Trillium’s Economic & Market Outlook Now Available: Fourth Quarter 2017
January 12, 2018 // Boston, MA – Economic data strengthened throughout 2017, defying the expectations of economists and investors. After a lackluster 2016, the year-over-year index of leading economic indicators accelerated aggressively, and the Citi economic surprise index climbed to historic highs. Unemployment dropped by 0.6% to a 17-year low of 4.1%, while wage growth remained conspicuously muted, keeping labor cost increases minimal and sustaining corporate profit margins. While it may seem appealing to ride the market’s momentum, and to be optimistic at the end of a year of strong performance, we believe that the current elevated expectations will make it …
MasterCard Commits to Greenhouse Gas Emissions Targets
January 11, 2018 // Boston, MA – Trillium Asset Management commends MasterCard, Inc. for setting an absolute reduction target for scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and for further committing to pursue a science-based reduction target in the next two years. Once this science-based target is established it means MasterCard will be playing its part to limit global temperature rise to the internationally agreed upon 2°C limit. Trillium believes this target will propel the company to meaningful emissions reductions that are necessary for the planet, while also generating bottom line benefits. One study from the World Wildlife Fund, …
Firm Announces Impactful Engagements in Second Half of 2017
January 9, 2018// Boston, MA – During the second half of 2017, the Trillium shareholder advocacy team engaged about 300 companies through individual initiatives and collaborative efforts with other investors, which included filing 39 shareholder proposals. Trillium and our clients continue to work to influence change in corporate behavior that we believe benefits investors, society, and the environment. Our advocacy work focused on over a dozen environmental, social, and governance issues including: • Climate Change • LGBT Equality • Workforce Diversity • Income Inequality • Private Prisons • Board Diversity • Sustainable Agriculture Download Trillium’s Q3-Q4 2017 Shareholder Advocacy Highlights. …
Resiliency and Climate Planning in Boston: A Regional Case Study of Coastal Climate Change Investment Risks and Opportunities
January 3, 2018 // Boston, MA: On Wednesday, January 17, 2018, CFA Society Boston will partner with Trillium Asset Management to host Resiliency and Climate Planning in Boston. Over half of all Americans – 164 million – live in coastal regions and contribute to the 58% of US GDP generated in those regions. With increased flooding, more forceful storms and extreme temperatures, the impacts of climate change are already evident in those regions. Consequently, the associated investment risks and investment opportunities are intensifying. To address these risks and opportunities, a panel of experts will convene at the Hyatt Regency Boston. …
Record Vote on Diversity Shareholder Proposal at Silicon Valley Company, Palo Alto Networks
Read recent coverage about the record vote on Reveal News. December 20, 2017 // Boston, MA – Trillium Asset Management is pleased to announce that its gender and racial diversity shareholder proposal filed at network and enterprise security company, Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW), received a 50.9% majority vote at the company annual meeting on December 8th. The shareholder proposal asked Palo Alto Networks to disclose EEO-1 data and policies/programs focused on increasing diversity in the workplace. This is the first majority vote in the 2017-2018 proxy season and is the highest vote ever received for this type of proposal. During a …
Investors Urge Companies to Continue Coverage of Sexual & Reproductive Health Care Benefits
December 11, 2017 // Boston, MA – Trillium Asset Management, alongside a leading group of institutional investors, is calling on the 50 largest employers of the Fortune 500 to commit to continue providing their employees with access to contraception and other reproductive health care benefits. This letter is in response to the Trump administration’s recently updated regulations that enable companies to seek an exemption from offering their employees’ health insurance that includes contraception. We believe this policy is a mistake that may bring significant harm to American women, families, and the economy. As institutional investors, we see compelling evidence that …
Information for Acuity Shareholders Regarding Our 2017 Shareholder Proposal
December 8, 2017 // Boston, MA – Trillium Asset Management has published an open letter to shareholders of Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE:AYI) urging them to vote in favor of our Sustainability and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting shareholder proposal on the company’s 2018 proxy card. The letter provides the four main reasons why we believe shareholders should vote for this proposal. In summary, this proposal asks Acuity to issue a report describing the company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies, performance, and improvement targets, including a discussion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions management strategies and quantitative metrics. As shareholders, we believe it …
Join Trillium: The Chemical Footprint Project for Investors Workshop
December 4, 2017// Boston, MA – On Thursday, December 7th, Susan Baker, Vice President of Shareholder Advocacy at Trillium Asset Management, will participate as a speaker at the Chemical Footprint Project (CFP) for Investors Workshop. Speakers will describe how investors can use the CFP to understand chemical risks and opportunities, and engage companies to adopt strategies to accelerate movement away from toxic chemicals and toward safer alternatives. Speakers will also discuss recent findings and results from the Chemical Footprint Project Survey. In August 2017, the CFP released the second annual Chemical Footprint Project Report, providing valuable insight into how leading …
Perspectives: Mitigating Risks in a Fossil Fuel Free Portfolio
Over the past few years there have been a record number of studies analyzing the financial impacts of staying invested or avoiding fossil fuels — and the results demonstrate that investors can seek competitive returns while potentially experiencing advantages such as reducing their risk of holding potentially devalued assets. We also know that for a growing number of investors, fossil fuel companies pose distinctive risks that are not manageable to the extent required to make them attractive investments. It is no wonder that with the ethical, political and potential financial advantages, more people are looking for information on how to …
Nominations Are Now Open for the 2018 Joan Bavaria Award
History Every year, the Joan Bavaria Award for Building Sustainability into Capital Markets recognizes a unique investor, business, or NGO leader who is working to transform the capital markets into a system that balances economic prosperity with social and environmental concerns. The Joan Bavaria Award is presented by Ceres and Trillium Asset Management at the annual Ceres Conference, being held next year from April 24-26 in Boston, MA. Joan Bavaria founded Trillium in 1982 to provide a space for clients to invest their money in alignment with their values. Under Joan’s visionary leadership, Trillium grew to become one of the largest SRI investment firms in the U.S. Joan was proud to …
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