News 27.10.2022

Need to Know

How employers can support informal care-givers, an NFT project that democratises nature, and plastic recycling rates are decreasing.

DDW: A platform for working informal care-givers

WORK.CARE.WORK by iDROPS, Eindhoven

Eindhoven – WORK.CARE.WORK is a platform that helps people balance professional work and informal care. The digital service acts as the middle man between informal care-givers who are also employed by a professional organisation and their HR department.

The socialisation of care has been in progress for many years as formal healthcare systems struggle to keep up with an ageing population. The concept of care-munities has also been accelerating, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, as those outside of traditional care-giving roles such as friends, neighbours and local communities looked after those in need.

While WORK.CARE.WORK is now in beta phase, the aim is to launch it imminently given these rising pressures. The system has undergone an intensive design assessment involving employers and HR personnel. The final iteration of the platform contains digestible information about informal care to ensure all parties are aware of the logistics involved, and a selection of tools to support the dialogue between the informal care-giver and employer in finding a workable balance between work and care tasks.

For more on how micro-societies of Decentralised Care are coming to the fore, read our Neo-collectivism macrotrend.

Strategic opportunity

Care-giving support from professional employers is currently something nice to have and not considered something people need to have. With more people engaging in informal modes of care, it is essential that HR departments begin to recognise, act on and strategise for such situations.

DDW: Artificial Greenhouse democratises digital nature

Artificial Greenhouse by WhitenNoiseDADA and De Vormforensen, Eindhoven Artificial Greenhouse by WhitenNoiseDADA and De Vormforensen, Eindhoven
Artificial Greenhouse by WhitenNoiseDADA and De Vormforensen, Eindhoven Artificial Greenhouse by WhitenNoiseDADA and De Vormforensen, Eindhoven

Eindhoven – Artificial Greenhouse is a design research project exploring a sustainable future for digital and artificial nature using technology.

Created by design duo WhitenNoiseDADA and graphic design studio De Vormforensen for Dutch Design Week 2022, the greenhouse is a three-part project, one of which – Nature as Property – examines the role of ownership and capitalism through vegetables and plants. Many seeds are patented and owned by a handful of companies, namely Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta. Challenging this, Nature as Property provides an artificial intelligence (AI) programme that digitally cross-breeds over 1,000 artificial flowers. These new species are then protected by a non-fungible token (NFT) code, which people can own and look after, democratising access to new species.

By creating digital species that anyone has the right to own, the project invites viewers to question who owns nature, and what obligation society has to protect and conserve natural assets. As society starts to discover and fund the use of new technologies that enable more sustainable practices, the stage is set for researchers and governments to use digitisation in new and innovative ways.

To discover how to harness technology in a way that benefits people and the planet, read our Digital Conservation microtrend.

Strategic opportunity

As AI develops it has the potential to bolster biodiversity and conversation efforts. Consider how technology can be used to democratise and safeguard knowledge of the natural world for future collaboration

Boots launches a symbol to spotlight menopause-friendly products

UK – Boots, which was accredited as a Menopause Friendly Employer earlier in 2022, continues to support women going through this stage of life with the introduction of in-store and online signposting of menopause-friendly products and services.

In partnership with GenM, a collective helping brands serve the menopause better, Boots has created a symbol to help women identify products that alleviate symptoms specific to this life stage. The selection encompasses various product categories, such as tailored skincare, targeted over-the-counter medicines and supplements, and Boots is aiming to reach 100 labelled products over the next weeks.

Boots and GenM are also inviting other retailers to start use this symbol, hoping to help women navigating perimenopause on a larger scale, and to make it easier to pin down the support they need. As awareness and interest in challenges that come with this life stage increase, the available solutions are also multiplying, such as Tech-powered Perimenopause and the booming Perimenopause Wellness Market that we explore as part of LS:N Global’s ongoing Perimenopause series.

Boots, UK

Strategic opportunity

Intricate health and wellness offerings can be overwhelming. Spotlighting products for specific needs via clear labelling is an easy way to help consumers identify solutions tailored to their unique requirements

Stat: Plastic recycling is on the decline

Plastic, neutral by Humankind, US Plastic, neutral by Humankind, US

US – Greenpeace USA has published a report detailing the decrease in plastic recycling rates, flying in the face of the popular narrative. The report found global plastic waste is expected to nearly triple by 2060, while recycling rates in the US have declined from their peak in 2014, falling from 9.5% to only 5–6% in 2021. While companies encourage consumers to recycle, there is a gap between expectation and reality. Only two out of the seven commonly used types are widely accepted in waste centres across the US.

The study concludes that most types of packaging require sorting facilities that are not available in most waste centres, deeming most plastics economically impossible to sort – and suggests that this will remain the case for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, virgin plastic is cheaper to produce, leaving recycled plastics a less economical option.

Greenpeace calls for companies to begin implementing sustainability goals, and to set targets for 50% re-usable packaging by 2030. Explore more innovations in this area in our Re-usable Packaging Market.

Strategic opportunity

As plastic pollution becomes a greater problem, consumers will expect companies to invest in re-usable packaging that requires minimal effort to recycle

Previous News Articles
Louis Vuitton brings La Beauté to life with immersive Soho pop-up

News

Louis Vuitton brings La Beauté to life with immersive Soho pop-up

Louis Vuitton has marked the launch of its first cosmetics line with a limited-time pop-up in New York’s Soho, transforming 104 Prince Street into ...
Retail : Luxury : Beauty
Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

News

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

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
Stat: US adults are losing confidence in capitalism 

News

Stat: US adults are losing confidence in capitalism 

Stat : Statistic : Money
Knight Frank’s research signals the rise of wellness in luxury real estate

News

Knight Frank’s research signals the rise of wellness in luxury real estate

In The Residence Report, released in September 2025, global real estate consultancy Knight Frank explores the future of luxury residential developm...
Luxury : Real Estate : Wellness
Nike changes Just Do It to Why Do It? in new campaign

News

Nike changes Just Do It to Why Do It? in new campaign

Nike has re-imagined its iconic Just Do It slogan for today’s athletes with the launch of its latest campaign, Why Do It? 
Visual : Nike : Campaign
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation merges sustainability and local pride

News

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation merges sustainability and local pride

The Department of Conservation in New Zealand has unveiled a three-year campaign with Deloitte Digital and Deloitte’s Sustainability and Climate te...
Conservation : National Branding : New Zealand
Stat: The majority of Gen Alpha consumers buy clothes to create content

News

Stat: The majority of Gen Alpha consumers buy clothes to create content

Clothing retailer PacSun’s study of more than 6,000 Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers in the US reveals how fashion purchases are increasingly made for...
Gen Alpha : Fashion : Retail
John Lewis celebrates 100 iconic products for its centenary

News

John Lewis celebrates 100 iconic products for its centenary

John Lewis is marking 100 years of its Never Knowingly Undersold promise with a new multi-media campaign created by advertising company Saatchi &am...
Brand Heritage : Heritage : Branding
Monzo tackles financial literacy with The Book of Money

News

Monzo tackles financial literacy with The Book of Money

British online bank Monzo has launched The Book of Money in response to research showing that half of Britons (51%) feel they are not reaching thei...
Finance : Gen Z : Education
Stat: Light preventative personal care routines on the rise

News

Stat: Light preventative personal care routines on the rise

Kenvue, owner of brands including Neutrogena, Aveeno and Listerine, has launched A New View of Care: The Power of Personal Care Routines, a global ...
Stat : Statistic : Health
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