J.M. Smucker Company – Renewable Energy (2015)
Resolved: Shareholders request The J.M. Smucker Company Board of Directors, issue a public report, at reasonable cost and excluding confidential information, by January 2016 analyzing and proposing how the company can increase its renewable energy sourcing and/or production. Whereas: In order to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, the IPCC estimates a U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirement of 80 percent by 2050. The private sector is critical for driving the change in the demand and consumption of clean energy necessary to meet these targets. Although energy efficiency is crucial for reducing emissions, there is a limit to how …
Oracle Corporation – Renewable Energy (2015)
Resolved: Shareholders request Oracle Corporation senior management, with oversight from the Board of Directors, set company-wide quantitative targets by March 2016 to increase renewable energy sourcing and/or production Whereas: Sourcing renewable energy will make our company more responsive to a global business environment characterized by heightened public expectations and volatile energy prices. The transition to a low-carbon economy necessary to prevent the most harmful effects of climate change requires companies dramatically reduce their direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We believe investing in renewable energy reduces the company’s exposure to changing energy prices and will move it closer to …
Home Depot – Renewable Energy (2015)
Resolved: Shareholders request Home Depot senior management, with oversight from the Board of Directors, set company-wide quantitative targets by October 2015 to increase renewable energy sourcing and/or production Whereas: Sourcing renewable energy will make our company more responsive to a global business environment characterized by heightened public expectations and volatile energy prices. The transition to a low-carbon economy necessary to prevent the most harmful effects of climate change requires companies to dramatically reduce their direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We believe investing in renewable energy reduces the company’s exposure to fluctuating energy prices and will move it closer …
EOG Resources – Methane Emissions (2015)
Whereas: Public confidence in the environmental benefits of natural gas is threatened by evidence of high levels of methane leakage from the oil and gas industry in many regions. For example, a November 2013 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows the oil and gas sector in Oklahoma and Texas, where EOG has significant operations, may be emitting up to five times more methane than estimated by the EPA. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with 86 times the climate impact of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Studies from Harvard, the University of Texas, …
PepsiCo – Pesticide Pollution (2015)
PepsiCo’s Global Sustainable Agriculture Policy states it “supports sustainable agriculture practices that … improve product value by maximizing the desired outputs …while minimizing the required inputs and avoiding any negative impacts to the farm and surrounding lands.” The Company’s Sustainable Farming Initiative “enables PepsiCo to measure the environmental and local economic impacts associated with [its] agricultural supply chain.” Yet, Pepsi is a major purchaser of corn, oats and potatoes — crop types that are routinely pre-treated with neonicotinoids (‘neonics’), a class of insecticide linked to declines in pollinators and other beneficial organisms, and negative impacts to land and water (according …
3M – Renewable Energy (2015)
Resolved: Shareholders request 3M senior management, with oversight from the Board of Directors, set company-wide quantitative targets by October 2015 to increase renewable energy sourcing and/or production Whereas: Sourcing renewable energy will make our company more responsive to a global business environment characterized by heightened public expectations and volatile energy prices. The transition to a low-carbon economy necessary to prevent the most harmful effects of climate change requires companies dramatically reduce their direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We believe investing in renewable energy reduces the company’s exposure to fluctuating energy prices and will move it closer to achieving …
Yum Brands! – Sustainable Agriculture / Palm Oil Policy (2015)
Whereas Yum! Brands (Yum) foods contain palm oil, a commodity that has attracted high-profile scrutiny for its role in deforestation and human rights abuses. Yum’s website suggests that palm oil is used as cooking oil in 30% of its 39,000 restaurants. Approximately 85% of palm oil is grown in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is the leading driver of deforestation. Primarily due to forest and peatland conversion, Indonesia was ranked the 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, despite being the world’s 16th largest economy. The palm oil industry is also notorious for using child and forced labor, according to …
PPG Industries – Lead Paint (2015)
Reducing Health Hazards and Liability from Manufacturing Paint Containing Lead Whereas, the neurotoxic and developmental impacts of lead have been well established for decades, leading to global action to eliminate lead in gasoline; Whereas, a Gates Foundation-sponsored study reported that lead accounts for 674,000 deaths each year, primarily due to its contribution to cardiovascular disease; Whereas, a study published in the Environmental Health Perspectives Journal in September 2013 estimated that lead exposures are costing low and middle-income countries more than $977 billion annually in lost lifetime economic productivity; Whereas, in 2009 the United Nations’ International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) …
Umpqua Holding Corp. – Assess/Report GHG Emissions (2015)
WHEREAS: Banks and other financial institutions contribute to climate change through their financed emissions, which are the greenhouse gas footprint of loans, investments, and financial services. A bank’s financed emissions can dwarf its other climate impacts and expose it to significant reputational, financial and operational risks. In order to safeguard long-term fiscal health, we believe banks must have a comprehensive understanding of their own exposure to climate-related risks and opportunities. They must accurately analyze risk levels in their lending models and develop strategic management plans that consider the implications of climate change for both credit and risk assessments as well …
Gilead Sciences, Inc. – Sustainability Reporting (2015)
RESOLVED: Shareholders request Gilead issue an annual sustainability report. The report should be prepared at a reasonable cost, omit proprietary information, and be made available to shareholders by June 2015. WHEREAS: Managing and reporting environmental, social and governance (ESG) business practices helps companies compete in a global business environment characterized by finite natural resources, changing legislation, and heightened public expectations. Reporting allows companies to publicize and gain strategic value from existing sustainability efforts and identify emerging risks and opportunities. ESG issues can pose significant risks to business, and without proper disclosure, stakeholders and analysts cannot ascertain whether the company is …
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