LSN : News : Stat: Debt aversion hits Latinx college enrolment

Snøhetta decelerates New York’s skyline tourism

Summit One Vanderbilt by Snøhetta, New York

New York – Architectural studio Snøhetta is transforming the slow pace and wait times associated with tourist destinations into a positive experience at Summit One Vanderbilt, a new four-storey observation complex 1,000 feet (300m) above Manhattan.

Inviting visitors to take a leisurely approach to viewing New York’s famous skyline, viewing areas include the Summit Lounge, which evokes an alpine ski lodge with a suspended fireplace, mountain shrubs and rustic materials. Elsewhere, a space by Kenzo Digital features tessellating infinity mirrors. In between, soft transitional spaces re-centre visitors, instilling a sense of calm throughout their experience.

Snøhetta's intention was to create ‘a subtle tension between the observatory’s thrilling views and the relaxed physical experience of taking them in’, allowing visitors to feel big and small, snug and excited in equal measure.

Summit One Vanderbilt is also dotted with social spaces such as bars, which encourage further dwell time, bringing the decelerated tourism trend to an urban environment, while ensuring an immersive and deliberately unhurried approach.

Strategic Opportunity

Take inspiration from Snøhetta’s use of transitional spaces. Use in-between areas to build spaces for dwell time to foster a slower pace in hospitality destinations as well as offices and retail locations

Patagonia’s wine portfolio restores eco-systems

Patagonia Provisions, US

California – Expanding its range of natural food products, Patagonia is launching a line of alcoholic beverages that help regenerate local eco-systems through restorative farming practices and low-intervention fermentation methods.

The collection comprises six natural wines, a sparkling piquette, two ciders and a sake that all actively help restore local eco-systems by prioritising soil health over synthetically stimulated yields. Grown without the use of toxic pesticides, each drink reflects Patagonia’s continuing commitment to regenerative agriculture. ‘These beverages help rebuild damaged soils, restore vital habitat and draw down carbon – all while filling your glass with lively, region-specific flavours,’ explains Birgit Cameron, co-founder and head of Patagonia Provisions.

Taking a more holistic approach, the food industry has become the next fashion frontier for luxury brands that place sustainability at the centre of their operations. As brands strive to reach B Corp status, creating Food Fashion Strategies could be a logical extension of their environmental efforts.

Strategic Opportunity

Fashion companies that place sustainability at the core of their operations are particularly well positioned to launch an ethical agriculture venture

Estée Lauder looks to space for packaging futures

US – The beauty brand is partnering with The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), manager of the ISS National Lab, on a sustainability challenge called Beyond Plastics. Through the partnership, the brand will be supporting the testing and development of plastic alternatives, as well as providing funding for awarded proposals. Applicants taking part in the challenge must present a whole-of-life design approach – considering biodegrading or upcycling materials.

This marks the first time a beauty brand has partnered on R&D with the ISS to advance sustainability research for plastic alternatives. Such initiatives show how unexpected partnerships can be formed around materials, innovation and sustainability, as well as the extreme places that brands can be moving into. Stéphane de La Faverie, global brand president of Estée Lauder, says: ‘As a global leader in the beauty industry, we are committed to furthering scientific research and innovation for more sustainable business practices.’

To discover more, download our Sustainability Futures 2021 report, where you’ll learn about opportunities to scale material solutions such as biotechnologies.

Estée Lauder in collaboration with the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics, US

Strategic Opportunity

All brands using unsustainable materials as part of their products or packaging must take responsibility for finding alternative options with end-of-life solutions. Take cues from Estée Lauder and fund expert research into this area

Stat: Debt aversion hits Latinx college enrolment

Ceremonia

Research by the National Student Clearinghouse has found that the pandemic has discouraged Latinx students from pursuing undergraduate education programmes, with enrolment in American community colleges down 13.7% from 2020. According to a report by Unidos US, the fear of not being able to pay back student loans is dissuading Latinx from applying for further education.

Before the pandemic, college enrolment among Latinx students had been rising, but the impact of Covid-19 on personal financial security has slashed progress on this front. According to Federal Reserve data, Latinx students can have more difficulties than white students paying back university loans – possibly because they often require larger loans to afford tuition. Community colleges, which offered a means of access to higher education for many students of colour, have experienced the sharpest decline in enrolment during the pandemic.

As Latinx families continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic’s economic impact, additional costs like transport expenses are further preventing Latinx college attainment, widening disparities in American society. To learn more about how to reach this demographic, read our Emerging Youth: US Hispanic Market on LS:N Global.