Trend: Green Revolution

People of all social classes are becoming more aware of the price everybody has to pay for the use of our environment

Trend Description:
As gas prices rise, scientist warn of the forthcoming climate crisis, and catastrophies like the wildfires in Alaska or hurricane Katrina seem to occur more often, ecological values are becoming more and more important. Groups and individuals – throughout all social classes – are developing strategies of dealing with this new awareness and how to do their part to protect the earth’s sustainability. Environmentalism starts with things as simple as recycling, car sharing, saving electricity, and growing your own vegetables. But you do not have to wear Birkenstock and eat Muesli to help save the planet. More and more companies are offering alternatives to the traditional “back to the woods” theory. Depending on how much can be afforded, there is a huge variety of products which salve the conscience of the consumer, from hybrid cars to sustainable energy, from eco-luxury fashion to ecologically built houses.

Cases:

CScout Trend: Easy-Ethics
In the age of religious wars, environmental disasters and globalization, consumers are turning to products that offer ethical and environmental benefits. We call this “Easy Ethics”.

CScout Trend: Eco-Luxury
Eco-Luxury is a subtrend of Easy-Ethics. This trend combines ecological values and luxury. Innovative products and services are catering to the growing demand for ecologically sustainable living while still allowing the cachet and comforts of luxury.

CScout Trend: Ozo Car
In New York, two visionaires turned the trend towards more environmentalism into a business model: The Ozo Car Service.

Locavores
The concept of the Locavores is, to eat locally. They state that our food travels an average of 1,500 miles before ending up on our plates. This long distance journey of the food supply not only causes serious consequences for environment (air pollution and global warming, the ecological costs of large scale monoculture), health,the local farmer and communities, but it also does not taste as good as locally grown goods. The goal of the Locavore is to win as many people as possible to commit themselves to consume locally produced goods (100 mile radius to their home) for a while. On their website they supply tips and links of how to eat locally and show that this is indeed easily possible.

CScout Trend: LOHAS
LOHAS is an acronym that stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. By now, LOHAS Consumers represent 30% of all adults in the US, or about 63 million consumers. They value health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. Right now these kinds of goods and services make a revenue of about $226.8 billion in the US.

Trend Impact:
Consumers increasingly want to be, act and buy environmentally and socially correctly. But so far, this has seemed too far out of reach or “not worth while”. It was easy to blame the big companies, and laugh about the green “Mueslis” with their long hair and Birkenstocks. But now, not only Birkenstock produces more fashionable footwear. We can expect to see more and more companies introducing eco-products and eco-services. Environmental and social correctness is a new value which consumers consider to be worth their money. This new eco-conscious might even influence other corporations to change their strategy from “cheap production” to a more “eco-conscious” turnout. Wired listed in a recent article four key principals to guide the way to an environmentally correct civilization:
1) Scale up the technologies for renewable energy, to be able to produce power in industrial quantities.
2) Efficiency creates value: consuming less power, water and material, producing less waste.
3) Cities beat suburbs: Building homes close together is more efficient, encourages walking and public transit.
4) Quality is wealth: More is not better. Better is better.

Wired

Locavores

CScout Trend: Ozo Car

CScout Trend: Easy-Ethics

CScout Trend: Eco-Luxury

CScout Trend: LOHAS

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