Extreme storms and the most expensive election in history have made their way from the public debate onto shareholder ballots, according to Proxy Preview 2013.
This ninth edition of the insider’s guide to social and environmental shareholder proposals documents investors’ continued appetite for disclosure of corporate political spending in 2013. These 120+ resolutions account for a full third of the resolutions filed.
Proposals on climate change, energy, and their related risks—as well as interconnected questions about corporate sustainability strategies and transparency—are the second largest category, with 92 proposals.
Hydraulic fracturing continues to be a hot topic, with new resolutions asking for quantitative data on reducing health and environmental impacts and on greenhouse gas intensive methane emissions. There is also concern about a “carbon bubble” resulting from potentially unburnable fossil fuel reserves.
Proxy Preview summarizes the shareholder resolutions filed this year, including how companies are responding, and provides background and resources on shareholder advocacy.
It also features perspectives from a stellar roster of issue experts including Kenneth Bertsch of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals, John Ruggie of Harvard University, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. of the Waterkeeper Alliance.
As You Sow is proud to collaborate on the Preview with the Sustainable Investments Institute (Si2), which conducts impartial research on social and environmental shareholder proposals; and Proxy Impact, a proxy voting service for foundations, endowments, and socially responsible investors.
Access the report, including a user-friendly index of all companies facing social and environmental proposals at www.proxypreview.org.
