There is an increasing awareness of environmental issues and, in particular, the need for economic growth to be environmentally sustainable. The demands on industry from environmental regulation are becoming more stringent and pressure from consumers for the supply of environmentally friendly products is likely to increase. Firms, which respond positively to these pressures and look for the opportunities within them, are likely to be more successful in the long run.

Along with environmental awareness has come a more widespread understanding that economic growth is only part of improving the quality of life. As societies become materially more affluent they become more concerned to enhance the quality of life. However it is argued that while material consumption has risen dramatically in the last few decades in the advanced industrial nations, the quality of life experienced in them has, at best, increased only slightly or, at worst, actually declined due to adverse effects of economic growth on the wider physical and social environment.
Again as a result of increased affluence and information, there has been a rise in "ethical consumption" by consumers who are concerned not solely with the price and quality of goods but also with the nature of the production processes and transactions involved. Their decisions are influenced by questions as to whether goods are purchased from producers in a fair manner, whether production involves exploitation, unnecessary suffering or excessive waste and, in the case of food, whether attempts have been made to change the nature of the product (egg through genetic modification) or produce it using questionable processes. Environment and quality of life issues will grow in importance for industry in our region over the coming years.