Burlington Stores – Chemical Policy Report (2022)
The costs of environmental chemical exposure to the health of the global economy raises significant concerns for investors. Economic costs are rising: a 2017 study showed that costs associated with environmental chemical exposures worldwide likely exceed 10 percent of global GDP, or 11 trillion dollars. (1) A 2021 study published in the journal Environmental Pollution estimates that premature deaths linked to a common class of chemicals found in food containers, cosmetics and children’s toys cost the US about 40 to 47 billion dollars annually in lost economic productivity. Regulatory risk is on the rise. Since 2018, 38 states (up from …
JP Morgan Chase – Overdraft Policies & Practices (2019)
WHEREAS: JPMorgan Chase charges a $34 fee when it pays a customer’s checks, debit card point-of-sale (POS) transactions, or certain other electronic transactions, even though the customer’s account lacks sufficient funds to cover the charges (if the customer opts-in). In 2017, this resulted in the company collecting over $1.8 billion in overdraft/NSF fees. This represented 2% of its total income and 39% of its service charge income. According to a 2018 Center for Responsible Lending report, FDIC data shows the largest American banks collected $11.45 billion in overdraft/NSF fees in 2017. Their studies found: • account holders incurring large numbers …
Bank of America – Overdraft Policies and Practices (2019)
WHEREAS: Bank of America charges a $35 fee when it pays a customer’s check, ATM withdrawal, or certain other electronic transactions, even though the customer’s account lacks sufficient funds to cover the charges (if the customer opts-in). In 2017, this resulted in Bank of America collecting over $1.6 billion in overdraft/NSF fees. This represented over 2.2% of its total income and 34% of its non-interest income. According to a 2018 Center for Responsible Lending report, FDIC data shows the largest American banks collected $11.45 billion in overdraft/NSF fees in 2017. Their studies found: • account holders incurring large numbers of …
Lowe’s Company – Pesticide Products Linked to Pollinator Decline (2015)
Lowe’s Policy on Sustainability includes commitments to “Provide customers with environmentally-responsible products; Establish sustainability goals and objectives; Review and communicate progress made toward achieving established goals and objectives; and Engage on public policy issues related to sustainability.” Lowe’s currently sells a variety of products containing neonicotinoids (“neonics”), a class of systemic pesticide linked to dangerous declines in pollinators and other beneficial organisms, and negative impacts to land and water (International Union for Conservation of Nature; United States Geological Survey). Lowe’s also sells plants whose seeds have been pre-coated with neonics. Multi-year double digit declines in pollinators in the United States …
Producer Responsibility for Packaging – Proctor & Gamble (2012)
WHEREAS product packaging is a significant consumer of natural resources and energy, and a major source of waste and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. More than half of U.S. product packaging –37 million tons – is discarded in landfills or burned rather than recycled. Packaging debris migrates to oceans where it damages fisheries, tourism and marine life. Paper and packaging comprise 43% of U.S. landfill waste. Nestle Waters North America says plastic bottles are the largest contributor to its carbon foot print; Coca-Cola Co. reports packaging is the largest part of the carbon footprint of several products. A recent analysis of …
Report on Bisphenol A in Thermal Receipt Paper- Panera Bread Company (2012)
WHEREAS: The value of Panera Bread Company’s brand is based in part on customer trust. We believe that if the company’s cash register thermal receipt paper contain bisphenol A (BPA), a potentially hazardous chemical, that trust could be put at risk. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated “Some receipts made of thermal paper may now contain as much as 10 mg. of BPA, which could pose a risk for human exposure, as well as account for substantial environmental releases of BPA.” http://www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/bpa/index.htm BPA reportedly mimics estrogen in the body; a number of animal studies link BPA, even …
Procter & Gamble – Extended Producer Responsibility (2011)
WHEREAS Product packaging is a significant consumer of natural resources and energy, and a major source of waste and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. More than half of U.S. product packaging –37 million tons – is discarded in landfills or burned rather than recycled. Packaging comprises nearly one-third of all U.S. landfill waste. Nestle Waters North America says plastic bottles are the largest contributor to its carbon foot print; Coca-Cola Co. reports packaging is the largest part of the carbon footprint of several products. A recent analysis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data estimates that the energy needed to produce and …
Dentsply – Toxic Chemicals in Products: Bisphenol A (BPA) (2011)
WHEREAS Bisphenol A (BPA), a potentially hazardous chemical, has received media attention for its use in a variety of consumer products. However, BPA is also used in the production of dental sealants and composites. BPA can leach out of these products resulting in human exposures. BPA is known to mimic estrogen in the body; numerous animal studies link BPA, even at very low doses, to potential changes in brain structure, immune system, male and female reproductive systems, and changes in tissue associated with increased rates of breast cancer. Exposure to BPA by the very young, as well as pregnant women, …
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