Regenerative Futures
What might everyday life look like if the products we use, clothes we wear, and industry standards and systems are waste-less, adaptable and regenerative? The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy Summit brought together corporate and NGO leaders from Nike to Coca Cola. The Wasteless Living exhibit was immersive experience imagining a world where the circular economy is a pervasive reality. From reimagining everyday products to envisioning circular social dynamics, this exhibition has been created to inspire the practitioners of now to rethink the opportunities of the future.
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What feels different in everyday life in a regenerative future?
The work explored emergent trends and the possible scenarios they indicated: Would Resoures be Scarce or Abundant? What if the state was Laissez faire or controlling? What if consumers were Proactive or passive as environment changes? Underlying all, increasingly tech-enabled lives. The Wasteless Living exhibit staged a fictional entryway in Japan, kitchen in London, and bedroom in Nairobi set in 2030.
Mythology: Seven years ago, in 2023, as organisations started to embrace the transition to the Climate Era, the decoupling of growth from material extractions created opportunities for people and businesses to reverse the environmental costs of the industrial and digital eras — our challenge was to reimagine what we used to build, how we lived and created— and fast. Nearly everything we knew had to be redesigned.
How did this future happen? Were governments stricter? Did regenerative materials become available at scale? Did systems spring forth to recover raw materials? How did emerging technology weave with our interactions? Did consumers begin to pressure or did they create systems of their own? How would this affect how we live, work, shop, create, and connect?
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What If...
What if your customers were also your network of decentralised local suppliers?
What if a brand was de-coupled from packaging in the face of standardisation, embracing the opportunities of digital-first branding?
What if clothes were a medium for delivering fashion services & experiences in new ways that support circularity?
How could hyper-transparent waste tracking change your way of operating?
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Overseen by a Ministry of Regeneration
Throughout the exhibit, guests encountered the presence of a fictional Ministry of Regeneration, a governmental body monitoring reuse and circular compliance. Imagine 2030’s Ministry of Regeneration tracking individual waste against limits, issuing penalties, and monitoring municipal waste. One might receive fines by mail, see the logo across bins.
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Collaborators: Stephanie Sizemore, Clio Capeille, Mitch Carter Jafrey, Sergio Fregoni, Luis Cilimingras, and many more