Trends and Topics in Print Media

Every Monday morning, a team of Access media mavens gathers to read the latest trends and topics covered in print media (yes, we still read print media!). The team shares these insights agency wide to ensure we’re all informed and equipped for the week ahead. Every week, we’ll share learnings from the consumer, business and tech spaces here on the Access Point.

This week, we learned about the importance of conscious consumerism and how veganism is continuing to shift brand and consumer tastes.   

• Conscious Consumerism: Realistic Ways to Reduce Your Ecological Footprint

In an industry so focused on consumer packaged goods and products, it’s important that we keep in mind trends around reducing consumption. In Monday’s New York Times issue, there was a spread about what it means to be a “more conscious consumer” and tips for minimizing waste. Conscious consumption focuses on the idea of bringing increased awareness to how an individual’s consumption impacts greater society. The New York Times’ tips for doing so include measuring consumption patterns, focusing on your favorite brands and their practices, researching your investments, traveling closer to home, shopping secondhand and embracing minimalism (Kristin Wong, The New York Times).

• Vegan Everything

It seems that every other week we share an update about yet another Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods partnership. As the country moves toward more plant-based meat alternatives, vegan and sustainable causes are all the rage. According to The Wall Street Journal, this trend goes all the way to the top! Beyond Investing has launched a “vegan exchange-traded fund.” The fund excludes companies that are not aligned with sustainable interests, including the fossil-fuel industry, meat provides and companies and brands that use animal testing. According to Beyond Investing’s press release announcement, “Until now, vegans and environmentalists have had little choice but to profit from animal cruelty and environmental devastation through their investment options.” The firm claims that $1 million in the fund would translate to sparing 13,000 animals per year (The Wall Street Journal).