Opinion – Bottega Veneta campaign is empty culture commercialisation
Italian fashion brand Bottega Veneta marked Lunar New Year with a digital installation on the Great Wall of China. Adorned in the brand’s famous ‘Bottega green’, the marketing stunt has divided opinion about how far we should go in blurring the lines between culture and consumerism. ‘Bottega Veneta Already Won...
Current in Companies
Oatly sparks controversy for greenwashing again
The dairy milk alternative brand Oatly has made overstated claims about its environmental impact through advertising. It’s hard to believe that oat milk could piss so many people off, but Swedish brand Oatly has found itself at the centre of much controversy over the years. The dairy milk alternative has already...
COVID-19 vaccine factories to pop up in developing countries
In a bid to address vaccine nationalism, pop-up vaccine factories resembling shipping containers are set to appear in developing countries. If you’ve forgotten about the vaccine rush that happened back in 2020, you’re probably living in a nation that hoarded a bunch of the supply. While many of us are...
Is a four-day work week the future of the UK?
At least thirty major companies are trialling a four-day work week without reduction in pay for their employees. Will it stick? Let’s face it, the pandemic has drastically changed the way we look at and operate within the labour force. Years of government enforced work-from-home orders have brought to light the...
Clean energy is now cheaper than all other alternatives
Last year, world leaders pledged to phase out fossil fuels at COP26. Improving green energy policies will not only save the planet – it will save future governments a lot of cash, too. Currently, burning fossil fuels accounts for 79 percent of the world’s energy production. But as the majority...
Climate change will soon affect Champagne supply
Changes in weather patterns are momentarily improving the quality and taste of the world's favourite party drink, but the future of Champagne grapes is not looking so bright. At the stroke of midnight, millions of people around the world will be popping a bottle of golden bubbly – more specifically,...
You decide – is McDonald’s ‘net zero’ restaurant greenwashing?
The world’s largest fast-food chain has opened its first ‘net zero’ branch in Shropshire, England. But when a majority of the products contain meat, is this just another case of greenwashing? It’s no secret that McDonald’s isn’t the best thing to put into our bodies, but is there any possibility the golden arches could improve its impact on planet? In recent weeks, it has certainly attempted to do so. The UK’s...
Chanel’s new global CEO a welcome change to fashion’s old-hat traditions
Leena Nair has been chosen to head Chanel as global CEO, the first woman and youngest person ever to do so. One small step for a fashion house, one huge step for an exclusionary – and often archaic – industry. Luxury fashion house Chanel named Leena Nair, a former Human Resource Officer at Unilever, as their global CEO last week. She will replace Alain Wertheimer to take the...
Commercial interest in biomaterials tipped to explode in 2022
In the synthetic age, profitability and sustainability have long butted heads. Biomaterials have been touted as the saving grace for green manufacturing for years, but only now are the building blocks coming into place for 2022. It goes without saying that the prospect of forming low-carbon economies is nigh-on impossible if the commercial giants feeding them fail to adapt. As it stands today, 62% of all fibres produced (of which polyester...
NGOs sue UK government for lax net-zero climate plans
The UK government is being sued by climate NGOs for failing to include policies needed to deliver COP26 emission cuts. They argue the current strategy relies too much on speculative technologies. Already in hot water over a number of parties that may or may not have happened, the UK government is now being sued over holes in its net zero climate strategy. Court papers were filed on Wednesday on the grounds...
