As You Sow
The nation's leading non-profit shareholder advocate, changing corporations for good
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Dear John,

Even this early in the corporate proxy season, there’s already good news and real progress to share with you, plus an award for Invest Your Values. Take a read!


Invest Your Values Wins World-Changing Ideas Impact Investing Award

As You Sow’s Invest Your Values free, online tools earned Fast Company’s prestigious World Changing Ideas Impact Investing Award ([link removed]). Fast Company received nearly 3,000 entries, an all-time record. The winners of 26 categories are selected by a roster of experts from the worlds of social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, venture capital, activism, and beyond, seeking “the kind of innovative thinking that will help us recover and rebuild.”

Invest Your Values ([link removed]) helps investors, including employees saving via their company 401(k), find mutual funds that avoid fossil fuel stocks, weapons manufacturers, and other investments that conflict with their values. There are six Invest Your Values websites:
• Fossil Free Funds ([link removed]) looks at the fossil fuel holdings of the most popular mutual funds
• Gender Equality Funds ([link removed]) screens funds using company performance on 12 key gender equality indicators
• Deforestation Free Funds ([link removed]) screens for investments that contribute to forest destruction
• Weapon Free Funds ([link removed]) and Gun Free Funds ([link removed]) reveal investments in weapons of war and gun manufacturers and retailers
• Tobacco Free Funds ([link removed]) shows tobacco companies and those promoting tobacco to kids

Transparency is one of As You Sow’s core values. Take look at your mutual funds—do your investments reflect your values? Values-aligned investing brings us all just that much closer to the goal of a just and sustainable world.


Pressing Waste Collection Companies Help Boost U.S. Recycling Rates

After engagement with As You Sow, Waste Management and Republic Services committed to reporting on gaps in plastic recyclables processing capability. China’s ban on plastic waste imports exposes weaknesses in the U.S. recycling collection and processing system — some areas currently have no market for recyclable plastics they collect. This year’s shareholder resolutions aimed to jumpstart more actions to solve this issue.

As You Sow’s Conrad MacKerron says “These reports will provide deeper insights into plastic material flows…and should be an invaluable resource to stakeholders working to increase recycling rates. Less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled and the lack of export markets has put heavy strains on the domestic recycling market.”

The reports are a necessary first step to develop new and expanded markets for plastic waste to be recycled rather than sent to landfills


Historic High Votes in Support of Transparent Labor Reporting

In an unprecedented show of support, shareholders of industrial supply giants Genuine Parts and Fastenal sent a powerful message to management. The historic 79% (Genuine Parts) and 61% (Fastenal) votes came on resolutions asking for disclosure on human resources management and labor practices according to Sustainable Accounting and Standards Board (SASB) metrics. The votes speak to the broader desire by shareholders for transparent disclosure on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, which owns 5% of Fastenal and Genuine Parts, said last January that it would support investor resolutions calling for such SASB reporting standards.

SASB reporting enables investors to compare companies within each sector “apples to apples.” The information begins to paint a more complete picture of a company’s progress and aspirations. It helps investors choose firms with superior human capital practices based on justice and sustainability and less of the financial risk associated with poor employee retention.

Firms that lead on transparent disclosure will gain investors’ and customers’ trust and loyalty. As ESG metrics become standard and the dividing line between leaders and laggards becomes more pronounced, we expect to see the movement toward total transparency become the defacto standard of all successful companies.


All our best to you and yours,

Andrew Behar
CEO


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As You Sow

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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.

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