Living greener lives has preoccupied many minds in 2018, with the huge rise in awareness around plastic waste and recyling, and the impact of shows like ‘Blue Planet II’, ‘Drowning in Plastic’ and ‘Fashion’s Dirty Secrets’.
And sustainability is likely to dominate nearly every aspect of our lives next year – well, that’s if you’re judging by people’s Pinterest boards.
More than 250 million people visit Pinterest each month from around the world. Off the back of this, the social media network has created the Pinterest 100, a list representing the ideas we share in common – from everyday inspiration to our dreams for the future. If an idea keeps getting more searches each month, and that holds steady for six months or more, then it’s an official Pinterest trend.
Looking through the top 100 trends, sustainability features in nearly every topic, from travel, to food, and even fashion.
When it comes to travel, Pinterest says many of its users come to social media to dream up new ways to see the world, be it discovering atypical destinations or unusual (and more earth-friendly) modes of transport.
“Zero-waste travel” came up high in the travel section, which takes in strategic and sustainable packing, eating, hotel-ing, and even plastic-free travel toiletries. Searches for this trend were up 74% this year, showing that people have a new focus when they’re booking their next holiday.
The trend in sustainability carries into food as well. What’s on the menu for 2019? Healthy, sustainable meals with unusual ingredients, it seems.
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The dairy-alternative oat milk, which is environmentally friendly and vegan, had an increase of 186% in searches this year (even if reports suggested demand has caused a shortage). Other sustainable foodstuffs people were searching for this year included homemade jam (with searches up a whopping 829% this year), as well as the new pegan diet, which is part paleo, part vegan.
Women also go to Pinterest to find fashion inspiration, notably “sustainable fashion”, which has seen a big increase in search this year through recycled materials and stylish looks that don’t punish the planet. “Ethical clothing”, “vegan fashion”, and “vegan clothing” are also very popular searches.
Sustainability even found its way into parenting Pinterest trends, as searches for “toy share subscriptions” increased by 313% this year – these schemes aim for less waste, while still offering kids a steady supply of new distractions.
[Read More: How to have an eco-friendly city break in Europe]
To see all the 100 Pinterest trends of the year, visit its trending 2019 board.