The circular economy is built on the idea that raw materials for new products can be disposed-of-materials from other products.

It’s the basic principle a forest works on for example.

Understandably, because of the rapid rate at which we’re filling our oceans, land and ourselves ultimately with crap – the need for innovation in the circular economy space is growing.

There are loads of excellent examples of companies doing just that and Pentatonic joins that list. The trick here though, and this is what we like about this particular example, is that the basic materials used to make the products shouldn’t make the products themselves look used. 

Just because your desk is made from old recycled water bottles, doesn’t mean that it would look like it was made from old, nasty, recycled water bottles.

That should just be a fun fact that you laugh about as you do a line or two on top of it.

Know your audience, we always say.

Dragon Con is a conference that’s held annually in Atlanta, GA – which attracts fans of science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and other elements of fan culture.

Fans dress up as their favourite characters for the event and every year there’s a video of the best cosplay outfits on show.

Too often we can fixate on the technology version of alternate realities that get served up as augmented or virtual reality. But underneath the increasing demand for these technologies is a growing culture of fantasy escapism that plays out in multiple ways outside of the technology advances that draw the headlines.

It’s easy to get lured into thinking that the only way you can participate in this trend is to develop an app or put on a VR headset, but in reality; collaborative, real-world alternate reality fantasy can take on many forms – much of which is far more social than plugging yourself into a machine.

Yes – the technology versions are interesting, but the cultural trend here is far more engaging and potentially relevant.

South African Tourism has always done a fairly decent job of promoting the country as a great destination for international travellers. Granted it not exactly a very difficult job considering the raw asset they’re forced to work with, but that being said – getting to South Africa is a long haul and then there is the nagging perception that the country’s safety record isn’t the finest.

More than just animals

But instead of going the stereotypical route of packaging desirable landscapes and outdoor adventure as the primary value proposition of the country – it’s refreshing that South African Tourism appears to be saying that, as a country ‘what we really offer is a uniquely cultural experience’. The countryside is beautiful – for sure, but our real assets are our people.

This beautifully shot new short film , entitled Meet South Africa. Meet Bheki the Mbhaco Maker. is a demonstration of that.

On a side note

Just on that point – a while back we were travelling back from Australia and landed at OR Tambo at about 4am on a Sunday morning. Filing through the long corridors towards immigration, the plane’s many passengers [many of whom were foreign nationals] were finally greeted by our very first South African official, who was wearing a very ill-fitting comical t-shirt with the words “BUCK FUDDY’ proudly emblazoned on it.

No uniforms, no name tags, no real care given – just ‘BUCK FUDDY’. It was alarming and endearing all at the same time and a classic demonstration as to how unique-a-country South Africa is.