Consumer goods companies are being pressured to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics from product packaging. This presents an opportunity and a challenge. One thing seems certain: companies that ignore demands for eco-friendly packaging do so at their peril.
Fundamental Thinking
The perspectives of Harding Loevner’s sector and industry analysts on a range of investment topics.
Faster Fashion: Why Being Quick to Market Matters More Now for Apparel Companies
To regain market share lost to nimble competitors, established footwear and apparel brands are taking steps to accelerate design, production, and sales.
The New Retail: Why the Future of Shopping Will Be a Story of Bits and Bricks
In-store apps and “digitized” brick-and-mortar stores point to a future where online and offline shopping is highly integrated.
Why Battling Bugs Is a Booming Business, and May Be Getting Bigger
Climate change and other global trends could lead to more encounters with pests—and rising demand for pest control services.
The Ramadan Effect: How Islam’s Holy Month Impacts Businesses
Unlike Christmas, Diwali, or Chinese New Year, Ramadan shifts about 11 days earlier each year and is not confined to a single season—or financial quarter.
Domestic Disruptors: For Some Japanese Companies, Breaking with Custom Offers a Rare Path to Growth
By emphasing efficiency over tradition, ABC-Mart and MonotaRO have achieved high growth despite Japan’s stagnant economy.
Will the Sharing Economy Deliver the Goods?
Uber, Airbnb, and other stars of the sharing economy have high valuations that seem to belie their profitability. Is the sharing economy all hype?
Disrupting Your Closet: How Customized Clothing Can Remake the Apparel Industry
New tools like 3D knitting, body scanning, and augmented reality could make “custom” the new black.
Craft Beer Is Going Flat. Can Craft Spirits Continue the Insurgency?
As Big Beer finally learns the mantra: “if you identify a trend, ride it, don’t fight it,” the growth path for craft brewers and distillers becomes more difficult, though not impossible.
A New Round in the Battle of the Brands
Can new entrants like Dollar Shave Club break the hegemony of the branded consumer staples giants, or will it be dominance as usual?
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