (their database) (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018).

GREEN AI

Similarly, ‘green AI’ has been used to create software like the ‘Plastic Tide algorithm’, which has been trained to ‘distinguish plastic litter using images submitted by drone users’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). This software is still in its initial stages, but there is scope to eventually use the system to identify locations for clean ups, and monitor litter in real-time. Green AI opens up opportunity areas within which businesses and organisations can create innovative systems with the potential to tackle sustainability issues.

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HACKING THE PLANET Other versions of sustainable digital innovation include harnessing gene-editing, breeding new crops and species by fine-tuning their genetic profiles. These advances are now being driven by CRISPR, a technique that enables scientists to target specific sections of ‘genetic code and tweak DNA’, removing and adding traits according to preference (Harvard University, 2014) . Previous laws prohibiting the use of CRISPR have been lifted, paving the way for gene-editing to move ‘from the lab to the farm’, enabling scientists to explore the possibility of creating genetically altered products that have an ‘extended shelf life’, are ‘easier to harvest’, and that have a ‘higher yield’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018). These techniques are important because they are using science to help nature meet the needs of the 21st century. Debates surrounding these techniques are focused on whether consumers will want to eat modified food, which is why the companies that want to use this innovation will have to respond sensitively to their concerns. Transparency is crucial for genetically modified food’s success within the market.

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TREND POTENTIAL

‘What was perhaps once seen as a burden or a boxticking exercise is now a major opportunity for innovation and even revenue’ (J.W.Thompson Intelligence, 2018) Initially perceived as a ‘utopian ideal’ (Farrer, 2011), sustainability has experienced a recent resurgence, impacting industries across all sectors: be that because of the expectations of value led consumers, or the restrictions on production imposed by sustainable legislation. This resurgence has given way to a series of different debates and tensions aforementioned within this report, with the most apparent being: Who is responsible for making sustainable lifestyles easier to adopt? The disparity between consumer’s good intentions and actionability exists because the government and brands have failed to create reforms, services and products that make this more convenient.

This disparity provides businesses with an opportunity area, in which they can create innovations that address consumer needs, giving them a point of differentiation over their competitors. Other opportunity areas for innovation are featured within the diagram below (see appendix, fig 4).

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CONCLUSION

As one of the most forceful and impactful macro trends to emerge in recent years, sustainability has directly affected consumer behaviour making groups more value driven than ever before, singlehandedly changing the retail landscape. These values are now being channeled into a demand for brands to deliver ethical products and services that make the adaptation of a sustainable lifestyle easier. Those that tailor their innovation to these needs will stand out against their competitors, in modern marketplaces driven by an environmental consciousness.

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APPENDIX

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FIG 1. ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS MODEL Method:

Articles

Advantages:

Limitations:

Regularly posted: present up to Political biases: many newspadate information. pers are aligned with political Fewer resource requiresments: parties, which could make the inexpensive and time saving. information presented biased.

Provides contextual information: can provide key baground information regarding the evolution of sustainability.

Often present a variety of No control over the data quality: can’t guarantee the different perspectives.

quality of the data/statistics presented.

Journal articles

Can result in unforseen discoveries: ideas and Initial purpose may affect rationale presented how data is presented: often, within journal articles can authors present the aspects provide new perspectives. of data that support their view and emphasise these at the expense of supporting data.

Often present a variety of different perspectives.

Books

Websites

Provides contextual information: can provide key baground information regarding the evolution of sustainability.

Aggregations and definitions may be unsuitable: the data presented may have been collected for a completely different purpose.

Initial purpose may affect how data is presented: often, authors present the aspects Can result in unforseen of data that support their discoveries: ideas and view and emphasise these rationale presented within at the expense of supporting journal articles can provide data. new perspectives.

Not quality checked: depending on the company Quick access to information. that owns the site, you cannot ensure validity, given Regularly updated: present up that anyone can create a to date information. website.

Not always reliable: the information presented cannot be held up at an academic standard.

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Method:

Documentaries

Advantages:

Often present a variety of different perspectives.

Limitations:

Initial purpose may affect how data is presented: often, authors present the aspects Can result in unforseen of data that support their discoveries: ideas and view and emphasise these rationale presented within at the expense of supporting journal articles can provide data. new perspectives Access may be difficult and costly: marketing research Fewer resource requiresments: reports can always be costly.

Looks at a topic in detail.

inexpensive and time saving.

Marketing reports

Aggregations and definitions

Unobtrusive: because the data may be unsuitable: the data has already been collected, presented may have been it provides an unobtrusive collected for a completely measure.

different purpose.

Provides contextual information: can provide key baground information regarding the evolution of sustainability.

Provides contextual information: can provide key baground information regarding the evolution of sustainability.

Podcasts

Can result in unforseen discoveries: ideas and rationale presented within journal articles can provide new perspectives.

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Often only present one perspective.

No control over the data quality: can’t guarantee the quality of the data/statistics presented.

FIG 2. EHRLICH’S POPULATION BOMB MODEL IMPACT (I) = POPULATION (P) X AFFLUENCE (A) X TECHNOLOGY (T)

FIG 3. THE BUTTERFLY DIAGRAM

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FIG 4. TREND POTENTIAL DIAGRAM

Transparency: brands need to communicate their methods of production.

Biomimicry could help aid brands create fully sustainable products.

consumers want brands to help bridge the green gap.

SUSTAINABILITY

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AI could help track consumers’ most polluting behaviours, and how they could rectify them.

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