Localisation is a term used to describe a movement towards locally-made and locally-sourced raw materials and goods. This movement is by no means new, having been established in the nineties as a reaction to burgeoning globalisation and the commoditisation of products to the mass-market. In their report entitled (Still) Made Here, Trendwatching.com distils this movement to its essence:

In a world that is seemingly ruled by globalization, mass production and 'cheapest of the cheapest', a growing number of consumers are seeking out the local, and thereby the authentic, the storied, the eco-friendly and the obscure.

Mass produced products have, in many ways, reached the peak of their appeal to mature consumer markets, representing nameless, faceless corporations bowing to the directives of their shareholders. This has been exacerbated by a global financial recession that has literally stripped the façade of corporations, revealing greedy, power-hungry conglomerates that care only for their bottom-line. This profit-at-all-cost mentality has come under close scrutiny in the last couple of years, leaving unethical business practices laid bare and obscene end-of-year bonuses exposed. Ultimately, this large nameless, faceless corporation has lost touch with the needs of its end user, whose value set has been irreversibly altered in the wake of global financial and environmental crisis.

Multinational companies, although often quite slow to play catch-up, are realising that there is a need for something more substantial: products with more personality and more meaning that are more relevant now at a time when people are looking to be part of the solution, and not just part of the problem.

 

Read more: Local is Lekker

The collapse of the US housing market and ensuing credit crisis led to a fully-fledged global economic meltdown, sparking fears of a repeat of the 1929 Great Depression. Roughly parallel to the financial crisis, the world has witnessed a chilling series of natural disasters (from tsunamis to hurricanes to more recently, earthquakes), which are becoming more and more frequent. Seen from the outside, these events depict a dim future for mankind on this planet that we call home, but despite all the doom and gloom, the positive amongst us are taking the challenge to find our own solutions to the world's problems.

It is clear that the world has swung desperately out of balance. Pockets of like-minded individuals are realizing that they have the power to make decisions that can influence the world around them. No longer are we able to rely on our governments and institutions to steer us clear of the pitfalls that life in the 21st Century presents us with.

On the South African front, our countries leaders have failed to take a stand against the corruption that cripples our country's progress on a daily basis, not to mention the lack of an efficient healthcare system and failure to house the country's impoverished as promised. Dissolution of effective leadership, sadly, is by no means unique to South Africa. On a global scale, the world's leaders have also failed us in many respects. Take for example the inability to reach an agreement at Copenhagen in 2009, leaving environmentalists and many others grasping at straws.

People are taking the power back. Sheer strength in numbers offers a glimmer of hope to the widening social and economic inequality that faces us. With technology as the enabler, people are developing strands of communication that allow them to virally spread messages of positivity and hope, in the face of uncertainty. Social media sites allow individuals to be part of a larger global community that seeks to be more active in shaping their own future, instead of having it dictated to them. Online, people are using the power of their purchases to make their statement, to support initiatives which resonate with them on a very human level.

Read more: Generation Refresh

Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, has maintained that "Women account for one-half of the potential talent base throughout the world and therefore, over time, a nation's competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilizes its female talent".

This statement sums up the role of women in rebuilding the economy, as well as the part they will play in mending society on the whole. The term "Female Factor" refers to a series of articles published in the New York Times that highlight women's role in the economy.

"The Girl Effect" was a panel discussion at the WEF that was started by the Nike Foundation and headed by Nicholas Kristoff of The New York Times. The panel focused specifically on woman's issues in developing countries, seeking to encourage women to get an education in order to make more informed choices about their lives.

Speaking about her experience in Davos this year, Alison Gopnik, Professor of Psychology at UC Berkley, commented that this might have been the first time that tampons were highlighted as a big idea at the WEF. The thinking behind this being that if young girls do not have adequate sanitary protection, they will be too embarrassed to go to school and will ultimately sacrifice their education. This type of discussion, as basic as it may seem, signals the level of grass-root issues that are still being addressed within developing economies.

We are beginning to notice a shift in the attitude towards women's role in the economy and in society at large. At Davos, the Nike Foundation has taken notice of the fact, and have invested directly into the growth and education of the girls who will soon have a large part to play in global economic turnaround.

 

Read more: The Female Factor

The Power of Word of Mouth

Budgets are tight and billboards are expensive. Traditional channels of marketing and advertising are intrusive and fast becoming archaic, so brands have started exploring more engaging methods to garner customer acceptance. With research showing that 70% of customers are doubtful that brands tell the truth in advertisements, it is no wonder that consumers are taking a step back and starting to base their purchasing decisions on the opinions of people whom they know and trust.

 

Read more: Telling It Like It Is

In the pursuit of a new model for news media, micro-charging readers for content seems like a grand idea. But what happens when those readers, who are so used to receiving content for free, can’t come to terms with actually having to pay for it? Add to this the dwindling number of advertisers due to recession induced budget cuts and it becomes clear that the publishing industry is standing on a slippery slope.

This “Trend Snack” is part of a series that will be published in the 2010 Flux Trend Review – due in bookstores in October 2009. Register for a newsletter on our homepage to receive more information on the 2010 trend review.

 

Read more: Drunk on Free Love

The insistent cry of an alarm clock pierces your sleep. Another day has arrived. You drag your body out of bed. The first thought is of coffee – the only thing that offers a bit of solace. You switch on the kettle. The toaster spits out some processed bread. You read the packaging. More packaging. You wonder why they needed to add extra vitamins. Sigh. They must’ve stripped them all out in the first place, and then replaced them with the laboratory-manufactured version. You dress, brush your teeth and make your way to the car. On a good day it takes half an hour to drive in to the office. You listen to your language CD, or your Mozart, trying to make up for the mindless waste-of-time that is rush-hour traffic. Finally, you get to the office. You switch on your computer to a flood of emails. Your cellphone starts buzzing with birthday reminders and text messages. Fax machines and printers spit out paper. Clutter.

Read more: The Unplugged Revolution