The Hill: EPA Chief Pushes Economic Case of Capturing Methane
Over the past few years, Trillium has filed or co-filed shareholder proposals with natural gas companies asking them to report on measuring, mitigating, setting reduction targets, and disclosing methane emissions. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is emitted across the value chain during production, processing, transmission, storage, and distribution. It is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), with 86 times the climate impact of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Emissions have not been tightly regulated, measured, monitored, mitigated, or disclosed, creating a risk to industry, operators, and environment alike. As shareholders, Trillium has also made the argument that methane …
Open MIC and Investors: Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger Should Be Blocked
August 26, 2014 // NEW YORK: Comcast Corp.’s proposed $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable would have no significant benefits for American consumers or businesses and could pose a serious threat to entrepreneurial growth in the U.S., investors said in a federal filing opposing the merger. Open MIC – the Open Media and Information Companies Initiative – and investment firms Trillium Asset Management and Arjuna Capital/Baldwin Brothers Inc., have told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that a combined Comcast-Time Warner Cable would “possess unprecedented power to determine the cable TV programming available to hundreds of millions of Americans while, …
Investors Secure Groundbreaking Corporate Commitments to Protect Forests, Reduce Carbon Emissions
Record-high number of shareholder resolutions filed in 2014 proxy season drive more aggressive action by top companies on climate-related issues BOSTON, August 14, 2014 /3BL Media: In response to nearly 150 climate-related resolutions filed by institutional investors during the 2014 proxy season, 20 major international corporations have committed to set goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or sustainably source palm oil –a leading driver of global deforestation, which causes nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions according to the Environmental Protection Agency. An additional 45 corporate commitments were secured related to sustainability reporting, energy efficiency and carbon asset …
Forbes: Apple CEO Tim Cook Is ‘Not Satisfied’ With Employee Diversity
Forbes contributor, Amit Chowdry, writes: “Apple (AAPL) recently released its employee diversity report and the numbers are fairly consistent with other tech companies in Silicon Valley. Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that he is ‘not satisfied’ with the numbers and will focus on ‘advancing diversity.’… Even though Apple is hiring more females for executive positions nowadays, the percentage of males in leadership roles is still 72%. As a result, Apple was criticized by shareholders Trillium Asset Management LLC and the Sustainability Group about its lack of diversity within the board of directors. When the complaint was filed in January, former …
Investors Applaud Amgen and Novartis for Support of Investor Principles on Biosimilars
Twenty-five pharmaceutical companies are being asked to adopt common principles regarding biosimilars on patient safety, lobbying and business partnerships. DETROIT, MI // Aug. 11, 2014: A coalition of 19 institutional investors representing $430 billion in assets commends Amgen and Novartis for support of a set of investor principles to guide corporate boards on policy and oversight responsibilities related to biosimilar activities. The principles, included in the coalition’s Investor Statement on Board Oversight of Biosimilar Issues, call on boards to ensure that information provided to policymakers on patient safety is balanced, investor dollars used for political lobbying is aligned with shareholder …
Trillium’s Large Cap Core Strategy Webinar is Available for On-Demand Replay
On July 31, 2014 Trillium hosted a Large Cap Core Strategy Update Webinar with Stephanie Leighton, CFA, who is a Partner and Lead Portfolio Manager for the strategy, and Jonas Kron, Esq., who is Trillium’s Director of Shareholder Advocacy. The Large Cap Core strategy performed moderately below its benchmark, the S&P 500, for the second quarter of 2014. As of June 30, 2014, the portfolio contained 82 stocks representing all of the ten economic sectors comprising the benchmark S&P 500 index. During the quarter, relative to the sector weights in this benchmark, the portfolio was overweight the Consumer Discretionary sector, …
List of Trillium’s 2013-2014 Proxy Votes Available for Download
Each year, companies seek votes from shareholders on items that are pending on their annual proxy ballots, ranging from the approval of boards of directors to shareholder proposals on social and environmental issues like those we file every year. At Trillium, we take that voting very seriously. You can download a list of our proxy votes for the 2013 – 2014 shareholder season here. …
Trillium’s Approach to Investing in Publicly Traded Agriculture & Food Companies
When considering investments in publicly traded food and beverage companies, a major focus for Trillium is on companies participating in the natural and organic space. Not only are these companies leaders in the health and wellness trend, their approach to raw material sourcing (agricultural commodities) is inherently more sustainable. We have also gravitated toward traditional food companies that are addressing the impacts of climate change in their raw material supply chain. With greater consumer awareness of the purity of food (no additives or GMOs), growing expectation with regard to the transparency of how and where our food is grown, as …
Apple Elects Second Woman to Board of Directors – Demonstrating Commitment to Diversity
July 21, 2014: The Sustainability Group of Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge and Trillium Asset Management, LLC commend Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) for electing Sue Wagner, founding partner and director of BlackRock, to its Board of Directors. Ms. Wagner is widely acknowledged as a strategic thinker and pioneer in the field of finance. Given her experience in mergers and acquisitions, Ms. Wagner is a strong addition to the Board as Apple continues to expand its business globally. Following dialogue with Trillium and The Sustainability Group in December 2013, Apple updated its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter to include strong language …
EPA Releases Plan for Restricting Mine Waste Disposal in Alaska’s Bristol Bay Watershed
Alaska Native Tribes, Jewelers, Investors and Conservation Groups Applaud EPA for Next Major Step in Protecting the World’s Largest Wild Salmon Fishery from Pebble Mine July 18, 2014 // Washington, D.C.: An unusual group of Alaska Native leaders, commercial fishermen, investors, jewelers and conservation organizations applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release today of its Proposed Determination – a detailed plan for restricting mine waste disposal from the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed. The EPA has authority under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act to restrict mine waste disposal that will harm important fisheries. Alaska’s Bristol …
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