From chocolate-flavoured, slave-free brews to zero plastic chewing gum, here are some things that made us say “That’s Interesting” in the studio this week.
So, we see iconic designs re-inventing themselves through innovative eco-materials, brands with shared values collaborating to create sustainable flavours, objects and spaces designed for a post-pandemic world, and new players disrupting the chewing gum market with plastic-free products and spot-on packaging.
Mushroom icon.
Adidas mixes the old with the new and moves into a sustainable future. As a brand, they’ve had a sustainable innovation lens on for a while. They’ve now joined forces with Mylo – the mycelium experts – to give their classic Stan Smith trainers a mushroom-makeover! At the moment the shoe is still in its concept phase, but Adidas and Mylo have refined their collaboration and managed to make the mycelium leather fit for a high-performance shoe that will be available for everyone soon. How can iconic designs leverage sustainability and become eco-pioneers to re-invent themselves for a sustainable future?
Walk greener here
Slave-free beer.
What happens when two disruptive, exciting brands combine their creativity and expertise? A perfectly powerful partnership! We’re talking about the newest collaboration between BrewDog beer and ethical chocolatier Tony’s Chocolonely. An initiative we’ve been waiting for since March, when it was first announced. The two companies find synergy in their values on sustainability and ethics, and have created a white chocolate and raspberry milkshake IPA that is 100% slave-free. A collaboration that brings surprise, delight and positivity through flavour, pack and a great narrative to match.
Change the world a bar and a beer at a time here
NOMO FOMO.
The pandemic has heightened our sense of loneliness and has definitely increased the feeling of missing out. Studio Hai has looked to this for inspiration and has designed a set of quirky outdoor benches that aim to help counteract the fear of missing out, aka FOMO. They named their collection NOMO FOMO – No More Fear of Missing Out – and through plants and curvy designs they want to let users feel free to interact with each other while respecting social distancing. How will the pandemic continue to influence human contact in the future, and how can design help us stay connected?
Stay social here
Chew plastic-free.
These days, we are even more aware of the amount of plastic that surrounds us… Even in relatively unexpected places. Did you know chewing gum is considered a single-use plastic? Conventional, synthetic gum contains a non-biodegradable, long-lasting polymer. New brand Nuud has made it its mission to make chewing gum that is 100% plastic-free. Made from the sustainably harvested tree sap chicle, Nuud gum decomposes as quickly as a banana skin. A product that uses an appealing, quirky, transparent and emotive design to address a serious issue and appeal to an increasingly conscious and discerning consumer.
Eco-chicle here