| Seeds of Change - E-News |
Holiday 2007 |
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As the holiday season draws near, please consider making a tax-exempt financial contribution today. Your generosity helps to ensure greater corporate accountably, which leads to a cleaner environment, safer consumer products and better labor standards.
Click here or mail a check to: As You Sow 311 California St. #510 San Francisco, CA 94104
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In this issue:
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As You Sow has been a long-distance runner keeping pressure on companies for a very long
time. Their powers of dialogue and persuasion have helped turn around companies such as
Disney on sweatshop issues.
Timothy Smith,
President, Social Investment Forum
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Coke's Bold Moves on Recycling; Nestle indicates support of CA Recycling
System
Coca-Cola responded to our long-standing demands that it take strong measures toward reversing
plummeting recycling rates for bottles and cans.
Coca-Cola agreed in September to
invest $60 million to build the world's largest plastic bottle recycling plant in South
Carolina. The new plant is projected to produce 100 million pounds of recycled PET plastic annually.
This long-term investment in recycling technology should result in a more stable supply of the
recycled material needed to make bottles. Coke said it would also recycle or reuse all of the
PET plastic used by the company’s beverages sold in the US. Sandy Douglas, president of Coca
Cola North America, acknowledged that its commitments were partly the result of pressure from
social investment groups like AYS and Walden Asset Management.
Also, CEO of Nestle Waters
North America, Kim Jeffrey, recently advocated using California’s container recycling law as
a model for other states. The company received a failing grade in our beverage container
report card published last fall. Nestle Waters is the third largest US marketer of bottled
water. Mr. Jeffrey said he is serious about developing more comprehensive recycling laws even
though it may raise the ire of other beverage companies who have vigorously opposed container
deposit legislation for decades.
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High Votes at High Tech on Say-on-Pay
A “say-on-pay” shareholder proposal filed by AYS at Activision garnered an extraordinary 70%
vote at the company’s recent annual meeting. The vote was part of a national effort to give
shareholders input on out-of-control executive pay. The proposal would allow stockholders to
vote on an advisory resolution each year to ratify the compensation of executive officers.
Our Activision vote is the highest vote result of approximately 50 companies whose shareholders
voted on “say-on-pay” proposals this year. Activision publishes popular video games like Quake,
Doom and Guitar Hero. The SEC is investigating the company’s stock option practices. AYS
believes the current system of CEO pay in the US is broken. Average executive pay is 300 times
greater than that of the average US worker. US executives make twice their European counterparts.
National surveys indicate that even a majority of corporate directors think the current executive
compensation system has overpaid executives. AYS also filed the proposal at Symantec, where it
received a hefty 48% vote.
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Target to Reduce Toxic PVC in Products
A year of pressure from an AYS-led shareholder coalition combined with grassroots activist
pressure has resulted in Target agreeing to reduce its use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic
found in many of its house brand products. PVC production creates highly toxic chemicals such
as dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride. These can cause cancer, endocrine disruption,
neurological damage, birth defects, and reproductive and immune system damage. Target has
already begun phasing out PVC from infant products, children's lunchboxes and eating utensils,
toys, shower curtains, table placemats, coolers, and fashion accessories. Target is also
reducing its use of PVC in packaging materials for dinnerware, sporting goods and travel
accessories. It has also asked its vendors to reduce the amount of product packaging and to
use easily recyclable materials.
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AYS Challenges Toymakers on Worker Safety & PVC
In recent months, recalls by toymakers and retailers such as Mattel, RC2, and Toys R Us have
led to widespread concern regarding product safety. Mattel has recalled 21 million toys tainted
with lead or with design flaws. Much of the concern has rightfully focused on the health
threats to children. However, there are potentially far greater risks to supply chain workers
who have daily exposure to harmful chemicals in supplier factories. AYS is coordinating
a new effort asking publicly-held toy companies and licensors to disclose what actions they
are taking to protect workers against exposure to hazardous workplace chemicals. Working in
alliance with 15 social and religious investors, AYS has sent letters to a dozen major toy
makers and large media companies that license characters to toymakers. In addition to asking
how workers are being protected, we urge toymakers to remove PVC from toys. Like lead paint,
vinyl plastic products can release lead over a period of time causing harm to young children.
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Conrad MacKerron Wins Top SRI Service Award
| Conrad MacKerron, Founder and Director of our CSR Program, has received the 2007 Socially
Responsible Investing (SRI) Service Award. The award, created by the Social Investment Forum,
the trade association of socially conscious investors, was presented at the annual SRI in the
Rockies conference on November 5. “I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the dedicated team at AYS working to make Corporate America more responsible,” said Conrad. “Over the past decade we have grown increasingly effective as we collaborate with a broad range of social, religious, and institutional investors to build coalitions for progressive social change at major companies.” Conrad uses contacts and relationships developed as a former SRI research analyst to rally support for AYS’ core social and environmental initiatives. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to the SRI industry, honoring those who have demonstrated leadership, innovation, high standards of professional conduct, and accomplishment in collaboration with other industry leaders. |
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Grantee Spotlight: Environmental Working Group, Safety Guide to Children’s Personal
Care Products
AYS’s Environmental Enforcement program makes grants to community groups working on toxics
reduction. With support from AYS, the Environmental Working Group conducted research on
hazardous and untested products in children’s personal care products. EWG surveyed more than
3,300 parents to find out what shampoos, lotions, and soaps their children use. The survey
found that kids are exposed to an average of 61 different chemical ingredients every day, and
that on average 27 of these have not been found safe for children by the government or the
cosmetic industry’s expert safety panel. Due to gaping loopholes in federal law, companies can
put almost any ingredient they choose into their products, with no requirement to test for
safety. Companies can also claim their products are gentle and natural even when they contain
artificial chemical ingredients or harsh skin irritants. EWG’s online
“Parents Buying Guide”
will help you find safer products with fewer ingredients linked to allergies, cancer, and
other illnesses.
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Your generosity helps to ensure greater corporate accountably, which leads to a cleaner environment, safer consumer products and better labor standards. Make a financial contribution today !
Click here or mail a check to: As You Sow 311 California St. #510 San Francisco, CA 94104
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