Investors and Stakeholders Present New Reporting Framework for Impact of Equity Engagement November 2014: The multi-stakeholder Impact of Equity Engagement (IE2) initiative released a new report revealing the positive outcomes of investor engagement on the environmental, social, and corporate governance practices of publicly traded companies. Investors often engage in the proxy process, dialogue, public policy advocacy, and assertive action with public companies. However, the report found that no standard method exists to date for demonstrating the impact of these activities. The report, which proposes a new reporting framework to track the impact of shareholder engagement, is available for download from: …

NOVEMBER 7, 2014 // BOSTON, MA: Trillium Asset Management, LLC and Walden Asset Management have filed a shareholder proposal at American Express (NYSE: AXP) urging the company to improve its lobbying spending disclosures. Currently, American Express does not disclose its payments to trade associations or the percentage they used for lobbying. While the company does disclose its non-deductible trade association payments for political contributions, it is not fully disclosing payments used for lobbying. This leaves a serious disclosure gap, as trade associations generally spend far more on lobbying than on political contributions. We believe it is important that American Express’s …

Investors Representing more than €855 Billion Recommend Changes to Proposed EU Regulation October 22, 2014: Yesterday, global, sustainable and responsible investors and investment organisations representing more than €855 billion in assets under management sent a joint statement to the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Council. The statement urges EU policy makers to ensure more compatibility between the proposed EU conflict minerals regulation and Section 1502 of the US Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (known informally as “Dodd-Frank Section 1502”), which aims to prevent mineral sourcing revenues from fueling the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic …

October 28th Reception includes a performance by award-winning South African Musician Wouter Kellerman & Friends BOSTON, MA // OCTOBER 2014: Shared Interest, a nonprofit social investment fund which began at the fall of Apartheid, is celebrating its twentieth anniversary – as well as twenty years of democracy in South Africa with a reception in Boston, MA on October 28, 2014. “Our firm is proud to host this 20th anniversary reception for Shared Interest”, said Matthew Patsky, CEO of Trillium Asset Management, a Boston-based investment firm. “As a member of Shared Interest’s board, I have seen first-hand the assistance, in the …

October 9, 2014: Today, a group of investors with more than $300 billion in assets under management strongly urged U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy to initiate a comprehensive national regulation addressing major sources of methane emissions in the oil and gas industry. In a letter to the EPA, investors detailed four reasons why comprehensive rulemaking on methane emissions from existing and future oil and gas facilities must be an urgent priority: • Methane emissions are a serious climate problem. • There are proven, cost-effective solutions that will dramatically cut emissions now. • It is insufficient to rely …

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014: Days before UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convenes the Climate Summit at the United Nations to spur climate action and facilitate a global climate agreement in 2015, nearly 350 global institutional investors representing over $24 trillion in assets, have called on government leaders to provide stable, reliable and economically meaningful carbon pricing that helps redirect investment commensurate with the scale of the climate change challenge, as well as develop plans to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels. Institutional investors are acutely aware of the risks climate change presents to our investments. We recognize that significant capital will be …

September 17, 2014: A coalition of investors, lead by Trillium Asset Management and Calvert Investment Management, recently sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urging it to protect the Bristol Bay region of Alaska from the ill-advised Pebble Mine and finalize its proposal to restrict the discharge of dredged or fill material in region. Investors “believe it is critically important for mining activity to occur only in ecologically and culturally appropriate areas”. The letter highlighted that the proposed Pebble Mine threatens a unique salmon fishery that is important the region and the goal of long-term sustainable seafood sourcing. …

80 Honorees Worldwide Support Working Families with Better Benefits, Living Wages, Workplace Flexibility, Professional Development, and Ownership Opportunities September 16, 2014: Today, Trillium Asset Management (Trillium) and 79 other companies worldwide, were recognized for creating the highest quality jobs by the nonprofit B Lab with the release of the third annual ‘B Corp Best for Workers’ list. The ‘B Corp Best for Workers’ list honors businesses that earned an worker impact score in the top 10% of all Certified B Corporations on the B Impact Assessment, a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, community, and …

Hain’s announces response with commitment to disclose information on its pesticide use policies and practices; Trillium and Calvert withdraw shareholder proposal in recognition of Hain’s positive “first steps” September 8, 2014 // BOSTON, MA: Calvert Investments shareholders and Trillium Asset Management, on behalf of Susan Meade, are pleased to announce the withdrawal of its shareholder proposal at Hain Celestial (NASDAQ: HAIN) which calls for disclosures by the company about pesticide-related risks in its supply chain. The withdrawal recognizes initiatives that will be disclosed in its next Corporate Sustainability Report, which is scheduled to be published by December 31, 2014. Hain …

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 …