Morning all.Ā Will yourĀ wardrobe clearout ever be the same again, not if H&M have anything to do with it – find out why below.
In today’s edition:Ā
šæHow IKEA are promoting sustainable mobility
šĀ Drones to predict volcanoesĀ
šĀ Modernising Indian Agriculture
Ā Big BusinessĀ (2-minute read)
IKEA Investing in Sustainable Mobility to keep consumers at the warehouseĀ
True to their ātest and failā or ātest and scaleā approach to sustainability, IKEA areĀ experimentingĀ with several initiatives to mitigate the impacts of increasing home deliveries during the pandemic (Pollution, congestion and noise). Alongside plans to electrify their delivery fleet by 2025, the Swedish company is doubling down on sustainable shuttle buses to get more consumers from city centres to their warehouses conveniently and affordably whilst reducing indirect emissions.
Our take:Ā IKEA admits this programme is as much about mitigating business risk as it is about being a responsible retailer. Increases in online sales are unlikely to reverse. IKEAās sustainable shuttles are making stores accessible to a whole new group of consumers who canāt afford private transportation. Barge deliveries, Delivery lockers and Planning studios are three otherĀ initiativesĀ aimed at reducing congestion.
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Walmart thinks humans do it better – ends effort for Robot shelf stockersĀ
Walmart hasĀ endedĀ efforts to use roving robots in store aisles to keep track of stock levels, pricing and misplaced items – initially tested to relieve load on human staff and cut labour costs. However, with an uptick in workers collecting online deliveries from shelves due to COVID-19, Walmart plans to use these workers for product location and level monitoring. In addition, Walmartās U.S CEO voiced concerns over shoppers reactions to robots working in their stores.
Rewiring the Harley
Harley-Davidson willĀ moveĀ into the era of electric mobility and improved sustainability through acquisitions as part of its new āRewireā strategy which includes:Ā
- StaCyc, makers of electric two-wheelers for children, to entice the next generation of e-motorcycle enthusiasts.
- E-bike start-up: Serial 1 Cycles, to capitalise on a resurgent bicycle market driven by a climate-conscious, tech-savvy generation of vehicle buyers.
Our take:Ā Not only does Rewire provide Harleyās future customers with a diverse, more sustainable product range. But, with the entire motorcycle market down by 21.5% in 2020, the Rewire strategy increases potential customer base, as Harleyās current key demographic (older males) age out of the marketplace.
š¤Ā Future of TechĀ (1-minute read)
Drones in the name of client science
Specially adapted drones areĀ gatheringĀ data from one of the most active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea: Manam Volcano. The aim is to allow local communities to more accurately predict and prepare for future eruptions. A similarĀ projectĀ is being carried out in the Arctic, with drones capable of withstanding the Arctic’s extreme conditions being used to study melting ice caps. The drones are gathering data on sunlight reflected by the ice, crucial for understanding how best to preserve the Earthās northern icecap.Ā You canāt fix what you canāt see:Ā Our climate is changing dramatically, but collecting more data through novel innovations allows for optimised solutions to tackle climate change.
A World First:Ā H&M In-store recycling machine turns old clothes into new threadsĀ
FashionĀ wasteĀ makes up to 5% of landfill capacity and 10% of Methane emissions. In a world first, H&M is tackling the problem head on with its clothes recycler, Looop. The machineĀ developedĀ by the Hong Kong Institute of Textiles shreds old clothes into component fibres, cleans, presses and weaves them into a yarn before creating brand new garments. The system uses no additional dyes or water and has a significantly lower environmental impact than producing garments from scratch.Ā
The big picture:Ā Although the process currently takes five hours, this tech could play a crucial role in realising the flurry of ācircularityā pledges within the fashion industry of late.
š”Start-up Spotlight (1-minute read)
Modernising Indian farming with the Internet of Things (IoT)Ā and AI
48% of Indiaās 1.3 billion population depend on agriculture. However, the Indian agribusiness ecosystem is fragmented, with little agritech penetration. Bengaluru-based startup,Ā GramworkX,Ā has built an Internet of Things and AI-enabled smart farm resource management tool. The on-ground IoT device monitors key farm parameters, which feed data to prediction algorithms, providing farmers with daily recommendations through a mobile app on water requirements across fields, whilst also providing information on forecasted weather. Ultimately, the startup will help improve farming output, reduce water consumption and prevent the overuse of harmful pesticides.Ā
A $24 billion opportunity:Ā Agritech in India has huge potential, with just 1% penetration in a market worthĀ $24b. However, to unlock this potential, innovation is required throughout the agri value chain alongside an increase in digital literacy and favourable government policy.
Little Bytes
Quote:Ā āSustainability is resonating strongly with the consumers, influencing how they view brands, and is impacting their attitudes towards how they buy products and services. Technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) providers have a real opportunity to unlock more customer value and differentiate their offering by putting sustainability at the heart of their approach.ā Praveen Shankar,Ā Head of TMT, EY UK & Ireland
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Stat:Ā 79% of Millenial Indian parentsĀ surveyedĀ would consider using a robot nanny
Watch:Ā Cambodian Fishermen makingĀ boatsĀ from plastic bottles
Gone Phishing
