The new normal

Society and the planet have been transformed during the pandemic. The search for meaning has permeated our lives.

During this unprecedented period, our relationship with the world, nature, work, and home has changed. Temporarily or permanently, for those who have chosen to change their living space or career, for example.

The very notion of normality is questionable. A majority of people expect a return to 'normal,' while others want profound societal changes. However, one in four French people believe that we will never return to normal life.[I]But this weariness that has invaded the French seems to be fading as the end of the 'crisis' and the reopening of places progresses... for a return to our life before? Perhaps just on the surface.

Covid-19 and successive lockdowns have changed the hierarchy of our priorities, but without changing them themselves. At the height of the crisis, the French, of course, placed the epidemic alone at the top of their concerns (76%), followed by the healthcare system (42%) and global warming (33%).[ii].

The two structuring movements of society were therefore not hidden: the quest for health needs and the search for ecology, which are of course the two driving forces of the .

Within this paradigm, some trends have stalled, while others have progressed. While concerns about plastic have temporarily eased in favor of maximizing safety, there is no denying that organic products continue to prevail. zero waste and zero waste (so almost zero plastic). The taste for DIY, fresh, organic, and local products has returned more than ever. Even if home deliveries have exploded – there is no such thing as completely virtuous behavior.

Ultimately, this pandemic has highlighted the need to regain a certain food sovereignty, in cities and the countryside. Also positive is the need to be better connected to others and to nature, giving rise to a solidarity, empathy, and awareness that could be the foundations of a new society.

Yes, this crisis has created another and possible normality: the ecology of the self, sharing and the preservation of life.

Pascale Brousse decodes organic trends for Natexpo of the year. An expert in green, clean and sustainable lifestyle for 20 years, Pascale Brousse founded Trend Sourcing in 2000.

Discover the organic macro-trends and micro-trends at Natexpo 2021:

Macro-Trend No. 1 
COVID-19, a new ecology of self

Macro-Trend No. 2 
Gastronomic countercultures

Macro-Trend No. 3 
Unpublished natures

Macro-Trend No. 4
Modern minimalisms

Download the 2021 Organic Trends Journal

 

[I] Study: The French and the Covid-19 epidemic, Wave 39, Elabe BFM Direct, 2021
[ii] Barometer by the Datacovid association and the Ipsos institute, April 2020

 

Rediscover the Natexpo 2020 trend book