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Origin Green, Ireland’s food and drink sustainability programme, is the only national food and drink sustainability programme in the world. It is centred on measurable difference, with independent verification at its core, operating across the entire food supply chain and on a national scale. This month, we interview Danny Bowles (pictured) on the Global Food Sustainability Outlook.

Why does the Irish food industry need to act on sustainability? 

Climate change and efforts to be more sustainable will have to be a key priority for us all. It is inevitable that demands around sustainability are growing in the food industry, from regulatory and commercial perspectives. Climate change will impact the ability to produce food and maintain our current diets.

Our Global Food Sustainability Outlook demonstrates the commercial importance of sustainability to Irish businesses – 75% of consumers, globally, have made an effort to buy more sustainably produced food and drink in the last 12 months. The food and drink industry must keep up with sustainability demands. Consumers put the onus of responsibility for making food and drink more sustainable on producers – more than policymakers, retailers, etc. Those brands that do can stand to win out.

What are consumers’ most important sustainability attributes? 

The industry must make sustainable food and drink more accessible whilst communicating the value of sustainability. Packaging, food waste, animal welfare, and naturalness emerge as critical sustainability topics for consumers. Forty-two per cent (42%) associate sustainability with packaging – more than any other attribute we tested. Through this research, we can look at priority attributes per grocery category.

How do we find out more about the global food sustainability research? 

The Origin Green Global Sustainability survey was undertaken domestically, and in 12 of Ireland’s most important export markets, to understand attitudes to sustainability and emerging trends in three groups: agenda-setters (advocacy groups, policymakers, industry leaders), trade customers (trade buyers, sustainability leads, operations leads), and consumers. There are a lot of insights, so we have developed an online portal to further research.

In Association with

Visitors will be able to review the key insights per market and sustainability topic, e.g. carbon footprint, biodiversity, circular economy, packaging, animal welfare, food waste. This allows them to understand which sustainability actions and messages resonate best, and the key themes within. The portal will also give some key data points and market examples.

Visit the Global Sustainability portal here.