Magnetic Thought Report: A World of Possibilities

As we move towards 2024, I’ve been thinking ahead to the world we’re shaping tomorrow through the trends emerging today. When I talk to fellow business leaders, there are a few big topics that crop up repeatedly, including AI, digital transformation, sustainability, dealing with change and preparing for the future.

So I’ve pulled them all together, and organised my thoughts into five overarching themes that I believe touch us all, and that as leaders we all need to think about. We’ll be dropping each trend in the coming weeks, if you’d like a copy of the full report email us hello@wearemagnetic.com.

Trend #1 Green by Design: Creating tomorrow’s sustainable solutions

Green by design is not just about sustainability; it’s about legacy. In every creation, process and innovation, we’re leaving a footprint on Earth. When we talk about design, this has to mean not only the aesthetics or functionality but the mark we leave on the environments and systems we’re
passing on to the generations after us.

That’s a huge mission. What can we, as designers and businesses, do?Sustainable and eco-friendly designs are more than just a trend; they’re a necessity. It goes beyond the products we manufacture and alternatives to plastic. It’s the health of the environments we live and work in, encompassing architecture, systems, and business and government strategies.

Instead of the traditional make-use-dispose model, some forward-thinking companies have been shifting towards a circular model, where products are designed to be reused, refurbished or recycled. There is a lot more to do, with huge challenges — and to me that means exciting opportunities for
innovative green design.

Three areas of opportunity

Packaging. Half of the plastic made in the UK is for packaging, and while biodegradable, compostable and recyclable plastics have come a long way, we still recycle less than half of it. The rest sits in landfill or polluting our soil, seas and rivers and hurting wildlife.

Trends and opportunities

• Bioplastics. These are made from plant-based materials such as cornstarch, sugarcane, potatoes, hemp or seagrass and look promising (although bioplastic doesn’t always mean biodegradable).
• Mycelium. I’m fascinated by packaging grown from mycelium (the fungal root network of mushrooms), a polystyrene alternative that is hard and strong yet can be broken up and decompose in our garden soil within weeks.
• Water-soluble packaging. This can be used for food, healthcare, cosmetics and other products and is predicted to be a growth area in the next ten years, if cost and availability challenges can be overcome.
• The beauty industry is one of the worst offenders but a refill revolution has begun, with some products going beyond recyclable or reduced packaging to containers that customers can refill and reuse.

Inspiring Example — Magnetic. Mars: designing a sustainable future for cocoa
The health of the cocoa supply chain is under threat and the future of the industry is uncertain. To ensure its cocoa business is driving Mars towards its 2050 net zero target, the company set a bold ambition to reshape the future of cocoa. Our mission was to help Mars push its thinking 30 years ahead and define a bold and inspiring cocoa sustainability vision. We worked with diverse experts and stakeholders to create human-centric scenarios that make the far future tangible, engaging and actionable. Then we aligned stakeholders on how to prepare for 2050 and unlock key opportunities. The result is a north star for Mars: a cocoa sustainability strategy with high alignment, engagement and ownership across the business.

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world, up there with oil and gas, transport and agriculture. In the US, 85% of all textiles end up in landfill. That’s several truck loads every minute. Although more of us are demanding sustainable fabrics and production processes, we are fighting the Shein and H&M army.

Trends and opportunities

• Circular fashion, a closed-loop production model that makes new materials out of old and designs out waste by reducing the natural resources used. Items are designed to last longer, be reused and eventually recycled and kept out of landfill.
• Legislation to end fast fashion. Planned EU legislation would mean textile products have to be more durable, easier to reuse, repair and recycle, and respect human, social and labour rights, the environment and animal welfare throughout the supply chain.
• Resale sites such as Depop and Vinted and rental sites like Hurr, By Rotation and, at the luxury end, Selfridges’ and Matches’ rental services.
• Next-gen materials. These are not the current generation of alternatives to leather, fur, silk etc, which are animal-free but petroleum- based. They are new materials that are non-plastic, non-synthetic, ethical, sustainable and vegan, made from substances including algae, microbes, mycelium, soy, pineapple and fallen rose petals.

Inspiring example — Adidas: Made to be Remade
A circular initiative with sports shoes and clothes designed to be returned to Adidas when they wear out, broken down and recycled into new garments, leaving zero waste. It’s not without flaws but great to see such a giant in the market taking a lead.

Built environment. In Europe, buildings are responsible for 40% of energy use and 75% of buildings are energy inefficient, many relying on fossil fuels. Zaha Hadid Architects’ associate director Bidisha Sinha told Dezeen: “The limitation of resources is forcing stakeholders and designers to create new paths of innovation in response.”

Trends and opportunities

• Reducing the net-carbon emissions of buildings, by decarbonising old buildings and making new builds sustainable and energy efficient. This is a critical part of transitioning to a lower-carbon future.
• A move away from superficial trends to sustainable and environmental building design, using new design techniques and technology, green infrastructure and more sustainable construction practices.
• Buildings incorporating ecologically sound materials, biobased materials, technical innovations, energy-efficient systems, renewable energy, mass timber (30% fewer emissions than concrete), green roofs and vertical gardens.

Inspiring example — Commercial construction
Edge London Bridge, for Goldman Sachs, is aiming to be London’s most sustainable office tower. The Williams in Queensway will be Foster + Partners’ first mass timber office block and net-zero carbon when completed. Roots in the Sky will convert Blackfriars’ 1960s Crown Court into London’s greenest office block, with a 14-acre rooftop forest bringing biodiversity into the city.

CEO’s POV
To be truly green by design, green is not just a box to tick or a certification. It has to be at the heart of how we design, where every choice considers our respect for nature, commitment to preservation and hope for the future. I see green by design as our love letter to Earth, promising a better tomorrow.

Green by design isn’t just using biodegradable materials or reducing our carbon footprints. It’s about shaping a mindset, a culture and a collective memory. It writes a new story for our children and grandchildren. Not the story that we knew we were destroying our beautiful green earth, our oceans and our wildlife, and didn’t do enough to stop it. But the story of how we turned the tide, with radical thinking, radical leadership, quantum leaps in technology, passion, intent and purpose.

This is an exert from our latest Thought report, the full report will be available in the coming weeks — keep an eye on Linkedin for full details.

Author: Jenny Burns, Magnetic CEO

Jenny is always happy to talk about the issues teams and businesses are facing, and how we can unpack problems together to find and design for unmet needs. Coffee? Email jenny.burns@wearemagnetic.com.