APRIL 20, 2016: In recognition of our firm’s shareholder engagement on climate issues over the past three decades, Trillium Asset Management has been invited to attend the Paris Agreement Signature Ceremony which will take place on Earth Day, April 22, 2016, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Paris Agreement, which was adopted on December 12, 2015, is an historic step to combat climate change.  Agreed to by 195 countries, the goal is to limit a rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels – in this century. The Agreement also aims to strengthen the …

APRIL 19, 2016: While U.S. economic growth continues to be persistently slow, including two quarters of negative economic growth during the recent post-financial crisis period, we have managed to avoid a full-fledged economic recession. In contrast, Europe has slipped into recession three times since 2009 and Japan has had negative economic growth in 11 out of 24 quarters since 2009. The volatility of the last few months can be traced to four major issues which are all interconnected: 1.) sluggish worldwide economic growth 2.) a change in the composition of China’s economic growth 3.) the fall in global energy prices, …

APRIL 18, 2016: Trillium Asset Management has published a letter to shareholders of Citigroup (NYSE: C) urging them to vote in favor of our Gender Pay Disparity proposal, which appears as item #6 on the company’s 2016 proxy card. The financial services sector is routinely found to have one of the widest gaps in pay by gender relative to other parts of the economy. Despite women making up nearly one third of the financial services workforce, on average women earn significantly less than their male colleagues. Shareholders are requesting that: “…Citigroup prepare a report by September 2016, omitting proprietary information …

APRIL 14, 2016: Trillium Asset Management has published a letter to shareholders of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) urging them to vote in favor of our renewable energy proposal, which appears as item # 4 on the company’s 2016 proxy card. The rapid growth of the digital economy has given the telecommunications sector the opportunity to drive significant change in the demand and consumption of clean energy. With the continued growth of data usage and the corresponding demand for more energy, there is a stronger emphasis on the need for companies to diversify their energy sources. Although energy efficiency is …

APRIL 13, 2016: Trillium Asset Management has published a letter to shareholders of JB Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT) urging them to vote in favor of our non-discrimination shareholder proposal which appears as item #3 on the company’s 2016 proxy card. Shareholders will vote on the proposal at the company’s annual meeting, which takes place on April 21, 2016. Shareholders request that:  “J.B. Hunt amend its written equal employment opportunity policy to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and to take concrete action to implement the policy” JB Hunt employs more than 20,000 people …

APRIL 11, 2016: Trillium Asset Management is pleased to announce that we have successfully withdrawn our workforce diversity shareholder proposal at Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) after the company committed to several initiatives which include: report annual EEO-1 workforce diversity data publish details, including oversight, of its diversity and inclusion programs, and set time-bound diversity and inclusion goals by December, 2016. Trillium’s shareholder proposal requested that the company prepare a report adequate for investors to assess Citrix’s strategy and performance pertaining to workforce diversity, including a chart identifying employees according to gender and race in the major Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-defined …

APRIL 7, 2016: Trillium Asset Management and The Sustainability Group of Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge, along with Green Century Funds, have published a letter to shareholders of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) urging them to vote in favor of our Pollinator Protection proposal, which appears as item # 6 on the company’s 2016 proxy card. Shareholders will vote on the proposal at the Pepsico’s annual meeting, which takes place on May 4, 2016. The use of neonicotinoids (neonics), a class of insecticide linked to dangerous declines in pollinators and other beneficial organisms, is a growing public concern. Multi-year double digit declines …

MARCH 31, 2016: Trillium Asset Management (Trillium) is proud to be a signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Initiative, which is an international network of investors. The Principles reflect the increasing relevance of environmental, social and corporate governance issues to investment practices. By signing, investors commit to: Incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes Be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices Seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest Promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry Work together to …

March 28, 2016: Trillium Asset Management (Trillium) is pleased to announce the successful withdrawal of our shareholder proposal at Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN), based on the company’s commitment to report, by the end of the second quarter, on the actions it has taken to identify and curtail human rights risks in its supply chain. Trillium first filed this proposal when Nordstrom reported that it sourced nearly half of its private-label product volume from factories that were at-risk of human rights violations. This was deeply concerning to Trillium and we engaged with Nordstrom to see how the company was working to …

March 23, 2016: During Whole Foods Market’s (NASDAQ: WFM) recent annual meeting, shareholders sent a strong signal to the company’s management team when nearly 56 million shares (28.1%) were voted in support of a proposal requesting improved transparency around the company’s food waste management efforts. The proposal was filed by Trillium Asset Management, along with co-filers First Affirmative Financial Network and Green Century Capital Management, and was the very first proposal related to food waste filed at any company. Investors asked the company to: “[I]ssue a report by August 1, 2016, at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, on company-wide …