Darfur – Trillium Asset Management

2008 Advocacy Review

October 6, 2008

For our 2008 advocacy efforts, we’re pleased to report a fair amount of progress — never as much as we’d like (we’d like superhero powers), but enough to confirm that shareholder activism remains a potent tool for change. Climate change. Our shareholder resolution at ConocoPhillips requesting a report on the environmental and social impacts of tar sands drilling won almost 28% of the vote, an impressive vote in this arena. Our resolution at Bank of America addressing its financing of coal-fired power plants and mountaintop coal removal was deemed inadmissible by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but we eventually …

Shareholder Proposal on Sudan Presented at JP Morgan Chase Stockholder Meeting

May 27, 2008

Statement at JP Morgan Chase Stockholder Meeting in Support of Resolution No. 10 Concerning Human Rights Policies May 20, 2008 Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Board of Directors & my fellow shareholders. I am presenting this proposal on behalf of Trillium Asset Management Corporation, the Calvert Group, Amnesty International and the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church. [The proposal received 7.5% support from fellow shareholders.] Resolution No. 10 calls for a report to shareowners discussing how our investment policies address or could address human rights issues, with a view toward adding appropriate policies and …

2008 Advocacy Priorities

January 29, 2008

For the 2007-2008 shareholder resolution season (which roughly parallels an academic year), Trillium Asset Management Corporation (“Trillium”) has filed 18 shareholder proposals addressing a wide range of environmental and social justice concerns. Thirteen resolutions on which we are acting as lead* filer are highlighted in this article. All the proposals we are involved in are posted on our web site. Among its Wall Street peers, Bank of America (BAC)‘s internal greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals look good upon a first read: the bank has pledged that emissions from its own offices by will decline 7 percent from 2004 levels by …

Putting China on the Spot for Sudan

January 23, 2008

Trillium Asset Management Corporation (“Trillium”) will be working with two nonprofit organizations this fall to keep up the economic pressure on the Government of Sudan (GoS). The “selective divestment” model – developed by the Sudan Divestment Task Force adopted by Trillium – focuses on companies in strategic sectors, whose tax payments or royalties provide major revenue for the GoS. The sectors include oil and gas, electric power, or telecommunications. The model involves engagement with companies before determining whether to divest, depending on whether the investor believes that on balance, the economic and social benefit they provide to all Sudan’s citizens …

Trillium Files Resolutions on Sudan Genocide

January 9, 2008

Trillium Asset Management Corporation Files Resolutions on the Sudan Genocide In December 2007, Trillium Asset Management Corporation (“Trillium”), working in coalition with human rights organizations and other socially responsible investment firms, filed shareholder resolutions with major banks and financial firms with the goal of engaging Wall Street to push Sudan to end the violence in Darfur and accept full deployment of U.N. peacekeepers. Trillium filed resolutions at JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. These Wall Street powerhouses are among the largest shareholders in the “Big 4” petroleum companies doing business in Sudan, whose royalties to the government have financed …

Morgan Stanley – Human Rights/Investment Portfolio (2008)

January 3, 2008

WHEREAS The issue of human rights increasingly impacts investors and companies alike. Company reputations are affected by both direct and indirect involvement in human rights violations. Operating in countries with clear patterns of these violations, such as Sudan and Burma, may heighten reputational and financial risk. Furthermore, companies can face similar risks when they or their suppliers are found to be using forced labor or discriminating against employees, among other abuses. Proponents believe that institutional investors, including asset management firms such as Morgan Stanley, bear fiduciary and moral responsibilities as owners of stock in companies that may be connected to …

Merrill Lynch – Human Rights/Investment Portfolio (2008)

January 3, 2008

WHEREAS The issue of Human Rights increasingly impacts investors and companies alike. Company reputations are affected by both direct and indirect involvement in human rights violations. Operating in countries with clear patterns of these violations, such as Sudan and Burma, may heighten reputational and financial risk. Furthermore, companies can face similar risks when they or their suppliers are found to be using forced labor or discriminating against employees, among other abuses. Proponents believe that institutional investors, including asset management firms such as Merrill Lynch & Co., bear fiduciary and moral responsibilities as owners of stock in companies that may be …

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.- Human Rights/Investment Portfolio (2008)

January 3, 2008

WHEREAS The issue of Human Rights increasingly impacts investors and companies alike. Company reputations are affected by both direct and indirect involvement in human rights violations. Operating in countries with clear patterns of these violations, such as Sudan and Burma, may heighten reputational and financial risk. Furthermore, companies can face similar risks when they or their suppliers are found to be using forced labor, discriminating against employees, or committing other such abuses. Proponents believe that institutional investors, including asset management firms such as JPMorgan Chase & Co., bear fiduciary and moral responsibilities as owners of stock in companies that may …

Putting China On the Spot for Sudan

December 7, 2007

2007 By Shelley Alpern Trillium Asset Management Corporation (“Trillium”) will be working with two nonprofit organizations this fall to keep up the economic pressure on the Government of Sudan (GoS). The “selective divestment” model – developed by the Sudan Divestment Task Force adopted by Trillium – focuses on companies in strategic sectors, whose tax payments or royalties provide major revenue for the GoS. The sectors include oil and gas, electric power, or telecommunications. The model involves engagement with companies before determining whether to divest, depending on whether the investor believes that on balance, the economic and social benefit they provide …