Where are they now?
Recycle the unrecyclable
Last fall we wrote about TerraCycle and their ability to recycle almost everything. From hair to cooking oil, or hard-to-recycle items like baby food pouches and 3D printing materials, they can do it all. Last month, they partnered with Target and Walmart for their biggest carseat recycling collaboration ever. The program was supposed to continue for the last two weeks of September, but on the 21st, after five days, Walmart announced that they reached their capacity and were closing the program early after collecting over one million car seats. According to TerraCycle, that is the equivalent of diverting over 200 million plastic bottles from landfills.
We are thrilled that big corporations are seeing the value in recycling and partnering with a company that does it right. TerraCycle recycles every component of the carseat, allowing us to keep our babies safe without adding unnecessary waste to landfills.
The issues and trials of the solar road
One of our 2017 trend reports focused on energy-generating surfaces and the solar road in France. Nearly two years later, we have finally been given an update and it’s not a good one. The road has been slowly deteriorating and parts of it have had to be demolished. Although the solar panels were covered in a resin that was predicted to withstand all types of wear, this did not end up being the case. Designers also didn’t take into consideration leaves and other debris that cover the panels and limit their energy intake. It was anticipated to provide up to 150,000 kWh per year, but at its peak it could only produce half of that.
Although leaders were hoping to install 1,000 kilometers of solar road, the trial has ended and there are no future plans for moving forward. It’s sad to see this one go, but maybe solar panels are better off on our roofs.
How the ocean could be cleaned up in 5 years
Back when we originally covered this story in 2017, 18-year-old Boyan Slat and his team at The Ocean Clean-Up were working on their U-shaped barrier system to collect trash from the ocean for cleaning and recycling. Their pilot program had launched in the North Sea, and they were preparing to do a larger test in the ocean. That test was done in 2018, and after four months in the ocean, the prototype was brought back to shore for further testing and updates. The iteration process was quick, and in June of this year the prototype was in the ocean again. According to Ocean Clean-Up, “[they] have been able to address the two main issues observed, plastic retention and structural integrity.”
With a successful beta test under their belts, they are ready to upscale the project and start tackling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) and beyond. Fundraising and financing is being put into place so they can run a zero-waste and self-sustainable company. 2020 looks like a big year for Ocean Clean-Up and we’re here for it. They are expected to use their passive plastic collection system to collect 50% of the GPGP in five years.
Elon Watch — Tesla accomplishments, rockets, and the future of Mars
“Elon Watch” was a popular recurring column in our early trend reports and its been awhile since we caught up with him. As always, drama follows Musk. For example — Tesla is at the top of its game. It came close to breaking 100,000 car deliveries in one quarter, which is a big accomplishment for the company. The issue? Musk told his investors that he wanted to hit 100,000 deliveries, but when they only got 97,000 (which is still record-breaking for the company), investors pulled back and stocks fell.
Musk’s other company SpaceX, has been working on getting a ship to Mars for years. The ship that he plans to use, named Starship, is capable of carrying 100 people to the moon or mars. Billionaire and art curator Yusaku Maezawa has already bought tickets for a 2020 venture around the moon for himself and eight artists. The moon is one thing, but new developments might make a 2024 voyage to Mars a seemingly impossible feat. One thing we don’t fully understand is how bodies will react to deep-space radiation for long periods of time. This could be extremely dangerous, especially if the trip between planets takes six months! But if we do make it to Mars, there is a chance the microbes on our body could contaminate the fragile environment causing irreversible damage. The microbes could produce life and then we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between that and native Mars life.
Obviously people are split. Some think that if we have the resources, we should go now, while others believe we should wait to have more information from the Mars Sample Return or ExoMars rover. Either way, Musk has some big decisions to make.
One of the best things about following trends is the ability to look back and see the progress and evolution of each idea, product, and pursuit. At IDA we have been writing about trends for 6 years and following each trend’s unique story never ceases to be exciting and unexpected.
