Blog Archives

Apple, Intel Carry on as SEC Relaxes Conflict Minerals Scrutiny

Bloomberg BNA- April 13, 2017- Relaxed regulatory scrutiny won’t stop companies like Apple Inc. and Intel Corp. from reporting as usual next month about efforts to keep minerals that fund conflict in Africa from ending up … MORE >

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RELEASE: As You Sow Withdraws Proposal; Commends KFC’s New U.S. Policy Restricting Antibiotic Use

Oakland, CA – April 7, 2017 – KFC U.S. today announced its decision to, by the end of 2018, only purchase chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine, a sustainability milestone for one of … MORE >

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RELEASE: Target Agrees to Engage Corporate Peers on Phase out of Polystyrene Foam Packaging in E-Commerce

OAKLAND, CA. – April 5, 2017 – As You Sow has withdrawn a shareholder proposal with Target Corp. that asks the company to phase out use of polystyrene foam packaging in its e-commerce operations, as a … MORE >

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Paul Hodgson: Proxy Preview 2017 -­‐ Shareholder resolutions in a time of Trump

Responsible Investor-March 10, 2017-As with last year’s Proxy Preview report, the release of this year’s Proxy Preview 2017 was accompanied by a webinar. The speakers were report authors Heidi Welsh from Si2 and Michael Passoff … MORE >

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It looks like this year will be big for investor activism

GreenBiz-March 14, 2017-Amid unprecedented uncertainty about the Trump administration’s commitment to environmental and social issues, investors are relying more heavily than ever on companies to take action on initiatives such as addressing climate change, conserving … MORE >

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Shareholders Ready To Fight For ‘Hard-Won Gains’

Financial Advisor-March 10, 2017-The 2017 proxy season is hopping. Shareholder activists have filed 430 resolutions with U.S. companies (compared with 370 a year ago). Although some resolutions have been challenged or withdrawn, 328 remain pending. … MORE >

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FEATURE – Can going green help pick the slavery out of cotton?

Wearing thick gloves and a shawl wrapped around her face, Kanchen Kanjarya is busily picking cotton in the midday sun on her small farm in Mayapur in India’s western state of Gujarat. Kanjarya, 42, works … MORE >

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‘Overpaid’ CEOs a Risk for Investors?

Executive pay that is disproportionate to a company’s past performance may also signal that poor returns are coming, according to a study set for release on Monday by shareholder activist group As You Sow. The … MORE >

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Sanderson Farms shareholders agree with board: Don’t stop antibiotics use

Sanderson Farms shareholders voted against a proposed companywide policy that would have phased out the use of medically important antibiotics, according to Meat + Poultry. The proposal was brought about by As You Sow on behalf of … MORE >

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Sanderson Farms shareholder proposal on antibiotics fails

Reuters-February 9, 2017-A Sanderson Farms Inc shareholder proposal requesting the third-largest U.S. poultry producer phase out the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention failed to pass on Thursday, the company … MORE >

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As You Sow calls out McDonald’s, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target for polystyrene use

Waste Dive-February 7, 2017-As You Sow has asked McDonald’s, Amazon, Target and Walmart to stop using polystyrene to package and ship their products. The group points to a new report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation that recommends the … MORE >

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Shampoo bottle made from ocean plastics hailed as ‘technical breakthrough’

The Guardian-January 27, 2017-Beaches strewn with plastic waste have become a graphic illustration of just how much plastic we use in everything from food packaging to cosmetics, and how much of it gets thrown away. … MORE >

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Consumer goods giant Unilever and Ikea buy into green myth

Plastics Today-January 24, 2017-Two more companies have fallen under the spell of what I call green mythology. As You Sow just announced that consumer goods giant Unilever (London) has committed to making 100% of its … MORE >

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Grainews-Tim’s, Burger King to cut some antibiotics from chicken supply

Grainews-January 4, 2017-The parent of fast-food chains Tim Hortons and Burger King plans to end the use of certain medically important antibiotics in its Canadian chicken supply chain in 2018.

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RELEASE: Proxy Season 2017 To Highlight Big Gaps Beween Investor Expectations and New Administration Goals

OAKLAND, CA. – March 8, 2017 – Post-Election Proxy Season Sees Big Boost in Requests on Diversity and Equal Pay But Climate Change and Corporate Political Transparency Still Top the Agenda. With a new administration … MORE >

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RELEASE: China Leads the Clean Energy Future with 35 Percent of the Updated Clean200 List

AS YOU SOW RELEASE: China Leads the Clean Energy Future with 35 Percent of the Updated Clean200 List OAKLAND, CA – February 21, 2017 – Today, As You Sow and Corporate Knights released the updated version of … MORE >

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RELEASE: S&P 500 Companies with Overpaid CEOs Underperformed the Benchmark by Nearly 3%

AS YOU SOW RELEASE: S&P 500 Companies with Overpaid CEOs Underperformed the Benchmark by Nearly 3%. OAKLAND, CA – February 13, 2017 – Most overpaid CEOs underperform by a gaping 10.5%, according to new As You Sow report. 100 … MORE >

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RELEASE: Historic Shareholder Vote on Antibiotics Challenges Sanderson Farms

AS YOU SOW RELEASE: Historic Shareholder Vote on Antibiotics Challenges Sanderson Farms OAKLAND, CA – February 9, 2017 – As You Sow’s shareholder proposal with Sanderson Farms, the third-largest U.S. poultry producer, was supported today by 30% of … MORE >

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RELEASE: As You Sow asks four global brands to phase out polystyrene foam

AS YOU SOW RELEASE: As You Sow asks four global brands to phase out polystyrene foam OAKLAND, CA – February 6, 2017 – As You Sow has asked four major U.S. companies that use harmful polystyrene foam packaging … MORE >

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RELEASE: Consumer Goods Giant Unilever Commits to 100% Recyclable Packaging

UNILEVER CONSUMER GOODS RELEASE: Consumer Goods Giant Unilever Commits to 100% Recyclable Packaging OAKLAND, CA – January 19, 2017 – Consumer goods giant Unilever has made a commitment that 100% of its packaging will be … MORE >

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Burger King to cut use of antibiotics in its chicken as part of superbug fight

Reuters-December 28, 2016-Restaurant chains Burger King and Tim Hortons plan to switch to chickens that are raised without antibiotics considered “critically important” to human medicine, their owner said on Wednesday. Restaurant Brands International Inc, which … MORE >

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Calpers Expands Tobacco Divestment to Outside Funds

Bloomberg Briefs-December 22. 2016-California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the largest U.S. public pension fund, is widening its ban on tobacco-related investments, with a plan to quit about $550 million in tobacco assets overseen by outside … MORE >

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Are You Eating Toxic Chocolate? Lead Found in Trader Joe’s, Hershey’s and Other Chocolates

EcoWatch-March 26, 2016-Consumer health watchdog As You Sow released results Wednesday showing that 35 of 50 chocolate products tested, including chocolate bunnies and eggs, expose consumers to lead and cadmium above levels set by California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic … MORE >

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Investors Say Companies Disclosing More on Fracking

Bloomberg Briefs- December 15, 2016- Energy companies are growing more transparent about fracking activity, according to a new report, amid concerns from sustainable investors that the energy extraction method is causing water damage, seismic activity and methane … MORE >

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Butler: The beginner’s guide to taking on the system

The Mercury news-December 9, 2016- For years, annual stockholder meetings were enlivened by so-called “gadflies” who seized the microphone and castigated the CEO and selected directors. Caught momentarily like deer in the headlights, these victims would … MORE >

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Mutual Fund Giant Vanguard Flexes Its Muscles

Fortune-December 8, 2016-The index-investing pioneer now has $3.8 trillion in assets. How will it use the clout that comes with all that money? The question made him uncomfortable. And suddenly he was getting it from … MORE >

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Climate Action Is Up to the Rest of Us Now

Bill Moyers-November 29, 2016-Responsible Americans can’t give up on shrinking the nation’s carbon footprint while a climate denialist and his fellow travelers have their way with the federal government. And while it’s true that market … MORE >

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More company climate votes ahead, as Trump may loosen energy rules

Fox Business – November 25, 2016 – BOSTON –  Activist shareholders plan a record number of resolutions focused on climate change at U.S. company annual meetings in 2017, even as President-elect Donald Trump looks set to … MORE >

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McDonald’s investor renews push for antibiotic reduction in all meat

Reuters – November 17. 2016 – A McDonald’s Corp (MCD.N) shareholder is redoubling efforts to convince the fast-food chain to stop all of its global restaurants from serving the meat of animals raised with antibiotics that … MORE >

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Is Carbon Hiding in Your Nest Egg?

The Huffington Post – November 11, 2016 – If you have money tucked away in a mutual fund or a retirement account, you have the power to invest in the world’s transition to clean energy. It’s … MORE >

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The carbon bubble: why investors can no longer ignore climate risks

The Guardian – October 27, 2016 – The financial risks posed by climate change and bad investments could make an ugly dent in your retirement savings, a new report warns.

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UK’s dirtiest funds revealed

Financial Times – October 13, 2016 – New ranking shows how exposed investment products are to polluting industries:  A BlackRock fund that invests in eastern Europe and Asia has been named as the UK’s dirtiest fund … MORE >

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RELEASE: Fracking scorecard: Even with industry downturn, improvement seen in risk reporting, but failing marks still dominate

DISCLOSING THE FACTS RELEASE – December 14, 2016 – Fracking scorecard: Even with industry downturn, improvement seen in risk reporting, but failing marks still dominate. 7 Out of 10 Oil and Gas Companies Engaged in … MORE >

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RELEASE: $11 Trillion in Mutual Funds Analyzed for Carbon Risk

As You Sow – October 13, 2016 – FossilFreeFunds.org, a website created by As You Sow, an environmental advocacy non-profit focused on climate finance, that enables all investors to know the climate risk embedded in … MORE >

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What happened to Dunkin’ Donuts’ vow to get rid of Styrofoam cups?

Digital Journal – September 26, 2016 –  In 2010, Dunkin’ Donuts said it was looking for a replacement for its iconic Styrofoam coffee cups because they were environmentally unfriendly. After six years, the company is … MORE >

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Mylan’s Pay for CEO Bresch Grates on Lawmakers, Many Investors

Bloomberg Markets – September 22, 2016 – Mylan NV Chief Executive Officer Heather Bresch was lambasted at a congressional hearing this week for taking home tens of millions of dollars as the company raised the price … MORE >

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‘Clean 200’ Looks at Flip Side of Fossil Fuel Divestment

Bloomberg BNA – August 15, 2016 – A global clean energy ranking released Aug. 15 looks at the flip side of fossil fuel divestment.

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RELEASE: As You Sow’s Shareholder Inquiry on Nanomaterials Fought by Walgreens

As You Sow – September 21, 2016 – Rather than respond to shareholder concerns that Walgreens’ store-brand infant formula may contain harmful, “needle-like” nanomaterials, Walgreens filed a motion with the SEC to block the inquiry.

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Your 401(k) fund could be helping to destroy the world’s precious rainforests

QUARTZ – September 16, 2016 – Most working Americans have no idea how their retirement plans work. Until very recently, neither did I.  

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Fiduciary responsibility and climate change

Corporate Knights – A certain recent RFP from the New York City comptroller on behalf of the city’s pension funds could be the beginning of something big.

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