As You Sow
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As You Sow is a non-profit foundation chartered to promote corporate social responsibility (for example on human rights) through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and legal strategies.[1][2][vague][third-party source needed]
History
[edit]As You Sow was founded in 1992[1] and has five program areas for addressing its environmental and social concerns: Energy, Environmental Health, Waste, Power of the Proxy, and Human Rights.[3] Most of As You Sow's Programs include shareholder advocacy to pressure companies to adopt its desired policies. According to As You Sow, "Shareholder advocacy leverages the power of stock ownership in publicly traded companies to promote environmental, social, and governance change from within."[4][third-party source needed]
Under the Environmental Health Program, As You Sow's Toxic Enforcement Initiative seeks to reduce and remove carcinogenic exposures by pursuing compliance with California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act.[5][third-party source needed]
Engagements with corporations
[edit]Dunkin' Donuts announced they would remove titanium dioxide from their powdered donuts after being pressured by As You Sow.[6][7] The company had been adding the ingredient to make the donuts appear more brightly white, while As You Sow had alleged that the additive was a nanomaterial with unknown health effects that could cause damage to DNA when consumed.[6] The company said they disagreed with the allegations, but would nevertheless remove the ingredient from their recipe.
With a coalition of other investment organizations, As You Sow has pressed oil and gas companies to disclose and address the risks of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking").[8] Since 2005,[9][third-party source needed] As You Sow has collaborated on Proxy Preview, providing an annual overview of hundreds of shareholder proposals.[10][better source needed][11]
As You Sow grades mutual funds on climate change, deforestation, militarism, mass incarceration, gender equality, tobacco, and guns.[12]
Awards
[edit]In 2010, As You Sow received the California Stewardship Bow and Arrow Award for Coalition Building, from the California Product Stewardship Council, for its engagement of the three largest U.S. beverage companies (the Coca Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Nestle Waters North America), leading each to commit to recycling a majority of their post-consumer containers over the following six years.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "About Us". As You Sow. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
- ^ IRS Form 990
- ^ "Our Work". As You Sow. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
- ^ "Shareholder Advocacy". As You Sow. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
- ^ "Toxic Enforcement". As You Sow. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
- ^ a b Amy Westervelt (11 March 2015). "Dunkin' Donuts to remove titanium dioxide from donuts | Guardian Sustainable Business". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
- ^ Isidore, Chris (2015-03-10). "Dunkin' Donuts to remove titanium dioxide from donuts - Mar. 10, 2015". Money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
- ^ Casey, Tina (2013-05-23). "Shareholders press oil and gas companies to disclose fracking risks". Triplepundit.com. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
- ^ "Proxy Preview 2005". As You Sow. 8 July 2005. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
- ^ "As Supreme Court Weighs Abortion, Expect Shareholders to Push Companies to Strengthen Reproductive Healthcare". Morningstar, Inc. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
- ^ Wolman, Jordan (2023-07-27). "The war on ESG isn't moving shareholders". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "How to Plan Your Financial Future While Investing in a Healthier Planet". Audubon. 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
- ^ "2010 California Stewardship Arrow Award Winners" (PDF). California Product Stewardship Council. August 10, 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
