Business of Design

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• Zero-waste stores pop up in the US, targeting shoppers tired of all the waste

  9:56 AM ET Mon, 22 Oct 2018

  Back in 2012, the first zero-waste supermarket — no disposable packaging at all — opened in Austin, Texas. It's closed, but that hasn't stopped grocery entrepreneurs from trying to sell shoppers on the concept as packaging waste piles onto landfills.

• Sleek, disaster-proof homes made out of shipping containers are the newest rage

  12:15 PM ET Thu, 18 Oct 2018

  Homeowners in hurricane- and tornado-prone areas now have an alternative to brick and wood to keep their families safe: shipping containers. The steel construction exceeds U.S. structural code and stands up to severe conditions in seismic zones.

• Walmart saves $200 million by changing its light bulbs and $20 million with a new floor wax

  1:29 PM ET Tue, 16 Oct 2018

  Imagine saving millions of dollars just by changing light bulbs and floor wax. It's exactly what Walmart is doing.

• Jimmy Choo co-founder is reimagining the shoe industry with her eponymous footwear line

  9:00 AM ET Thu, 11 Oct 2018

  Tamara Mellon saw an opportunity when she saw promise in Malaysian shoemaker Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat. Now she is ahead of the curve once again, reimagining the shoe industry as an online, direct-to-consumer retailer. Venture capitalists are listening.

• MIT researchers develop a chip design to take us closer to computers that work like human brains   

  10:29 AM ET Wed, 10 Oct 2018

  Scientists at MIT are developing brains-on-a-chip for neuromorphic computing.  It would allow processing facts, patterns and learning at lightning speed and could fast-forward the development of humanoids and autonomous driving technology.

• Target is back to its 'cheap chic' roots, but the retailer has to keep the momentum going

  2:55 PM ET Fri, 5 Oct 2018

  The turnaround plan is working, but with many milestone investments behind it, Target will now have to prove it can keep the momentum going and keep growth stable in the coming years.

• Soon you may be able to change your car's interior at the touch of a button

  12:03 PM ET Mon, 11 June 2018

  BMW and MIT's Self-Assembly Lab have just developed the first 3-D-printed inflatable material that could drastically change the future of car interiors.

• Kate Spade's legacy: She reimagined the style of the quintessential American woman

  9:30 AM ET Mon, 11 June 2018

  Kate Spade's simple yet fun design sensibility and quirky all-American style leaves an indelible mark on fashion, according to the CEO of Bloomingdale's and others, defying her tragic end.

• 7 new RV models are taking the classic recreational vehicle into the future

  9:01 AM ET Sun, 10 June 2018

  RV sales boomed in recent years, helped by new design ideas for the classic summer travel recreational vehicle — from luxury Winnebagos to retro towable trailers made of wood.

• This new water bottle could put the 'squeeze' on the $8 billion reusable water bottle industry

  11:12 AM ET Fri, 8 June 2018

  The US reusable water bottle industry is projected to be worth $10.4 billion by the end of 2024, up from $7.6 billion in 2016. Start-up company Keego has designed a squeezable, and perhaps healthier, alternative that may disrupt the entire industry.

• The secret trigger that makes you reach for your favorite bottle of wine

  6:48 PM ET Fri, 8 June 2018

  There are so many factors to consider when choosing a bottle of wine. Yet all too often the choice comes down to the label. Vintners are incorporating augmented reality and other innovations into their label design to attract wine enthusiasts.

• These new shoes designed by Puma and MIT Lab know how you are feeling

  6:45 PM ET Thu, 7 June 2018

  MIT Design Lab and Puma have teamed up to develop shoes that sense fatigue levels based on sweat, prompting the shoe to ventilate.

• This weed-killing AI robot can tell crops apart

  2:31 PM ET Mon, 4 June 2018

  This weed-killing AI robot, which uses 20 times less herbicide, could disrupt a multibillion dollar market.

• This shoe is made out of recycled chewing gum

  1:39 PM ET Thu, 24 May 2018

  Three million pounds of chewing gum land on Amsterdam's streets every year. Now it's being recycled into the Gumshoe.

• What's for dinner? In the edible tableware era, the answer is your plate

  4:25 PM ET Fri, 18 May 2018

  As plastic becomes banned all over the world, the business of edible plates, cups and straws is booming, but how do they taste?

• Tesla's latest competition in making efficient truck to crisscross country: Big Oil

  11:41 AM ET Sat, 12 May 2018

  Tesla and Shell are both chasing the same problem in trucks: transportation emissions. Although the need for power makes fuel-efficient trucks a challenge, electric batteries and design improvements offer solutions.