Whether publicly traded retail companies have verified sustainability plans in place or have been accused of “greenwashing” (making false or misleading claims of sustainability), environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards have trended upward over the past year, in which a record $649 billion was poured into ESG-focused funds worldwide in 2021, according to Refinitiv Lipper data.
As investors continue to put their money into retailers making a difference, one misconception for these companies jumping on the ESG bandwagon today is that a majority of these investors are more likely to belong to younger generations. New research shows 54% of Gen Z and millennials holding ESG investments, compared to only 42% of boomers and 25% of Gen Xers, reported a Betterment survey.
From combating climate change to expanding the company’s diversity, or calling for more corporate equitable policies, retailers need to understand what younger generational investors care about to not only build an effective ESG strategy, but also to increase the company’s financial portfolio.
Generational Shift
As noted in a recent cfo.com article, ESG has been around for a long time. The recent acceleration of widespread reporting on ESG principles and practices, however, results from the shift of power, money and jobs from baby boomers to millennials and Gen Z. Also factors are passive investing, COVID-19, social injustice issues, the “Great Resignation” and talent shortages.
Despite there not being an exact right way to go about your company’s ESG strategy, contributing to fighting climate change, specifically the threat of global warming, seems to be the most concerning for today’s Gen Z and younger millennial investors, reports a recent survey by European asset management firm Amundi and The Business Times of Singapore. However, social and economic equity throughout the entire corporation also seems just as significant due to these individuals consuming more related news articles, blogs and videos through social media.
Even if it’s not investing into ESG funds, Millennial and Gen Z individuals have also started to shift retailers’ workforce in terms of attracting and retaining young talent that can grow within the company. According to Gallup, Gen Z talent currently makes up 46% of the fulltime workforce in the U.S, where governance factors, such as flexible vs. one-size-fits-all healthcare plans, including mental healthcare and charitable support, like having days off for volunteering and donation matching, are of particular concern. Moreover, mentorship and employer engagement are also key to retaining this younger generation of workers.
As a result of reporting ESG principles and practices that younger generations care about, investors, along with employees and customers will all benefit in continuing to mold an environmentally and socially conscious world. Nevertheless, a lack of ESG transparency remains, impacting how younger generations view the specific retailer.
The Current Lack of ESG Transparency
With a retailer’s ESG practices being scored on a rating scale by proxy advisors, such as Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), younger generational investors rely on these ESG scores to determine what company’s efforts align most, whereas younger talent looking for employment also gravitate toward retailers with ESG scores 25% higher than average, Gallup also observed.
Unfortunately, ISS and other proxy advisors scoring retailers’ ESG practices are the main culprits when it comes to the lack of transparency in the ESG rating systems created to analyze a public retailer’s ESG efforts. Investors, employees and customers do not have the same transparency into the specific factors that lead to this rating. These proxy advisors continue to mislead well-intentioned young investors into ESG funds that are “doing good” through conflicted incentive rating structures.
Given the power of these ESG ratings, publicly traded retailers and retail shareholders must have direct access to how these ratings are calculated. However, proxy advisors call that information proprietary and refuse to disclose it. What began as a public relations and marketing effort for corporations to show employees and customers they are responsible actors now functions as a corporate credit score where those who refuse to play the game are denied access to investor capital.
Engaging Gen Z & Millennial Investors
If a retailer’s ESG rating by proxy advisors like ISS does not appear transparent as to the ESG practices listed in the initial reporting and does not seem to engage younger generational investors, the best approach for corporate boards to think about is a digital one, in which companies should further utilize all channels of social media and other popular smartphone tools to engage with this tech-native demographic.
One example of interacting digitally with millennial and Gen Z investors can be through virtualizing annual general meetings (AGMs), better known as the most important shareholder meeting of the year. According to retail packaging software company Lumi, they received a 70% increase in the average number of attendees attending AGMs in 2021 compared to 2020, which proves beneficial for Gen Z investors, but also overall shareholders in increasing the quality of participation.
Moreover, retailers can also think beyond the virtual AGMs and continue to invest in investor relations, whether it’s inviting directors to make regular contact with younger shareholders or just helping maintain a loyal younger shareholder base and value perception. Although younger investors may rely more on social media and influencers to judge whether an investment is worthwhile, retailers can still have the power to take back control and tell the retailer’s story using a more positive lens.
Just by generating more authenticity in the company, especially when it comes to ESG issues, will ultimately help fend off proxy advisor ratings from what is true and what is false. If a younger investor feels they’re being greenwashed, younger investors will switch off and find their own information from other sources.
Even though engaging the next generation of investors is no easy task, retailers must find innovative ways to capture the attention of younger investors. Thinking digitally, communicating any ESG triumphs and engaging younger investors all year round are just some of the ways to ensure retailers encourage loyalty in this new generation.
Terry Branstad is the national chairman of The Corporate Citizenship Project, former U.S. Ambassador to China (2017-2020) and the longest serving governor in the history of the United States (1983-1999/2011-2017). In addition to his role as president of Des Moines University Medical School, his public service includes election to the office of Lt. Governor and three-terms in the Iowa House of Representatives. For more information, visit corporatecitizenshipproject.com/
