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Dutch Design Week 2024: Energy-Engaged Communities

Sex in the City by Nøha and Lena Tünkers. Photography by Nick Bookelaar, The Netherlands

The Bikini Sweater by Femke Hoppenbrouwer at Duty Free Zone. Photography by Nick Bookelaar, The Netherlands

We (don't) Want Wind by Noud Sleumer and Nikolai Gillissen. Photography by Oscar Vinck, The Netherlands

The Energy Mediator by Maud van der Linden, The Netherlands

The Netherlands – The climate emergency, intensifying weather patterns and energy consumption have taken centre stage at Dutch Design Week 2024. Creatives are envisaging imperfect future landscapes, prompting dialogue about sustainable energy solutions and the urgent need for change.

Sex in the City, a speculative installation by Nøha (Not Only Human Architecture) and Q4ll, imagines a far future scenario when the daily temperature has risen to 50°C and sandstorms could hit at any moment. City dwellers must wear protective suits before heading outside to shield themselves from the otherwise inhabitable conditions. We previously analysed the emergence of climate-protective clothing in our Wellbeing Wear report.

At Duty Free Zone, an exhibition parodying the airport experience, artist Femke Hoppenbrouwer presented a jacket made from bikinis to bring attention to the ever-changing weather conditions future travellers will face.

Artists and designers have also been actively engaging the public in the clean energy conversation. We (don’t) Want Wind by Noud Sleumer and Nikolai Gillissen explores the public’s resistance to modern wind turbines, highlighting concerns around visual and noise pollution. Meanwhile, Nikki Kluskens and Lisa Mandemaker’s Energy Futures Prep Pack invites audiences to imagine a world without electricity, using it as a tool to spark dialogue around alternative energy solutions and how future lifestyles might adapt. We have already seen the emergence of more sustainable systems in the home in our Ancestral Eco-Pantry microtrend, where ancestral methods of food preservation are being favoured to reduce energy consumption.

Designers at Next Nature Museum showcased more tangible responses to the climate and energy crisis. WattWise by Carlotta Hylkema and Oliver Lloyd is an AI-powered tool that helps users monitor and reduce energy use, offering real-time insights and tips. Similarly, The Energy Mediator from Maud van der Linden imagines a future when energy is a limited resource and offers a solution of how to manage and share it among communities. Both projects use AI in the management of energy consumption.

Stay tuned for more daily coverage of Dutch Design Week 2024.

Strategic opportunity

There is growing potential for communal energy management systems, offering opportunities for brands to innovate within shared energy economies. By developing tools and services that enable communities to collaboratively monitor, distribute and conserve energy in real time, businesses can play a key role in fostering resource-conscious living

G42 and The Future Laboratory co-launch new report The Future of Sport and AI

AI imagery by The Future Laboratory, UK

Global – G42, the Abu Dhabi-based global leader in AI and cloud computing, has launched a ground-breaking report entitled The Future of Sport and AI at GITEX 2024. Created in partnership with The Future Laboratory, the report explores how artificial intelligence will transform the sports industry.

AI’s influence on sports is poised to revolutionise everything from talent scouting to performance optimisation, strategy, fan engagement and athlete health. According to industry forecasts, the sports AI market is set to reach £23.1bn ($30bn, €27.8bn) by 2032, with a remarkable 30% annual growth rate, further emphasising AI’s role in reshaping competitive sports.

The report highlights AI’s potential in five key areas: Strategy and Tactics, Talent, Fan Engagement, Athlete Health and Performance, and Design. G42’s partnerships with global sports organisations such as the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team underline its leadership in integrating AI for elite sports.

Contributions from leading experts, including International Olympic Committee and University of Salzburg researchers, provide in-depth insights into how AI is influencing the sporting world.

If you would like to take advantage of our Commissioned Thought-Leadership services, which include bespoke reports, thought-leadership or branded content services, please get in touch with us here

Erewhon taps into carnivore diet trend with raw animal smoothie

United We Steak campaign by Beef Checkoff was designed to demonstrate America's united love for grilling meat, US

US – Viral Los Angeles health food store Erewhon is embracing the carnivore diet trend with its latest offering, Dr Paul’s Raw Animal-Based Smoothie, priced at £15 ($19, €17.50).

Created by meatfluencer Paul Saladino, the polarising smoothie features a supplement powder made from freeze-dried beef organs (including liver, heart and spleen) mixed with organic raw kefir, raw milk, blueberries, honey and bananas. Erewhon says the smoothie is ‘creamy with a touch of sweetness and tartness’.

The drink is topped with whipped coconut cream blended with powdered cow colostrum and can be customised with add-ons such as espresso shots, superfoods and probiotics.This follows Erewhon’s success with other celebrity-endorsed smoothies, including Hailey Bieber’s popular Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie.

This signals a huge shift in consumer dietary preferences, from the vegan movement to a newly emerging carnivore inclination. We explored the rise of the carnivore diet in our The Big Meat Up microtrend report.

Strategic opportunity

Food and health brands should be open to experimenting with nutrient-dense ingredients such as organ meats, raw milk or colostrum, that are aligned with wellness trends but currently under-explored in the mainstream market

Stat: England set to face a chronic pain epidemic

Aescape, US

UK – Research from The Health Foundation suggests that by 2040 the number of people in England aged 20 and over with chronic pain is set to increase from 5.3m in 2019 to 7.2m.

Estimated by analysing trends in the prescription of painkilling drugs and the projections for ageing demographics, the research revealed that those aged 50–69 will be the most affected, with women facing a 50% higher risk of developing persistent pain compared to men. Meanwhile, those living in poorer areas are almost three times more likely to experience debilitating pain.

The report underlines how chronic pain not only diminishes people’s quality of life but also puts added strain on the NHS and can affect productivity and ability to work.

Our Longevity Lifestyles report explored how the most innovative longevity developments go beyond age-hacking; their focus isn’t on length of life, but on extending the quality of living, with health, wellness and societal purposes at the core. The Health Foundation’s research further emphasises the need for this shift from reactive to proactive healthcare.

Strategic opportunity

Workplaces should offer health benefits such as discounted fitness memberships, access to physiotherapists and virtual healthcare services to help employees manage or prevent chronic pain, improving wellbeing and reducing absenteeism