As consumers demand environmental consciousness and businesses see profits to be made, innovation will infiltrate the consumer shopping experience more and more, according to a report published in December from market research company CB Insights.
"Sustainability has taken on new meaning for companies since the onset of Covid-19," the report's author, Rachel Binder, a Senior Intelligence Analyst at CB Insights, tells CNBC Make It.
For example, "the pandemic exacerbated the global waste crisis," says Binder: Health and safety concerns drove "an accumulation of plastic waste," like disposable masks and gloves, she says, and things like restaurant shut-downs and other supply chain disruptions "led to an abundance of food waste."