News 15.12.2020

Need to Know

WaterBear is a climate-conscious streaming service, Bleach London taps into eco-hair colouring and Indians lean into immunity-boosting diets.

WaterBear is a Netflix for environmental activism

WaterBear Network

Amsterdam – Partnering with over 80 global NGOs, WaterBear Network is a free online streaming service with eco-conscious intentions.

With many celebrity supporters, the streaming service will feature a curated selection of international environmental documentaries, as well as original content inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Through interactive technology, viewers can simultaneously watch content and donate to WaterBear’s NGO partners, volunteer or book sustainable travel.

‘At WaterBear we believe in collaboration, local and global partnerships, and using the power of inspirational storytelling, networking and technology to reach and inspire as many people around the world as possible to make a positive difference to the world we live in,’ says Victor Eckard, managing director of WaterBear Network.

Explore our Sustainability series to find out more about how brands are making environmental action accessible to all.

Bleach London is making hair colour sustainable

Plastic-free Rosé Shampoo by Bleach London Plastic-free Rosé Shampoo by Bleach London
Plastic-free Rosé Shampoo by Bleach London Plastic-free Rosé Shampoo by Bleach London

UK – Haircare brand Bleach London is launching a new shampoo bar as a plastic-free option for its popular Rosé shampoo.

Building on the brand’s existing sustainability initiatives, including the use of recycled plastic and cardboard packaging, the shampoo bar offers a zero-waste alternative to bottled shampoo. The new formulation will allow consumers to experiment with their hair colour through a less wasteful and harmful method.

The launch comes at a time when an increasing number of consumers are experimenting with at-home hair colouring. According to Alex Brownsell, founder and creative director of Bleach London: ‘It’s our mission to create a spectrum of hair products for people to experiment with at home, but it’s also our goal to continue improving our environmental impact. This is a new option for our most popular pink, with zero plastic.’

In a similar vein, Lush has been experimenting with packaging-free products for a while – offering sustainable solutions elevated by digital discovery tools.

Digital education for intersectional tech workers

Logic School by Logic magazine, US Logic School by Logic magazine, US

US – Media publication Logic magazine has unveiled a scholastic initiative that aims to invoke positive change in the technology sector.

Logic School, an online 12-week course, will be free to all participants, covering topics under the umbrella theme of creative protest, including racial capital, gendered labour and surveillance. Participants will meet for a two-hour session each week in which they read and reflect on the week’s topic. Through approaches such as art, writing, working on existing apps as well as building new ones, the students will collate what they learn in a final project.

With the aim to rebuild tech firms ‘from below,’ the education scheme calls itself a ‘a grassroots theory of change’. ‘You’d be surprised how difficult it is to have conversations about inequities and then figure out what to do about them,’ says Xiaowei Wang, creative director of Logic magazine.

The re-evaluation of the digital world has left many institutions, brands and consumers seeking a new moral code fit for the digital era. For more, read our macrotrend Morality Recoded.

Stat: Indian consumers opt for immunity-boosting diets

Better Not Younger Better Not Younger

Indian consumers are focusing on preventative healthcare as a result of the pandemic, with many having changed their diets and fitness routines in the past year.

According to research by VLCC, about 82% of people across India have started using dietary supplements as a preventative health measure. In addition, about 35% have changed their diet this year, with another 34% focusing on building immunity through boosting their overall fitness levels.

This shift towards long-term healthier mindsets is also shown to be representative across generations, with many stating a willingness to seek professional health and wellness guidance.

Many global consumers are changing their diets to prioritise physical and psychological health concerns, something we explore in our Total Tastes macrotrend.

Previous News Articles
Ocado’s Shopping List Stories campaign finds emotional value in the weekly shop

News

Ocado’s Shopping List Stories campaign finds emotional value in the weekly shop

Ocado is reframing grocery shopping as an emotional experience with Shopping List Stories, a new campaign by Uncommon Creative Studio.
Food And Drink : Supermarket : Branding And Advertising
Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, senior foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, senior foresight analyst

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, ...
Foresight Friday : Ff : Lionesses
Stat: Netflix confirms anime watching is no longer niche

News

Stat: Netflix confirms anime watching is no longer niche

More than half of Netflix’s 300m global subscribers now watch anime, according to proprietary figures shared by the streamer.
Pop Culture & Media : Youth : Technology
The Faroe Islands bring back the joy of getting lost

News

The Faroe Islands bring back the joy of getting lost

As algorithm-driven travel fuels overtourism, a new initiative is challenging travellers to let go of planning and control.
Travel : Tourism : The Faroe Islands
Thai perfume brand Journal turns fragrance samples into NFC collectables

News

Thai perfume brand Journal turns fragrance samples into NFC collectables

Fragrance brand Journal is rewriting the rules of scent sampling with a wearable fragrance tester that doubles as a social connector.
Beauty : Fragrance : Technology
Stat: Survey finds hardening stances on office attendance are impacting UK staff wellbeing

News

Stat: Survey finds hardening stances on office attendance are impacting UK staff wellbeing

Hardening return-to-office mandates are fuelling anxiety among UK workers, with 38% reporting that media coverage of stricter attendance policies i...
Office : Workplace : Stat
Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 report goes live

News

Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 report goes live

Discover the top 50 innovations acknowledging, driving and anticipating change in our new Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 report. 
Innovation Debrief 2024-2025 : Future Trends 2026 : Cultural Foresight
Joe Wicks’ Activate turns movement into play for kids

News

Joe Wicks’ Activate turns movement into play for kids

Fitness trainer Joe Wicks is swapping live-action workouts for animation with Activate – a lively new series of five-minute fitness bursts designed...
Fitness : Health And Wellbeing : Gen Alpha
IKEA creates open-air library along the Seine in Paris

News

IKEA creates open-air library along the Seine in Paris

IKEA has unveiled the Billyothèque, a pop-up outdoor library transforming a stretch of Paris’s Seine riverbank into a space for slow, serendipitous...
Ikea : Reading Room : Reading Experience
Stat: US teens turn to AI companions for life advice

News

Stat: US teens turn to AI companions for life advice

A new study by Common Sense Media reveals that 72% of US teens aged 13–17 have tried AI companions, with over half now using them regularly.
Technology : AI : Stat
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN