WHAT’S HOT

Zoo beauties: Maxi Zoo Ireland has donated €200,000 worth of pet products and food to various charities across Ireland. 25 animal welfare organisations across 15 counties will bene t from this donation, which includes dog food, cat food and non-food products such as bedding, toys, leashes, collars and puppy pads. Maxi Zoo Ireland has 30 stores at locations in Counties Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Kildare, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Meath, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow. Several charities across these counties are recipients of the products, including organisations dedicated to the welfare of dogs, cats, horses, and wildlife.

Call to action: Irish consumers are more willing than ever to consider purchasing a refurbished smartphone, according to the 6th edition of the Recommerce Barometer in partnership withvodafone. In 2022,Vodafone Ireland became the rst telecommunications company in Ireland to introduce trade-in, which offers customers incentives to trade-in their smartphone devices. Irish consumers cited environmental reasons as the second biggest driver (36%) for this, suggesting Irish consumer appreciation for the bene ts of refurbished devices compared to buying new. Purchasing a refurbished smartphone saves around 50 Kg CO2E – using one- fth the carbon emissions of the equivalent newly manufactured smartphone — and removes the need to extract 164 Kg of raw materials.

Busy Bumble: Beginning last week, women on dating app Bumble have even more choice in how they connect — with the launch of Opening Moves. The new feature gives women the option to set a question that their matches can respond to, creating a new way to engage with connections while keeping women in control. Women can also use one of Bumble’s recommended Opening Moves, or craft their own. This comes after nearly half of women (46%) surveyed on Bumble shared that having more ways to start a conversation would make their dating app experience even better.