It has been around for a long time but it seems that charity is
increasingly being built into consumer products, services and
interfaces.

Perhaps, a sign that materialism is no longer an aim in itself -
consumer lifestyle must also match our increasing need for holistic
meaning.

Apple’s special edition iPod RED (a part of the joinRED business
model) is an example reflecting the trend. It’s cleverly designed to
let consumers support a good cause, while making a fashion statement
about it.

At the other end of the scale are the bottle-recycling machines in
Sweden (image). Bottle deposits are relatively high in some parts of
Europe and the machines simply lets you decide between donating the
money to charity (yellow button) or cashing it in yourself (green
button).