Companies that stay to produce in New Zealand rather than move to low-cost economies are doing very good for the economy, says Brew Group CEO NZ Mark Hamilton.
He is speaking in an FGC Leaders Series video interview on sustainability. “I think we’ve seen a lot of businesses move offshore to low-cost economies and things like that, and actually we believe really strongly that producing in New Zealand is very good for New Zealand – providing jobs, providing employment, being actively involved in building not only people’s lives but the infrastructure that we all come to enjoy.”
This ‘prosperity’ mantra is one of the three cornerstones of sustainability of the Brew Group that Hamilton talks about in the video, the others being ‘people’ and ‘planet’.
“In the industry, generally people look at sustainability as ‘social’, ‘environment’ and ‘economic’. We tend to refer to it as ‘people’, ‘planet’ and ‘prosperity’. So each of those three things need to come together.”
About people, he talks about how Brew Group treats its customers, its suppliers in Brazil, Kenya or El Salvador, and its consumers, and how it involves its staff in the business and in expanding their capabilities. About planet, he talks about how the environment is important to New Zealanders, and how sourcing “socially just” product from ethical suppliers is important to having a sustainable product from an agricultural perspective.
FGC Chief Executive Katherine Rich says Brew Group’s attitudes are typical of what is good about New Zealand food companies. “Sustainability forms a big part of their culture and that builds them long-lasting reputations, not just with consumers in New Zealand who can see they are doing the right thing, but it also helps win over customers overseas. It’s part of the New Zealand picture.”
View Mark Hamilton’s interview on FGC’s YouTube channel
