04 : 08 : 23 : Weekly Debrief

UK – In a joint effort, Haeckels, Pangaia and C16 Biosciences have developed a soap, swapping palm oil for a ground-breaking blend formulated with torula oil.

The Rewild Body Block is a collaboratively crafted innovative product, designed as a better-for-the-planet alternative to palm oil-based soap. To make the palmless torula oil soap possible, British future-forward beauty brand Haeckels has teamed up with materials science company Pangaia and New York-based climate-tech start-up C16 Biosciences.

The bio-designed proprietary palm oil substitute harnesses the power of naturally occurring microorganisms and fermentation. Haeckels then manufactures the soap in its UK lab in Margate, mixing the blend with seaweed extract from local shores and natural ingredients such as aloe vera, mandarin peel and vetiver root. Given real palm has a destructive impact on the planet, the palmless soap bar is ironically infused with natural oils that mimic the smell of rainforests burning down.

In our Neo collectivism macrotrend, we explored how brands such as Haeckels and Pangaia are shunning individualism in favour of alliances that are favouring empathy and community.

UK – Biomaterials science company Biozeroc worked with How&How for a rebrand, playfully nicknaming the bio-concrete manufacturer as the House of Hard Things.

While conventional concrete is reportedly responsible for 8% of global emissions, Biozeroc is leveraging biotechnology to create a carbon-negative version of the construction material. The start-up commissioned How&How to create an impactful brand identity that will stand out in the low-attention category that is concrete and other hard materials – while raising awareness of its carbon footprint.

Instead of opting for classic environmentalist aesthetics, How&How decided to opt for humour. The result is a brutalist visual language with colourful accents and playful messaging. Biozeroc’s mission has inspired the tagline House of Hard Things – appropriate for a company undertaking the hard mission to reinvent the core components of the world’s hardest materials. The company is also ‘spreading hard truths’ by sharing unspoken dirty secrets about the cement industry.

The use of subversion in sustainability messaging is proliferating. This creative strategy can draw attention to topics that the wider public is tired of hearing about, or doesn’t care for much, to initiate a climate conversation.