Ireland and other countries are moving fast to claim the clean green mantle that has long been associated with New Zealand. We have become complacent, and our most valuable national asset is at risk.
Ireland has a national project to drive towards sustainability of their farming system and to market it aggressively. By the end of this year, virtually all their beef and dairy farms will be audited to meet the agreed standards.
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As Kiwis, we still recognise this story about our country - clean flowing rivers, pristine beaches, fresh air and a fair go for all. But we are polluting our environment and widening inequities in our society. We are also failing to tell our story through our exports. We don't talk about our grass-fed dairy, our hormone-free beef and our GM-free crops.
The market for products with credible sustainability credentials is large and growing. Research into a group of consumers dubbed LOHAS - Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability - shows this segment comprises around 20 per cent in OECD countries and a rapidly growing segment in emerging Asian economies.
LOHAS are typically willing to pay more for eco- and socially-friendly products, so long as the claims are supported by credible certification or other forms of verification.
The growth of socially and environmentally conscious consumers is fueled by a generational change. Within a decade, millennials will amount to 75 per cent of the global workforce, and they will work for, buy from and invest in enterprises they love.
![Barry Coates.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/VGPJZYDC45BK7PL6WVXEBSHFPM.jpg?auth=3376203bd9433db88534f5ae10c828be29d85452e762b36a68cafe614499510d&width=16&height=21&quality=70&smart=true)
Some multinationals are responding to the sustainability agenda. Mark Wilson, a Kiwi who is CEO of insurance giant Aviva, recently visited Auckland and talked about his decision to stop reporting quarterly results to investors on the grounds that this was driving a short term perspective, rather than a longer term commitment to investment and sustainability.