News 13.12.2019

Need to Know

Bridgestone offers free health screenings to truck drivers, Kroger unveils delivery-only kitchens for affordable food and British pubs are on the rise.

Recompose turns human bodies into compost

Recompose, Seattle, US

Seattle, US – Allowing the eco-conscious to continue recycling even after death, the facility is expected to open in spring 2021.

Following the legalisation of human composting in Washington in 2018, American firm Olson Kundig Architects saw the opportunity to offer this as a service and designed Recompose as a centre for an alternative to cremation and burial. The company highlights the benefits of human composting as both sustainable and environmentally friendly – even providing nutrient-rich soil that can be used for growing plants.

With the natural world at the heart of the company’s values, Recompose has designed the space to reflect outdoor environments. A Recompose spokesperson explains: ‘Nature is integrated across the building as well, with moveable trees situated throughout the main space, a living wall spanning the end of the facility and abundant landscaping along the structure's ramped entrance.’

Whether planning for the end of human life or the potential end of a relationship, brands are reconsidering what it means to have a temporary lifecycle. For more, read our Big Idea: It’s Time For Brands to Face the End.

A campaign to improve the safety of UAE truck drivers

Eyes On The Road, Bridgestone, Dubai

Dubai – Bridgestone is working with local organisations to provide free health screenings to truck drivers.

The tyre brand’s Eyes on the Road campaign film features a truck driver named Sukhjhinder Singh, who talks about his gruelling 24-hour schedule, missing his family back home in India, and how he has driven a million kilometres without an accident.

Bridgestone partnered with agency Serviceplan and government organisations to create the campaign, which invites fleet owners to enrol their teams in a free health check-up that includes BMI, blood pressure, eyes and ears. The check-up stations will be positioned at truck stops where drivers park up to rest during long journeys, where they will also be able to play video games linked to fitness and mobility skills.

As predicted in our Civic Brands macrotrend, businesses such as Bridgestone are increasingly stepping in where governments are failing, acting as forces for good in society.

Kroger’s dark kitchens will deliver affordable food

US – The supermarket chain has launched delivery-only kitchens to provide fresh meals on-demand.

In collaboration with software platform ClusterTruck, which provides vertically-integrated delivery-only kitchens, Kroger will offer multiple menus from one central ‘dark kitchen’. Customers who place orders online will gain access to freshly made meals with no service or delivery fees.

ClusterTruck’s systematic approach to meal delivery ensures that nearly every order reaches the consumer within seven minutes of being prepared, and less than 30 minutes after their order is placed.

‘Kroger is leveraging ClusterTruck's advanced technology to ensure our customers don't have to sacrifice quality and value for convenience when it comes to meal delivery,’ says Yael Cosset, chief information officer at Kroger.

Through this new business service, Kroger has become part of a new wave of food brands elevating the experience and enjoyment of eating and drinking at home.

Kroger and ClusterTruck

Stat: A resurgence in local British pubs

While British pubs have struggled with falling custom and closures in recent years, their decline may be at an end as for the first time this decade.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that by the end of March 2019, the UK had 39,135 pubs - 320 more than the previous year. This marks the first net increase since 2010, with the nation’s pub network having decreased by an average of 732 premises each year over the last nine years. The positive future for the British pub industry can be attributed in part to the continued growth of Wetherspoons, which has plans to spend £200m ($263m, €236m) on expansion.

Meanwhile, hospitality industry software firm Stampede is attributing the positive ONS figures to pubs improving their food menus, offering accommodation and events, rather than relying on the trade of regular customers. Tying into this, the growth of the British Spirits Market is being driven by consumers who are curious to explore new tipples and drink outside of home.

Previous News Articles
Cashify flips Indian wedding tradition to promote smartphone resale

News

Cashify flips Indian wedding tradition to promote smartphone resale

Smartphone reselling platform Cashify is challenging outdated attitudes to second-hand tech by reimagining a long-standing wedding ritual as a cele...
Technology : Sustainability : Circularity
Stat: New overtourism report maps the global crisis

News

Stat: New overtourism report maps the global crisis

Wellness Retreat Magazine’s 2025 Overtourism Report ranks 40 major cities facing acute tourism saturation – and the data underscores a growing imba...
Statistic : Stat : Overtourism
Foresight Friday: Dede Mivehchi, foresight intern

News

Foresight Friday: Dede Mivehchi, foresight intern

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, foresight intern&nbs...
Digital Detox : The Great Concert Comeback : Live Music Economy
MAD//Fest 2025: Culture, collaborations and creating a new identity for women’s football

News

MAD//Fest 2025: Culture, collaborations and creating a new identity for women’s football

On day two of MAD//Fest 2025, Ruth Hooper, chief marketing officer at the Women’s Super League (WSL), set out a vision for reshaping the visual ide...
Global Events : Advertising & Marketing : Football
Stat: US Gen Alpha favour consoles over mobiles for game play

News

Stat: US Gen Alpha favour consoles over mobiles for game play

Despite assumptions that mobile gaming dominates among young people, a new US report reveals that Generation Alpha are leading the charge in consol...
Statistic : Gaming : Media
Together Group and The Future Laboratory unveil New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation report

News

Together Group and The Future Laboratory unveil New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation report

In their latest report, New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation, The Future Laboratory and Together Group explore how immers...
Luxury : Technology : Design
MAD//Fest 2025: Delayed adulthood, algorithmic segregation and Gen Z hippies

News

MAD//Fest 2025: Delayed adulthood, algorithmic segregation and Gen Z hippies

MAD//Fest returned to Shoreditch on 1 July 2025, with this year’s theme Be Less Boring challenging brands to rethink how to engage with new audiences.
Global Events : Advertising & Marketing : Gen Z
Habitat and Pinterest unveil immersive campaign putting emotion into home design

News

Habitat and Pinterest unveil immersive campaign putting emotion into home design

Habitat has teamed up with Pinterest for an immersive storytelling campaign that repositions homeware as a tool for emotional re-invention and shop...
Retail : Design : Technology
Stat: Young adults are redefining romantic relationships on their terms

News

Stat: Young adults are redefining romantic relationships on their terms

As romantic norms fragment, 20% of people are now unknowingly practising ‘relationship anarchy’, according to the latest State of Dating repor...
Statistic : Stat : Dating
AI billboard visualises real-time sun damage in UV awareness campaign

News

AI billboard visualises real-time sun damage in UV awareness campaign

A new study by the British Skin Foundation reveals that 38% of Britons have already been sunburnt in 2025 – with Gen Z (35%) and Millennials (30%) ...
Advertising : Health And Wellness : Beauty
You have 1 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN