HUMAN BY WONDERLAND #23
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HUMAN BY WONDERLAND #23
A newsletter about design and creativity, and how they contribute to a better world.
Hello, friends, and welcome to Edition #23 of HUMAN.
For you today, we’ve got:
Our view and definition of sustainability
A quick review of Selfridges ambitious sustainability goals for 2030
The curated internet, from award-winning AI art to grow-your-own sports bras
From architecture to Jewellery, it seems that BIG can do it all
Finally, we’ve launched our Sustainable Digital Design newsletter, where we will share interviews with like-minded and sustainably-inclined creatives, articles from our team, and interesting statistics and research around the topic. Be sure to sign up here.
Enjoy!
Sustainability, as a word, is going the way of Innovation, Ground-Breaking, and Revolutionary in the sense that it’s used way too frequently, by far too many companies - and people - to the extent that it’s beginning to lose its meaning. While we care deeply about the topic, we’ve decided to avoid the typical definition and think about it in our own way, against our own mission and goals. You can read more about it via the link below.
It might feel obvious, but we are in drastic need of a refresh and review of the way we approach consumerism. This near-endless consumption of our earth’s limited and precious resources simply has to shift at some point. We’re not saying it should stop cold turkey, not at all. More than it needs to shift and adjust, to be reviewed and updated to something new and more fitting with the times, much as Apple does with the iPhone which, incidentally, could do with less frequent updates (if we’re being honest).
Selfridges, unlike many other retailers, has seen the writing on the wall and has set ambitious new goals for fully “half of [their] transactions to be resale, repair, rental or refills by 2030”. Just last year the upmarket retailer announced that they increased secondhand sales by 240%, made 28,000 repairs, rented out 2,000 items, and sold over 8,000 refills.
Imagine if this impact was compounded across numerous big-chain retailers, with a greater priority on reuse, refill, and recycle, rather than purchase, consume, throw away. Like our changing attitudes to oil, meat, and energy, retail too needs a facelift to bring it into line with modern sensibilities and realities, and more importantly, to remain relevant with the next generation of consumers.
The importance of design in Studio Ghibli’s Filmography
Even paper good old paper has an environmental cost we should be aware of
The next step in bio-fabrication could well be a grow-your-own Sports Bra
Cycling like the Dutch would drop global emissions by nearly 700 million tonnes
Next up in futuristic architecture: sustainable air-purifying skyscrapers
Have you ever wondered why developers create so many side projects?
Sailing ships might be the next step in modern cargo transport.
Reimagining our approach to global ecosystem monitoring
The next step in (board) gaming: Augmented Reality
One way of reducing CO2 emissions: ultra-cheap public transport.
AI takes the gold at the State Fair Fine Arts Competition.
Unilever has been hit with a Greenwashing Ad ban in the UK.
From architecture to jewellery, the question has to be asked: is there anything that BIG can’t do? The renowned Danish architecture studio has collaborated with jewellery company Georg Jensen to create a unique necklace for Queen Margrethe II to mark her 50th Jubilee.
If you're enjoying HUMAN, feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues. We’re always happy to welcome new readers! If we’ve left you wanting more Wonderland, be sure to check out our latest work, follow us on instagram, or have a read through the previous editions of HUMAN.
Thanks for reading,
Team Wonderland.
