Trend Updates

Man is by nature bad, said Kant, and with this phrase he coined our self-image. A new study by Michel Maréchal, professor of economics at the University of Zurich, suggests we should reconsider this negative image.

Brand activism is on the rise. Companies which don’t participate will eventually fall short, says Helen Job. In an interview before her presentation at GDI’s 16th European Trend Day, Job talks about this new form of activism and its impact on consumers and market.

To be as individual as possible – but also to be part of a group: What sounds like squaring the circle is what we are aspiring to today. In a study, GDI researchers describe how a combination of these opposing needs could be possible.

Thousands of French men and women have been taking to the streets for a year now. Every Saturday. They demand lower taxes, lower salaries, and pensions for high civil servants. The origin of the wave of protests is a petition by Priscillia Ludosky. She discussed her impact with the "Financial Times" and will speak about it at the GDI Trend Day.

The way we eat today is not only bad for our planet, but also for us. The "Planetary Health Diet" is a diet intended to protect human health as well as earth.

Worldwide, there is an increasing number of people living a vegan lifestyle. Due to global networking, the community is growing ever closer. Isaac Thomas, CEO of Vegan Nation, wants to take this development one step further with his own "vegan" crypto currency. On GDI Trend Day he will talk about his vision.

Amazon's extended product portfolio exemplifies theses of the GDI study "The End of Consumption". Smart gadgets like the newly announced "Echo Frames" combine the physical, digital and mental worlds.

To feed ten billion people theoretically wouldn't be a problem. In practice, the situation is different. For example, food is lost along the entire supply chain. In a graph, GDI researchers summarise important reasons and drivers.

Global migration, climate change, technological upheaval - these developments are unsettling major challenges for politics and business today. In an interview with the GDI, one of the world's most influential economists, Ernst Fehr, explains what it takes to win people's trust in these times.

In the digital economy, people are only as valuable as their data, according to media theorist and bestselling author Douglas Rushkoff. On the 16th European Trend Day of the GDI, he will talk about his commitment to preserving the human dimension.