With the year only a few weeks from wrapping up, we sought out the top 10 news stories for 2022.
We lurched through 2020, only to find 2021 was largely a continuation of that painful year — then 2022 opened with a war, a scorching summer, record drought and then a surge in inflation at a pace not seen in more than 40 years.
But the past year wasn’t all bad news. Innovation continues in sectors from food and energy to automobiles, companies did their part to get more than 260 million Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, and workers across the U.S. continued to coalesce and stick up for themselves.
TriplePundit’s readers have responded to these trends. They’ve responded even more to our crew of writers, who time and again have provided our audience with their unique points of view and insight. We looked at the numbers as well as buzz on social media — and came up with top 10 news stories on 3p for 2022 (with a few honorable mentions).
We couldn’t look away from this Netflix film
“Don’t Look Up also serves a much broader purpose, as a primer on communicating in the age of media clutter. In that regard it should make the ‘suggested viewing’ list for corporate training on brand reputation and social responsibility,” wrote Tina Casey as she gave more than her two cents assessing this late 2021 Netflix flick. The movie, released in December of last year, streamed to mixed reviews, but Casey went beyond discussing any messaging about climate change — and instead positioned the film as a lesson in communications.
Retailers start paying up
Remember the term “essential workers?” Well, apparently Target did, at least earlier this year. Stung by their low wages and then their treatment during the pandemic, workers have been pushing back, and pushing back hard. Hence the interest in Gary E. Frank’s article about the retailer boosting pay for its workers as a nationwide labor shortage continued to bedevil companies.
Why LGBTQ allyship absolutely matters
The Netflix series Heartstopper scored its share of hearts and minds as viewers saw more LGBTQ stories told on their terms. It hasn’t been smooth sailing for the cast, as one of its stars, Kit Connor, deleted his Twitter account after coming out as bisexual following months of social media trolls accusing him of “queerbaiting.” The trolls have been coming after Connor’s co-star, Sebastian Croft, too — but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his own projects in demonstrating his allyship with the LGBTQ community.
Green hydrogen the fuel of the 2020s and into mid-century?
Nuclear fusion may finally have its moment, and that bodes well for the nascent green hydrogen industry. Tina Casey has been tracking this technology for several years here on 3p, and her May article on the latest developments in green hydrogen piqued the interest of our readers.
Diversity in agriculture
The company that bills itself as the leading rural lifestyle retailer in the U.S. keeps opening new stores and winning new customers. Tractor Supply Company has also partnered with the American Farmland Trust (AFT) to offer support to women and LGBTQ farmers, as well as those who are people of color.
A Union on zero waste in Philly
Pro soccer’s Philadelphia Union came up short in this year’s MSL Cup, but last year, the home of the Union — Subaru Park in the Philly suburb of Chester — became the first soccer-specific venue in the league to achieve zero landfill status. The league-first accomplishment came out of an ongoing partnership between the Union and Subaru of America, as Grant Whittington covered earlier this year.
Plant-based foods keep rolling out
For several years, 3p’s senior editor Mary Mazzoni has been rounding up trends in plant-based foods to start the year, and our readers click on the headlines and read in kind. Her review to launch 2022 performed strongly yet again back in January.
A surprise in electric vehicle reviews
Tesla has taken most of the oxygen in the electric vehicles (EVs) room, but it turned out that one of America’s leading consumer review publications gave the Ford Mustang Mach-E its top overall EV score.
Brands and the circular economy
We haven’t been hearing much about the circular economy as of late — the two-year surge in single-use plastics during the global pandemic certainly helped putting such plans on ice. Nevertheless, several brands had given circularity a shot, as summed up in Mary Mazzoni’s article from back in January.
The IPCC kept warning us
We’ve been hearing it again year after year: The world is on a collision course with climate disaster. Grant Whittington’s March article on the latest findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) foreshadowed the rough summer much of the world experienced, as drought and scorching temperatures took their toll.
Beyond the top 10 stories: Honorable mentions for 2022
Our readers were tuned into several other topics as well this year.
As more companies strive to find alternatives to meat and dairy that are far more climate-friendly, we profiled several of them earlier this year. While we’re on the subject of more humane treatment, workers are increasingly taking a stand against bad management. Unionization is also picking up steam, even if brands are trying to mask such efforts with environmental PR. Several companies also did what they could to push back against anti-vaxxers. One singer drew a line in the sand against one of the leading music streamers on vaccine misinformation. Finally, as more restrictive legislation curbing access to the ballot box swept through state houses, some brands stood up for voting rights.
Image credit: Anna Demianenko via Unsplash
Leon Kaye has written for 3p since 2010 and become executive editor in 2018. His previous work includes writing for the Guardian as well as other online and print publications. In addition, he's worked in sales executive roles within technology and financial research companies, as well as for a public relations firm, for which he consulted with one of the globe’s leading sustainability initiatives. Currently living in Central California, he’s traveled to 70-plus countries and has lived and worked in South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay.
Leon’s an alum of Fresno State, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the University of Southern California's Marshall Business School. He enjoys traveling abroad as well as exploring California’s Central Coast and the Sierra Nevadas.