RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS

Ever struggled to give your colleagues a reason why you aren't turning your camera on during your weekly team meetings? Well, next time you can say - "I'm just helping save the planet!". And we're not kidding, promise.

Every internet search query we run, every picture we forward, every movie we watch, every video call we make — all of it has an associated environmental impact. Also, video content causes far higher CO2 emissions than the rest due to its data-intensive nature.

According to estimates by Cisco, the share of video content in all internet traffic is estimated to rise from 75% in 2017 to 82% by 2022. Industry estimates indicate that the global information, communications, and technology (ICT) sector comprises —3.7% of all greenhouse gas emissions — almost equivalent to the airline industry. And this will only increase in the years to come.

So, how do we minimize the damage? By minimizing video content consumption. A January 2021 study by researchers from Purdue University, Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reveals that switching off your camera in a web call can bring down the carbon footprint of the call by 96%! And streaming in standard definition instead of high definition on video apps can reduce the carbon footprint by 86%.

Everything comes at a price. Yeah, that's right, think of that before you binge watch a web series or get on that long WhatsApp video call with your friend next time!

Everyone knows Tesla but did you know that it is now the 7th most valuable listed company in the world after it recently overtook Facebook's equity value? So, Tesla's stock price has increased more than 700% (wow!) in the last 12 months and its market cap is now > US$800bn. This makes Tesla's founder Elon Musk, a very rich man, in fact, the richest in the world!

But why has Tesla's stock price skyrocketed? Glad you asked. Firstly, healthy sales in Q4 2020 and secondly, a massive improvement in the market sentiment. In the Sep-Dec 2020 quarter, Tesla sold more cars than the market expected. Additionally, renowned brokers who were so far pessimistic about the stock admitted to 'being wrong' about Tesla and upgraded their recommendation on the stock. That set the stock soaring.

However, many are still skeptical. Tesla's equity is now worth more than the other top 9 automakers combined. Estimates suggest that during 2020, Tesla sold c.<0.3Mn cars in the US while the other 9 automakers—Toyota Volkswagen, Daimler, GM, BMW, Hyundai, Honda, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler — sold more than 12.3 Mn cars combined. These car makers are big names, have weathered many business storms and have been extremely valuable for decades. Tesla, as compared to them, is a more recent phenomenon.

So, does Tesla really deserve its worth or is it one of the largest bubbles in the current times?

Just when we'd thought that we'd heard enough of the 'alternative diet' stuff, here's some meat that even a vegan would dig into.

Alternative meat — a food product that tastes and feels like animal-based meat and even has a similar nutrition profile except... it's made from plants. In case you haven't already heard, global FMCG giants like Tesco, Unilever, Nestle etc. and restaurants like Burger King and Dunkin Donuts are already incorporating alternative meat in their menus.

As the awareness around the climate impact of meat production and animal abuse is heightening, consumers are increasingly looking for 'sustainable consumption' options to manifest 'holistic, healthier lifestyles'.

Interestingly, alternative meat serves both as an ecofriendly substitute for meat-eaters as well as a new food option for vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians (people who are flexible when it comes to choosing plant-based foods over meat).

With plant-based meat hitting the stands, we are clearly looking at a growing global market which is estimated to reach USD 85 billion by 2030 according to UBS. Even during the pandemic, vegan meat sales boomed amidst meat shortage: US plant-based food sales increased 90% YoY in March 2020. Moreover, surveys revealed that 80% consumers in Germany, the U.K.

and the Netherlands said they would continue with vegan meat even after the pandemic ended. With alternate meat companies like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods etc. riding the wave of innovation, we think this trend is here to stay. Any bone of contention?