Over 70% of companies we engaged in 2023 took positive action. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
As You Sow® Winter 2023 Newsletter banner saying: Seeds of Change. Shareholder advocacy is powerful. Here's proof.
Shareholder advocacy is powerful. Here’s proof.

The oil lobby, the far right, and corporations unwilling to accept and adapt to changing times are attacking shareholder advocacy and sustainable investing. They’re seeking to stop, and even reverse, progress on climate change and social justice. Why? Because shareholders are making a difference.

Read more >>
Call it what you want: ESG investing is just investing 

Including Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues in investment decisions is a cornerstone of informed investing, and a requirement of fiduciary duty. The vast majority of investors, and an overwhelming majority of the U.S. population, want corporations to reduce risk for all stakeholders while ensuring a livable planet and equitable working conditions.
Winter landscape with mountains
Our theory of change 

Corporations are responsible for many – even most – of the seemingly intractable social and environmental problems we face today. We believe corporations can and must be part of the solutions. For over 30 years, As You Sow has been convincing corporations to take positive action on a broad range of issues, through direct engagement with senior management. 

In 2023, As You Sow conducted 210 engagements and over 70% of those companies took positive action. 

Here are just a few examples of the impact created by your support: 
  • Amazon reduced its plastics use by 12% last year 
  • Duke Energy, America’s largest utility, set a target to achieve net- zero carbon emissions by 2050 
  • McDonald’s, Dunkin’, and YUM! eliminated 3+ billion Styrofoam cups a year 
See more >>
River
What is a shareholder resolution? 

Anyone who directly owns even one share in a company has the right to vote on critical issues, including Board of Directors’ elections, CEO pay packages, and shareholder resolutions. Resolutions can be proposed by shareholders who hold certain levels of stock, and all shareholders can vote to approve them at the company’s Annual General Meeting. These votes are non-binding at any level, but when even as few as 10% of shareholders vote in support of a resolution, it creates real pressure on management to respond.
Mounting attacks on As You Sow

Last March, the Attorneys General of 21 red states wrote major asset managers like BlackRock and Vanguard, seeking to intimidate them into voting against Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) shareholder resolutions. The 21-page letter mentions As You Sow an astounding 38 times.

Now, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has formally subpoenaed As You Sow, alleging a potential violation of antitrust law “by entering into agreements to ‘decarbonize’ corporations and reduce emissions to net zero.” This allegation – which we believe has no merit – is a dramatic escalation in the far right’s campaign to defeat and reverse corporate progress on climate change and social justice.

Read more >>
These attacks are proof of impact. Will you help?

We are entering a new generation of corporate responsibility, where shareholders are the voice of reason making long-term, sustainable growth the priority. As shareholders, we have strength in numbers, the legal right, and the moral obligation to raise our voices for good.

Defending against the House Judiciary Committee and red state Attorneys General and Treasurers is absolutely necessary. It’s also very expensive. Will you help build a defense fund?

This anti-ESG rhetoric is driven by a breathtaking degree of self-interest and short-term profit, creating real danger to sensible, risk-aware investing and frankly, the future of our planet.

Together, we can protect a future we want to see. Thank you for standing with us.
Banner saying: Your support will make all the difference. Donate now. I want to protect progress on climate and social justice. I want to stand up for climate conscious investing. I WANT TO HOLD CORPORATIONS ACCOUNTABLE.
Give online today: asyousow.org/donate

As You Sow gets big companies to make big changes, to benefit people, planet, and profit. Because the corporations creating the problems have got to be part of the solution.
Donate
As You Sow’s 30+ year track record promoting corporate responsibility spans a broad range of the most important environmental and social issues facing corporations, investors, and citizens today, including climate change, ocean plastics, pesticides, racial justice, workplace diversity, and executive compensation.
As You Sow

Main Post Office
PO Box 751
Berkeley, CA 94701
Charity Navigator Four Star emblem and Candid Platinum emblem
DISCLAIMER: As You Sow is not an investment advisor, nor do we provide financial planning, legal or tax advice. The content of our programming, publications and presentations is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and should not be considered as information sufficient upon which to base any decisions on investing, purchases, sales, trades, or any other investment transactions. We do not express an opinion on the future or expected value of any security or other interest and do not explicitly or implicitly recommend or suggest an investment strategy of any kind.

Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved.

Did you receive this email from a friend? Sign up here to receive updates from As You Sow.

You're getting this email because you've signed up for email updates.
Update your preferences or unsubscribe.