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School of Tomorrow exhibition takes the climate crisis to the classroom

School of Tomorrow by Kinetic Singapore, Singapore

Singapore – In a testament to the growth of the sustainability mindset in the region, design agency Kinetic Singapore presented a fictional climate change school as part of an exhibition for Singapore Design Week.

The School of Tomorrow had its own badge, uniform (worn by exhibition staff) and motto: For Earth, For Humans, For All.

Set across three floors at the Selegie Arts Centre, the exhibition included a biology classroom with human and animal anatomical models stuffed with plastic waste, a school canteen showcasing plant- and insect-based eco-friendly foods, a maths classroom with an interactive carbon footprint calculator and a room filled with leather alternative materials.

Kinetic Singapore hoped the exhibition would serve as an accessible, rather than didactic, experience for visitors, while still encouraging the adoption of environmentally positive everyday choices. Creative director Pann Lim told Dezeen, ‘School of Tomorrow starts by planting the seed of sustainability. The students are the ones who determine the kind of tomorrow we will see.’

Keep up to date with the latest innovations, exhibitions and market shifts in our Sustainability topic on LS:N Global.

Strategic opportunity

Inundated with misleading sustainability claims, consumers are suffering from eco-fatigue. How can you take inspiration from the School of Tomorrow and create entertaining and interactive campaigns that promote sustainable living without coming across as patronising or depressing?

Solar-powered brewery brings eco-friendly beer to Britain

UK – A new British brewery based in Surrey, England, is using solar energy to make eco-friendly beer. One Planet Brewing uses photovoltaic solar panels to generate enough electricity to power its 15-hectolitre, electric brewery.

The brewery’s first beer is a 5.5% abv Hazy IPA which is available to purchase in keg and can form from October 2023. One Planet Brewery also sources home-grown and local hops, uses re-usable kegs and glass flagons, and only offers delivery to customers within a 30-mile radius.

The company’s brewing capacity will also be limited by the amount of solar energy it can generate. In the sunny summer months, One Planet Brewery will sell its excess to the grid and buy back what it needs over the winter months. Initially, this means just four or five brews per month, with production paused from December to February.

As explored in our Solar Sustenance microtrend report, solar power is fast emerging as a long-term, affordable and sustainable option for food and drink businesses looking to reduce costs, promote sustainability and enhance their eco-friendly reputations.

One Planet Brewing, UK

Strategic opportunity

Stand out to eco-conscious consumers by making the smart swap to clean energy sources such as solar power and make your manufacturing process as much of a selling point as your product

Foresight Friday: Simar Deol, foresight analyst

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, Simar Deol, foresight analyst, would like to offer some much-needed respite from a bad news week with a few stories that instilled in her a little bit of joy.

: First, this heart-warming piece from Rhaina Cohen questions what would happen if friendship, not marriage, were at the centre of our lives. Cohen’s writing expands on our work in Modern Marriage, and looks at a new type of family structure in which friends live together, raise each other’s children, use joint credit cards and occupy the most significant relationship in each other’s lives.

: Second, this fun piece showcases the creativity with which modern South Asian-American couples are expressing their dual identities through music (cue Bad Bunny and Bollywood), fashion (embellished white lehengas instead of traditional red) and ceremonies featuring vows and garland exchanges. It tracks a cultural and behavioural shift we also identified in Six Indian Jewellery Brands Combining Heritage and Innovation.

: Finally, this research from the University of Oxford pinpoints how warm summers and wet winters in the UK are likely to improve our wine quality. It’s not climate change that I celebrate here, but the gastronomical and tourism experiences I can enjoy in UK wineries without needing to cross the Channel. We will be assessing the market shifts and business opportunities this will unlock in our forthcoming UK Wine Market report. Watch this space!

Quote of the week

'The French know a thing or two about sparkling wine, with their centuries of winemaking heritage, so what better place than Champagne to sample our [English] Chapel Down Brut?'

Liam Newton, chief marketing officer, Chapel Down

Stat: Over half of US gamers are seeking healthy snack options

Photography by Artem Podrez, Poland

US – A September 2023 study by American eSports organisation NRG portrays gamers as serial snackers who enjoy healthy snack options. After surveying 1,551 gamers based in the US, NRG revealed how video game players are avid snackers who eat snacks five times or more per day. Some 54% of gamers surveyed snack while playing video games, and 85% do so to change or improve their mood.

The most popular snacks among gamers are chips (crisps) and crackers, followed by indulgent delicacies such as cookies, chocolate, frozen treats and candy. Fruit is their sixth most favourite snack. Although traditional snacks are preferred, 56% of gamers will still eat healthy snacks. NRG also found that over 20% of video game players are more likely to buy snacks from a convenience store than the general population – hinting at opportunities for local shops and convenient commerce.

As explored in our Gastro Gaming Market report, food and drink brands have explored opportunities presented by gamers’ tastes and are now turning to gaming to offer tastes, skins and experiences that transcend the screen.

Strategic opportunity

To reach the gaming community, food and drink brands should consider partnerships with local convenience stores, as gamers are more likely to purchase snacks from these locations, expanding distribution channels