10 Trends That Surprised Us: OZY’s 100

Why wind up in an urn on the shelf when you can be something a bit more flashy? The company, Eterneva, turns the cremains of people into wearable diamonds. Creepy? Maybe to some, but Eterneva is seeking to change the conversation around death by turning your loved one into a conversation piece.

Do you need a sitter for your dog? Or someone to scoop the poop while you spend precious minutes of your time meeting a deadline? Would you like to track your dog’s activity while you finally take that long-overdue vacation — and possibly speak with your pet while you’re away? Pet product companies across the globe are increasingly developing robots that can tackle these needs.

Nature often has the best answers. Amid calls for green products and fabrics in the pollution-heavy fashion industry, Indian fashion entrepreneur Gowri Shankar found an eco-friendly and vegan alternative to wool in the form of a wasteland shrub that grows throughout much of South and Southeast Asia. Coined “Weganool,” the plant’s fibers can be extracted without chemicals and it can grow in soil with high salinity and little water — plus the liquid leftovers can be made into insect repellent. European firms are already embracing it. Could America be next?

Marketing and spirituality might seem like odd bedfellows, but selling people on products that enhance the mind, body and especially the soul has become serious business over the past several years, with global spending on personal health, fitness and sustainable living skyrocketing. But the revelation isn’t what people are buying or how much they’re spending — it’s how they are choosing. In one study by public relations powerhouse Edelman, 44% of people were willing to pay a premium for products made by companies that support a “good cause” with a portion of their profits.

Globally, climate change is predicted to lead to vanishing glaciers, swelling seas, searing drought and devastating storms. But some regions are expected to benefit from the warming trend. According to the ClimateChangePost, Northern Europe could by 2080 see its arable land increase 40% compared to 1990 levels. Due to longer and warmer summers, Scandinavian nations are already growing crops they never before could. Denmark, for instance, is now producing wine.

As veganism expands globally, a growing number of startups are producing vegan fashion outside the traditional ethical clothing hubs in the U.S. and Europe. Not only are these emerging firms saving countless furry creatures, they’re also boosting their local economies in Asia and Latin America — while providing cheaper, sustainable goods that deal-hungry Western markets want. The major challenge? Ensuring these manufacturers don’t succumb to the same pressures of using sweatshops that have earned fast fashion a bad rap.

After facing Western notions of hair beauty for decades, West Africa is embracing natural hair. On the streets of Dakar, Abidjan or Lagos, you’ll be hard-pressed to see the Afros now commonplace in Nairobi, Johannesburg and New York. You might conclude that the natural hair movement has failed to take root in West Africa. But you would be wrong: More and more people are carrying their natural hair these days. They might be wearing it under braids, head scarves, wigs and, yes, even weaves.