Top 100 Eco Trends in 2016

As efforts towards curbing climate change grow and also face constant resistance from powerful politicians and corporations, the 2016 eco trends have become much more broad in their scope. While not yet changing enough to halt the constant progression of climate change, industries are becoming increasingly aware of their impact on the environment and the need to adopt ideas and innovations that will reduce this impact. Some of the more prominent themes associated with this trend exist in the form of sustainable architecture and the slow but progressing transformations of industries that have a particularly strong negative impact on the environment.

'Passive House' is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in buildings, and an increasing number of architects are using this measure when creating homes to be more friendly to the environment. The company BC Passive House takes this one step further – it not only provides prefabricated panels for houses built using this standard, it also employs the standards in its own factory.

As consumers become more focused on lessening their personal environmental impact, the term "fast fashion" is slowly becoming a bad word among those who understand its consequences on the environment. Fast fashion companies are taking note of this fact and are slowly beginning to incorporate more eco-friendly practices into their business models. An example of this exists in Urban Outfitters' limited edition 'Rework' collection – which features clothes made from scrap fabrics. While the fast fashion industry will never be truly environmentally friendly due to its very definition, its attempts at becoming so indicate a significant shift in consumers' priorities and values.

There are many ways in which eco-friendly practices can be incorporated into brands' and companies' business models, whether it is in their production processes or in the causes they financially support. Trend Hunter's annual conference Future Festival offers insights in how to harness ideas that can range across industries, a tool that could be particularly useful in companies' goals to lessen their environmental impact.