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Origin Green is Ireland’s national food sustainability programme. It is a voluntary programme led by Bord Bia that brings together farmers, food producers, retailers and food service operators with the common goal of sustainable food production. Grace Binchy (pictured), insight and trends specialist with Bord Bia, tells us what are the key trends in 2019 that can influence how business can have an impact on healthier and sustainable living.

Why are trends important for developing a sustainable business?

By keeping up with trends and understanding what’s coming next, Bord Bia helps companies stay relevant and be better prepared for the future needs and desires of their consumers. The Consumer Lifestyle Trends (CLT), developed in partnership with Kantar Consulting, identifies the key global trends that shape people’s lives looking, broadly, over the next five to ten years.

The study is firstly informed by looking at the macro forces of change influencing life today, such as economic and political factors. It is further informed by a quantitative study of over 30,000 people across 25 countries. It is then built with the help of a street-scaping network of people across 40 countries and 60 cities to look for manifestations of the trends on the ground.

How can businesses use these CLT trends to grow sustainably?

The trends act as a catalyst for new product development and inspiration. They can also be used to inform marketing and communications strategy. Ultimately, the programme is designed to drive commercial growth for the Irish food and drinks industry.

What does 2019 bring in terms of the trends?

There are currently five key trends within our programme: Health and Wellbeing, Fuller Lives, Engaging Experiences, Sustainable Living, and Community and Identity. While all the trends are driving new and evolving consumer dynamics, two that continue to have a significant impact on behavioural change include Health and Wellbeing and Sustainable Living.

In Association with

Health and Wellbeing
According to our trends programme, three out of four people globally consume a functional food on a daily basis. Consumers scrutinise labels and are increasingly looking for more natural ingredients. Later this year, Bord Bia will conduct a study around clean labelling to really start understanding what consumers look for, and how they read ingredients on packs.

Sustainable Living
This trend has gone from niche to mainstream over the last number of years. Increasing planetary pressures, growing regulations such as the coming ban on single-use plastics, and a consumer who is embracing environmental causes and wants to understand where their food comes from are putting this trend front and centre.

There is a lot of innovation around sustainability, from experimentation with new materials to finding alternatives to plastic. There is also a growing emphasis on ‘eco status’: we are seeing premiumisation in this category and a growing tier of offerings from the consumer perspective.

The use of technology to enable consumers to be exposed to a more transparent supply chain will increasingly change the way businesses communicate with consumers and shoppers.

For food and drinks businesses, addressing sustainability has moved from being a ‘nice to have’. It’s fast becoming a key part of running any business today, and businesses will have to continue to evolve to stay relevant in what is a very dynamic and changing environment.

• For more on the Consumer Lifestyle Trends and Origin Green, please visit bordbiaconsumerlifestyletrends.ie and origingreen.ie