Europe, UK – Huawei has rolled out a new kind of tech wearable consisting of a smartwatch with concealed earbuds under the screen.

Boasting a sleek and traditional design, Huawei’s Watch Buds are well hidden in a very James Bond-esque way. The smartwatch’s glass screen doubles as a lid under which are nested two compact earbuds. Made possible thanks to a 'zero space' construction, this is the first hybrid wearable device of its kind. The two-in-one functionality of the Watch Buds assuage some consumer pain points – from leaving earbuds at home to forgetting to charge the case. Further enhancing convenience, the earbuds are completely identical, which makes them interchangeable and removes the need to identify the left from the right.

The smartwatch itself doesn’t compromise on performance and has advanced heath tracking capabilities. With consumers increasingly committing to self-optimisation, there is a large market opportunity for upgraded wearables like Huawei’s two-in-one watch.

China – Armani Beauty is taking fashion exhibitions further with the olfactory experience L’Exposition set at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre until 26 February.

All visitors can access different spaces built around the scent of distinctive Armani Privé fragrances. Haute couture looks and oversized versions of perfume bottles accompany four of the perfumes presented. Other rooms include a garden of plants and flowers sculpted from Armani-scented paper and a mystical desert scene inspired by Middle Eastern odours. The experience is free, with the possibility to buy a bottle from the collection in the Olfactory Discovery Room within the exhibition.

With the global commercial success of fashion exhibitions, museums have surprisingly turned into haute couture enthusiasts in the past few years. Armani and Yves Saint Laurent have their own museums in Milan and Paris, respectively, but the next step could include flying their archives around the world for local activations resembling L’Exposition.

In Synaesthesia Scents, we’ve also highlighted how olfactory-meets-auditory experiences are providing people with the kind of physical and psychological grounding that is inaccessible online.

A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) is cause for cautious optimistic on the environment. The IEA’s Electricity Market Report suggests that as the need for electricity grows globally, renewable energy sources will surpass coal in meeting demand.

Demand for electricity is high and the IEA expects a surge of 9% between now and 2025, mostly from China, India and Southeast Asia, due to infrastructure projects and increasing electrification in the regions. The report expects that 90% of this new demand will be covered by clean energy sources like wind and solar power as well as nuclear energy. At present, coal is the world’s number one source of electricity, followed by renewables (29%), gas (23%) and nuclear (9%). But the IEA expects renewable energy to account for 35% of the world’s electricity generation by 2025, with coal providing 33%.

Every step towards a healthier planet is valuable and important to take note of as consumers are increasingly tired of pessimistic environmental news. In our Sustainability Series we gather insights that inspire our clients to respond creatively and effectively to environmental issues.