Need to Know
28 : 04 : 22

By Lavinia Fasano, Savannah Scott and Abi Buller

Hyundai strives to make the World Cup more sustainable, 818 transforms tequila waste into building bricks, and tourists crave more spontaneous trips.

In today's news:

Hyundai promotes sustainability goals ahead of World Cup

Kendall Jenner’s tequila supports rural communities

Climate change education arrives in British schools

Stat: Inter-Covid travellers are making last-minute bookings

Hyundai promotes sustainability goals ahead of World Cup

Goal of the Century by Hyundai and FIFA World Cup 2022, UK

South Korea – As the 2022 FIFA World Cup inches closer, automobile brand Hyundai is launching a sustainability campaign that reminds viewers and fans that the real Goal of The Century should be addressing the climate crisis.

A newly appointed Team Century, comprising ambassadors such as former footballer Steven Gerrard, Korean pop group BTS and fashion designer Jeremy Scott, will push sustainability messages through and beyond the global sporting event. In addition to the powerful marketing campaign, Hyundai plans to provide eco-friendly vehicles for national teams, VIPs and event employees throughout the tournament. There will also be an opportunity for fans to make eco-friendly pledges to correspond with the number of goals scored by their team, adding a filter of fun to fighting climate change.

As football teams continue to rally round social and environmental causes, they are pushing political agendas that are leading consumers and companies to ask can football teams become the next civic brands?

Strategic opportunity

Beyond plastic waste, consider ways in which your company can help make international events like the World Cup more sustainable – such as carbon-friendly transport

Kendall Jenner’s tequila supports rural communities

818 Bricks Program by 818 Tequila in partnership with SACRED, Los Angeles

Mexico – The influencer's tequila company, 818, is supporting the Mexican communities that produce its agave spirits. Together with non-profit organisation SACRED, Jenner’s brand has been using post-production agave fibres to create adobe bricks, as part of the 818 Bricks Programme initiative. Now, the first bricks are being used to build a school library and a tasting room for a family-run distillery in the Mexican region of Jalisco.

The bricks created through the programme can last up to 400 years if properly maintained, leading to long-lasting infrastructure that makes use of waste materials. Through the 818 Bricks Programme, both the tequila brand and SACRED are bolstering local people’s skills and reviving the ancient tradition of creating adobe bricks. ‘To me, it’s so beautiful that they’re [818] thinking both about, how do we decrease our footprint on the planet and at the same time, how do we improve the communities that are helping us build our business,’ says Lou Bank, founder of SACRED.

As the adjacent market of Modern Mezcal booms, such projects demonstrate how agave-based spirits can maintain their provenance in an ethical and environmentally just way.

Strategic opportunity

Drinks brands that rely on heritage ingredients and processes must find ways to give back to local communities. Consider, for example, creating educational or job-creation schemes related to your product

Climate change education arrives in British schools

UK – Starting in September 2025, British students will be able to study climate change in schools thanks to a new natural history class. The qualification, which will be rolled out across the country, advances the government’s plans to become a world leader in sustainability solutions by 2030.

The class will give students a better understanding of the planet by investigating organisms, habitats, biodiversity and environmental and sustainability issues. As part of the government's efforts to strengthen its resilience against extreme weather events, the programme seeks to equip young people with the skills needed to pursue a professional path in climate crisis mitigation.

In addition to the new class, education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has also announced plans to accelerate carbon literacy programmes for teaching staff and roll out ultra-low carbon education buildings. ‘We are delivering a better, safer, greener world for future generations and education is one of our key weapons in the fight against climate change,’ explains Zahawi.

By elevating education in the Anthropocene era, the UK is addressing the issues that threaten the prospects of its youngest demographic, inspiring a Zalpha Reckoning on the topic of climate crisis.

The Squirrels programme by Scouts, UK

Strategic opportunity

Soon, younger generations will be more knowledgeable on the topic of climate crisis than their older counterparts. How can your company provide young people with the platform to advocate for sustainability?

Stat: Inter-Covid travellers are making last-minute bookings

Garden Home, Airbnb

While travel bookings have filled many tourists with heightened anxieties amid Covid-19, research by Captify and Lastminute.com has found that people are embracing last-minute trips. This revival of spontaneous travel comes at a time when pandemic restrictions are largely being lifted, but the risk of catching Covid remains.

According to the research, between 2020 and 2021, flight bookings made less than two weeks in advance rose from 25% to 42% of flight bookings in Europe. This data points towards new opportunities for travel brands, who are well placed to entice customers with spontaneous holiday deals. Fiona Salmon, global vice-president of partnerships at Captify, explains: ‘This research comes at a pivotal moment for the travel industry, as consumer confidence is reaching pre-pandemic levels.’

These insights could lead to a renaissance of our Surprise Destinations microtrend, in which travel operators organised mystery trips for travellers to embrace uncertainty.