As we continue to engage in dialogues started in the 2011 proxy season, As You Sow is gearing up for 2012. Our Energy, Environmental Health, and Waste Programs will be filing shareholder resolutions on a range of issues to protect human health and the environment.
Our Energy Program, with issue areas Coal and Fracking, will continue to press companies to transition away from dirty energy production. We will re-file with Duke and FirstEnergy, the largest coal utilities in the U.S., and file with new companies to speed up the transition to cleaner alternatives. We will also maintain pressure on major oil and gas companies ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Ultra Petroleum to acknowledge and respond to the growing concerns around the toxic chemicals in fracking fluid, the degradation of air and water, and the impact on local communities.
The Waste Program will expand to include the consumer packaged goods and grocery sectors, working for adoption of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). In beverage container recycling, we will be filing with Dr Pepper Snapple Group on bottle/can recycling goals and, after a successful dialogue with Starbucks, will engage with McDonald’s and Yum! Brands, owner of Taco Bell and KFC, to follow suit.
The Environmental Health Program will continue filing shareholder resolutions to eliminate the reproductive toxicant BPA, which is used in the plastic linings of every Coca-Cola can and also coats ATM receipts used by Bank of America and other banks across the nation. Our “Framework for Sourcing Food and Food Packaging Products Containing Nanomaterials” will be published to serve as a resource for companies in the food industry to follow McDonald’s lead in declaring a “No Nano” policy.
Our 8th annual “Proxy Preview” will be released in February and will offer comprehensive information on over 300 environmental, social, and governance shareholder resolutions filed by As You Sow and other advocacy groups.
We look forward to a busy year in 2012, using shareholder advocacy to promote social and environmental corporate responsibility.
