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☆ From 'chunky' dad shoes to laminated eyebrows, a millennial mom broke down the Gen Z trends she said she won't be 'gaslit' into adopting
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A millennial mom on TikTok took umbrage with Gen Z trends, igniting intergenerational discourse. She's not a fan of laminated eyebrows, the "glass skin" trend, "chunky" dad shoes, or mini Uggs. While millennials' style is often critiqued by Gen Z, the TikToker said she doesn't take the debate seriously. AdvertisementA millennial mom recently took umbrage with several popular Gen Z fashion and beauty trends, igniting intergenerational discourse about eyebrows and sneakers on TikTok. In a separate clip, she noted millennials have often been the butt of Gen Z critiques, including being labeled "cheugy" (or basic) for wearing skinny jeans, hairline side parts, and over-the-knee boots.

Persons: TikTok, She's, Gen Z, —, Melissa, I'm Organizations: Service

☆ Amazon hit by strikes, protests across Europe during Black Friday trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Make Amazon Pay", a campaign coordinated by the UNI Global Union, said strikes and protests would take place in more than 30 countries from Black Friday - the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, when many retailers slash prices to boost sales - through to Monday. In Germany, Amazon's second-biggest market by sales last year, around 250 workers were on strike at a Leipzig warehouse and around 500 at an Amazon warehouse in Rheinberg, trade union Verdi said on Friday. More than 200 workers were striking on Friday at Amazon's warehouse in Coventry, England as part of a long-running dispute over pay. The striking workers were chanting their demand for a pay rise to 15 pounds ($18.69) an hour. Amazon has remained popular in Europe even as rivals like Shein and Temu have seen rapid growth.

Persons: Amazon's, Verdi, Nick Henderson, Amazon, CGIL, CCOO, Helen Reid, James Davey, Phil Noble, Matthias Inverardi, Elisa Anzolin, Corina Pons, Sharon Singleton Organizations: UNI Global Union, U.S, Amazon, Castel, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Europe, U.S, Germany, Leipzig, Rheinberg, Amazon's, Coventry, England, Castel San Giovanni, France, London, Dusseldorf, Milan, Madrid

☆ Amazon protests in Europe target warehouses, lockers on busy Black Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

On Black Friday, the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, many retailers slash prices to boost sales. More than 1,000 workers at Amazon's warehouse in Coventry, England, will strike on Friday, according to trade union GMB, as part of a long-running dispute over pay. Many Amazon shoppers use its lockers, which are located in train stations, supermarket car parks, and street corners, to receive their orders. Attac, which calls Black Friday a "celebration of overproduction and overconsumption", said it expects the protest to be wider than last year, when it estimates 100 Amazon lockers across France were targeted. "Make Amazon Pay", a global campaign coordinated by UNI Global Union, said strikes and protests would take place in more than 30 countries from Black Friday through to Monday.

Persons: Pascal, Amazon's, Verdi, CGIL, CCOO, Helen Reid, James Davey, Matthias Inverardi, Elisa Anzolin, Corina Pons, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Workers, U.S, Amazon, GMB, Trade, Amazon's, Castel, UNI Global Union, Thomson Locations: Boves, France, Europe, U.S, Germany, Bad Hersfeld, Dortmund, Koblenz, Leipzig, Amazon's, Coventry , England, London, Castel San Giovanni, Black, Dusseldorf, Milan, Madrid

☆ Amazon hit by strikes, protests across Europe during Black Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In England, more than 200 workers were striking on Friday at Amazon's warehouse in Coventry as part of a long-running dispute over pay. The striking workers were chanting their demand for a pay rise to 15 pounds ($18.69) an hour. [1/4]People hold a banner during a Black Friday strike outside the Amazon warehouse, in Coventry, Britain November 24, 2023. Spanish union CCOO called for Amazon warehouse and delivery workers to stage a one-hour strike on each shift on "Cyber Monday" next week. Amazon has remained popular in Europe even as rivals like Shein and Temu have seen rapid growth.

Persons: Amazon's, Verdi, Nick Henderson, Phil Noble, Amazon, CGIL, CCOO, Helen Reid, James Davey, Matthias Inverardi, Elisa Anzolin, Corina Pons, Nick Zieminski, Jason Neely Organizations: UNI Global Union, U.S, Amazon, REUTERS, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Europe, U.S, Germany, Rheinberg, Leipzig, England, Amazon's, Coventry, Britain, Italy, Castel San Giovanni, Spanish, France, London, Dusseldorf, Milan, Madrid

☆ Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard On the High Stakes of Low Quality - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Yvon Chouinard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over 50 years ago, my wife, Malinda, and I bought a chef’s knife of carbon steel that we still use. Compare that to the junk stainless steel ones that might not rust but that won’t hold an edge to cut a tomato. The culprit: our overconsumption of stuff, from shoddy tools to fast fashion that is trendy one day, trash the next. Turning these and other raw materials into final products releases one-fifth of all carbon emissions. Research links demand for goods in Western Europe and the United States to the premature deaths of more than 100,000 people in China because of industrial air pollution.

Persons: Malinda Locations: Western Europe, United States, China

"Increasingly we are going to turn used clothes into raw material from Europe for fashion companies." Also in Spain, rivals including H&M, Mango and Inditex have created a non-profit association to manage clothing waste, responding to an EU law requiring member states to separate textiles from other waste from January 2025. OBSTACLESThe obstacles to significantly reducing clothing waste are formidable, despite the EU crackdown, industry sustainability commitments and initiatives like the Moda Re expansion. Adidas (ADSGn.DE), Bestseller, and H&M (HMb.ST) have invested in Finnish start-up Infinited Fiber Company, which manufactures fibre out of textile waste, cardboard and paper. As in Spain, textile waste associations would be set up in each country.

Persons: Albert Alberich, Inditex, Dijana Lind, Hugo Boss, Lind, Moda, Aissatou Boukoum, Mauro Scalia, Corina Pons, Helen Reid, Horaci Garcia, Nacho, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: BARCELONA, Moda, Caritas, Union, European Commission, Union Investment, Adidas, McKinsey, Reuters, EU, ReHubs, Moda Re, United Nations, Inditex, Puma, Infinited Fiber Company, Thomson Locations: Spain, Barcelona, Spanish, Europe, Zara, Bilbao, Valencia, EU, Frankfurt, ReHubs Europe, Mali, Sant, AFRICA, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Africa, Senegalese, Germany, Texaid, Switzerland, Vestisolidale, Italy, France, EURATEX, Madrid, London, Nacho Doce

☆ If We Are What We Eat, We Don’t Know Who We Are
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Jacob E. Gersen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Van Tulleken may be right that it is the other stuff — synthetics, chemicals and stabilizers — used in the processing that causes overconsumption. But another critical difference between real and frozen pizza is cost: The fresh pizzeria pie discussed in the book costs 600 percent more than the frozen pizza. Do people eat more when food is cheap, or do they eat more cheap food because the processing that makes it cheap tricks us into eating more? Even if food is “designed to be overconsumed,” no one would eat it if it cost $100 a bag. A hundred years ago, Graham worried that fake food would make us sick because it lacked vitamins, nutrients and calories — and was chased out of town.

Persons: Tulleken, van, Graham, Van Tulleken’s

☆ 63 cruise ships owned by Carnival Corporation released more toxic sulfur gasses than all the cars in Europe, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Hannah Towey | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

63 cruise ships owned by Carnival Corp. emitted more sulfur oxides than all the cars in Europe in 2022. The cruise industry is investing in alternative energy sources such as LNG fuel and shore power. Though the IMO rule slashes the sulfur emissions of individual ships, it has done nothing to limit the increasing number of cruise ships in recent years. Compared to 2019, cruise ships are also spending more time at European ports and consuming more fuel, per the report. As a result, cruise ships overall emitted 9% more sulfur oxides in 2022 than in 2017, according to Transport & Environment.

Persons: MIGUEL MEDINA, Robert Rohde, — Dr, We're Organizations: Carnival Corp, European Federation for Transport, Environment, Carnival Corporation, International Maritime Organization, Transport & Environment, Cruise, Carnival Locations: Europe, Venice, AFP, Berkeley, Paris, New, York

☆ We Have a Dopamine Problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Dana G. Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The neurotransmitter dopamine is eliciting a lot of panic these days. According to books, articles and social media posts, our urge for a quick dopamine hit is why we crave cookies and spend too much time on Instagram. If we keep giving in to these desires, the rationale goes, we’ll never be able to stop ourselves. Videos tagged #dopamine, many claiming to teach viewers how to manipulate the brain chemical, have more than 700 million views on TikTok. One influencer offers a “free list of things that numb dopamine” so that you can “reclaim control over your life!”

Persons: we’ll, We’ve, Dr, Anna Lembke Locations: Stanford, TikTok

☆ TikTok has become a 'billion-person focus group' that can make or break your business with one viral video
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A review can now completely change the trajectory of a business if it goes viral on TikTok. A viral video on TikTok can make a product fly off of shelves, or leave consumers questioning the quality of a company. Corey Robinson, chief product officer for Abercrombie & Fitch, described TikTok to The Journal as "a billion-person focus group." Fame is just as easy to achieve as infamy on TikTok where videos can quickly — and unexpectedly — go viral. In late 2022, Chipotle employees were hit with waves of complicated orders and unhappy customers after Lee and TikToker Alex Frost posted viral videos trying a menu hack for quesadillas.

Persons: Corey Robinson, Abercrombie, Robinson, Pink, Chef Pii, Pii, naysayers, TikTokers, hashtag, Keith Lee, Lee, Kwame Boakye, TikToker Alex Frost, Chipotle, Brian Niccol Organizations: Street Journal, Morning, Abercrombie & Fitch, Fitch, Walmart, Dave's Gourmet, NielsenIQ, McKinsey & Company, Fire Locations: Orlando

☆ Deinfluencing, explained: Forget the influencers. Here come the 'deinfluencers'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Their messages are simple and straightforward: These items are overhyped, you don’t need them, and here’s why. Courtesy John O'DonnellIt comes as social media has become crucial for marketing products and services – especially to younger consumers. “Rather than saying buy this, they are saying – don’t buy this. Aria Connor, 36, creates lifestyle content on social media and says some deinfluencers are not in it for the right reasons. But social media advice on what to buy or what not to buy is not all that meaningful, she says.

Persons: ”, Kris Ruby, John O'Donnell, –, ’ ” Ruby, deinfluencing, haves ”, Louis, who’s, “, ” Michelle Skidelsky, ” Skidelsky, Michelle Skidelsky, Aria Connor, Connor doesn’t, Connor “, ‘, Ruby, Victoria Sola, deinfluencers, Sola Organizations: CNN, Ruby Media, Brands, “, Victoria Locations: Mains, Mikayla Mains, Canadian, influencers

☆ Gen Z Fast Fashion, Live Shopping, Clothes Addiction Destroying Planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Eve Upton-Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The Gen Z paradoxGen Z's economic power is growing faster than other generations, according to Bank of America. In the US, fashion is the preferred category for entertainment spending among Gen Z, outranking dining out, video games, and music. A 2021 McKinsey survey found that 42% of American Gen Zers said they didn't even know what makes clothes sustainable. In addition to pushing people to buy more clothes, the buy-now, think-later model of live shopping also encourages people to buy clothes that are worse for the planet. To solve that problem, she founded Viviene New York in 2022, a Gen Z-led marketing agency that helps sustainable brands connect with Gen Z audiences through social media.

☆ UN warns 'vampiric overconsumption' is draining world's water
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, March 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations opened its first conference on water security in almost half a century on Wednesday with a plea to governments to better manage one of humanity's shared resources. A quarter of the world's population relies on unsafe drinking water while half lacks basic sanitation, the U.N. said. "We are draining humanity's lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating," said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. But Guterres said it must "result in a bold Water Action Agenda that gives our world's lifeblood the commitment it deserves". The United States quickly responded to Guterres' call.

☆ Why Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is suing social media companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The lawsuit, which was filed in California federal court, said “the need is great” to continue to fund mental health outpatient programs, mobile crisis units, family-based mental health services, and in-school mental health programming and training to address the mental health of young people. Bucks County is joining a small but growing number of of school districts and families who have filed lawsuits against social media companies for their alleged impact on teen mental health. Some families have also filed wrongful death lawsuits against tech platforms, alleging their children’s social media addiction contributed to their suicides. Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, believes it will be “difficult” for counties and school districts to win lawsuits against social media companies. “There will be the issues of showing that the social media content was the cause of the harm that befell the children,” he said.

REUTERS/Miguel VidalA CORUNA, Spain/LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - In Spain's A Coruna, two contrasting fashion business models collide - pitching the growing demands for the clothing industry to become more sustainable against the constant need to drive sales. This rainy, windswept, city on the rugged Atlantic coast is the unlikely headquarters of Zara-owner Inditex (ITX.MC) - the world's biggest fast fashion retailer. It also hosts small boutiques offering high quality, durable products that consider themselves an alternative to the fast and affordable fashion propelling Inditex's annual sales of 28 billion euros ($30 billion). "If you release tonnes and tonnes of clothes, textiles, shoes into the market, you will have to collect it," he said. But Circ and its competitors are only capable of producing 1% of the textiles needed to make the 109 million tonnes of clothes per year that the global fashion industry churns out.

☆ ‘De-Influencers’ Want You to Think Twice Before Buying That Mascara
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Sara Ashley O'Brien | Lane Florsheim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After years of influencers pushing cosmetics, clothes, personal tech and supplements to the masses, a rising cohort is taking a different tack: telling people what not to buy. They’re calling it “de-influencing.”The term is being popularized in videos by people whose experience runs the gamut: disappointed consumers, savvy beauty bloggers, doctors dispelling skin-care myths and former retail employees dishing on which products they saw returned most often. Their shared guidance is a rejoinder to a seemingly endless stream of recommendations and promotional content on the platform—and a sign of growing backlash to overconsumption. TikTok videos under the hashtag #deinfluencing have surpassed 68 million views.

☆ Premarket stocks: The world has a major debt problem. Is a reset coming?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

That number is about 349% of global gross domestic product, and the equivalent of $37,500 of debt for every single person in the world. “Rising interest rates and slowing economies are making the debt burden heavier,” they write. What it means: Higher interest rates are already hurting governments and corporations with low-credit ratings. Rising interest rates also impact stock prices — the Federal Reserve’s hikes in 2022 contributed to a nearly 20% decline in the S&P 500. What comes next: There is no easy way out of a global debt crisis, write Chan and Dimitrijevic.

☆ Fast-Fashion Brands Like Zara, Shein Create Mountains of Waste From Holiday Shopping, Returns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Gad Allon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

A report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation found that, globally, less than 1% of used clothing is actually recycled into new clothes. Recycling clothes is expensive, and the existing technology isn't adequate to handle the volume needed to make a difference for the planet. While recycling clothing can be expensive, there are some companies that have figured out a way to limit waste by recycling. Time to be honestIn order to fix fast fashion, companies need to start being more transparent about their sustainability practices. It also ensures that the waste companies produce is out in the open.

☆ Luxury homebuyers are scooping up smaller houses, encouraged by lower mortgages, less maintenance, and fewer family members hanging around
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wealthy buyers are seeking smaller homes, according to the real-estate brokerage Coldwell Banker. Among them are a desire to have a more efficient and manageable home, and downsizing of family units that grew larger during the coronavirus pandemic, they said. What it all means is that these luxury homebuyers are increasingly competing with regular folks just trying to put a roof over their heads. "That's a lot of people competing with the millennials who delayed homebuying" and their decision to have families, Steinberg said. Though the home is smaller than the one in which they raised their family, they want to downsize again.

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