Rise in e-commerce increases need to consider ESG impactsRise in e-commerce increases need to consider ESG impacts
As grocery e-commerce accelerates, watch these 4 ESG factors.
July 22, 2020
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Sponsored by Calvert Research and Management
Calvert Research and Management 
While U.S. e-commerce retail sales have grown at an estimated 11% compound annual growth rate for the last 10 years, grocery is one of the few sectors that has not experienced a sharp rise. COVID-19 and the restrictions on physical shopping spaces, however, drove upticks in digital grocery shopping. And we expect at least a portion of these new consumer behaviors to remain after the pandemic.
However, we also expect potential issues to arise that we’ll begin to examine in this white paper:
Labor management: how will retailers balance the advantages and challenges presented by automation, contractor labor and demands for new employee roles?
Digitization: physical retail won't disappear, so how strategically balancing digital and physical services will be critical.
Environmental effects: escalating grocery e-commerce has the potential to create regulatory or reputational risks around C02 emissions or packaging concerns that are worth watching.
Data security: increased online data collection also means a need for retail companies to safeguard that consumer data effectively or risk material financial impacts. Are grocery retailers ready?
