| 18 October 2006
Last week FAIR* attended The Future Laboratory trend briefing - a specialist research company supplying consumer trend insights to global businesses.FAIR* are regulars at the event but this seminar was of specific interest to us, with an emphasis on ethical design and social conscience. Although FAIR* have an ethical attitude to the way we go about our business we feel there is a common perception that anything ethical is in some way stuck in the past. This isn't a viewpoint we share in the slightest - there are some great forward thinking companies around at the moment that are really changing public perception without resembling the Good Life.
Our belief is that the next big consumer trend is already underway - we've had Green, we've had Authenticity - we think ethical is not only a viable way of improving the world we live in from the bottom up, but a movement, and a necessary one that is here to stay.
At the seminar we gained some great insights into the prolific growth of the ethical consumer, as well as clarifying a few ideas we've been toying with. Amongst the most interesting was the fact that more Brits are holidaying at home this year than last, in any other year since 1990 in fact, not because of financial constraints but because of concerns about their carbon foot-print; A products traceability is now a key concern to a growing number of consumers - see the M&S Take a look behind the label campaign for a good example from a company that was a dinosaur this time two years ago.
Last but not least The Future Laboratory events are a great way to meet interesting and diverse people from around the globe working in the design, r&d and trend industries. Take a look at Heath Nash's website, a South African designer/maker with some great products that re-use everyday material.
http://www.incapetown.com/subsites/pack3_4.aspx
(this article was originally posted on our blog here: www.fairbrand.org/blog)