Sustainable Agriculture – Page 2 – Trillium Asset Management

Dow Chemical Company – Pesticide Health Effects of 2,4-D (2009)

February 17, 2009

WHEREAS Dow AgroSciences is the sole U.S. producer and largest global producer of the herbicide 2,4-D, with a production capacity of 20,000 tons in 2004. Dow AgroSciences sells this chemical to other companies to formulate into finished products; over 70 products contain 2,4-D as an active ingredient. 2,4-D has been linked in various studies to be an endocrine disruptor with predicted human health risks ranging from changes in estrogen and testosterone levels, thyroid problems, prostate cancer and reproductive abnormalities. Other studies indicate that it is a neurotoxin, linked to effects like brain cell death, Parkinson’s-like tremors, delays in brain development …

Dow Chemicals – Report on Pesticde Use and Asthma (2008)

January 23, 2008

WHEREAS: Approximately half of Dow’s end-use pesticide products (73 of 149) may be linked to asthma and other respiratory problems through active or inert ingredients or metabolites. Common Dow pesticide products with ingredients linked to respiratory problems include: FulTime, Dursban, Lorsban, Glyphomax, Tordon, Telone, Starane, Dithane, Widematch, Vikane/Profume and more. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 16 million people in the U.S. suffer from asthma. Since the mid-1980s, asthma rates have reached epidemic levels. CDC states that nearly 1 in 8 school-aged children have asthma, the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness. Children …

McDonald’s – Issue Report on Efforts to Implement More Humane Slaughter Method (2005 – 2006)

November 20, 2006

WHEREAS, on its Web site, McDonald’s states that “treating animals with care and respect is an integral part of an overall quality assurance program that makes good business sense” and that “animals should be free from cruelty, abuse and neglect”; and WHEREAS,McDonald’s has already made commendable steps toward improving animal welfare; and WHEREAS, despite its commitment to animal welfare, McDonald’s continues to purchase chickens from suppliers that use the outdated method of electrical stunning, in which the birds’ legs are snapped into metal shackles and the birds are shocked with an electric current, have their throats slit, and are dropped …

Whole Foods Market – Label Genetically Engineered Food Ingredients (2004 – 2005)

October 31, 2005

Company: Whole Foods Market Final Vote: 6.8% Year: 2004-2005 …

McDonalds – Report on Animal Welfare Standards (2002 – 2003)

November 20, 2003

Shareholders request that the Board of Directors issue a report to shareholders by October 2003, prepared at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, reviewing McDonald’s animal welfare standards with the view to adopting and enforcing consistent animal welfare standards internationally. SUPPORTING STATEMENT: Our company’s farmed animal welfare practices in the U.S. and U.K. make McDonald’s a corporate leader in those countries. In its “Animal Welfare Guiding Principles,” our company states, “McDonald’s commitment to animal welfare is global … McDonald’s sets annual performance objectives to measure our improvement and will ensure our purchasing strategy is aligned with our commitment to animal …

McDonalds – Implement Globally Farm Animal Welfare Standards (2001 -2002)

November 20, 2002

RESOLVED: Shareholders request that the Board of Directors issue a report to shareholders by October 2002, prepared at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, reviewing McDonald’s animal welfare standards with the view to adopting and enforcing consistent animal welfare standards internationally. SUPPORTING STATEMENT: Our company’s public policy and practices towards the welfare of farm animals, as currently implemented in the United States and United Kingdom, make McDonald’s a corporate leader in those countries. In the U.S., our company has prohibited some abuses and details these improvements on our company’s Web site, which includes this statement: “McDonald’s believes that the humane …