Seeds of Change - E-News Fall 2008
As You Sow Planting Seeds For Social Change
 

In this issue:
There is no organization that has done more to prod, push and inspire foundations to be active shareholders than AYS.

Timothy Smith
Senior Vice President
Walden Asset Management
AYS Mobilizes Coalition Against Forced Child Labor
In August, Associate Director Patricia Jurewicz helped launch a major effort in the United States to combat forced child labor in the cotton fields of Uzbekistan. Citing numerous reports documenting Uzbek children picking cotton, groups of investors, human rights activists, and trade associations issued letters to the President of Uzbekistan urging him to put a stop to forced child labor. Appeals were also sent to the heads of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the U.S. State Department. As You Sow, other NGOs, and the social investment community have partnered with major apparel brands and retailers such as Gap Inc., Levi Strauss & Co., Marks & Spencer, Target, Victoria’s Secret, Wal-Mart, C&A, and Tesco to ban Uzbek cotton from their merchandise. The four largest textile and apparel associations, representing over 90% of all cotton merchandise sold in the U.S., have also called for Uzbekistan to stop sending children to the fields. Click here to read our press releases on this issue. These coordinated efforts are starting to make an impact. The Uzbek government has ratified the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, and is making announcements that children under the age of 13 are not in the fields this harvest season. However, the Government of Uzbekistan is still not allowing outside agencies such as UNICEF and the ILO to conduct independent surveys of the situation on the ground. As a result of encouragement by AYS and faith-based investors, Wal-Mart made an unprecedented public announcement asking its suppliers not to use Uzbek cotton until the situation improves. We look forward to additional public announcements and actions by other U.S. brands and retailers, and continued coverage by the international press. Together we will pressure the Uzbek government to overhaul its archaic, abusive, and unsustainable system of cotton production. Click here for more information.

AYS Moves Best Buy to Offer Free Recycling

The February 2009 deadline is fast approaching when the analog TV signal will become a thing of the past. An estimated 25 million analog TV sets are expected to be discarded as consumers trade up to new digital, flat-panel models. The discarded cathode-ray-tube-TVs contain several pounds of harmful lead, but currently there is no comprehensive system in place for safe TV recycling. Thanks to As You Sow’s leadership promoting producer responsibility, consumers in the San Francisco, Minneapolis and Baltimore/Washington areas can go to more than 100 Best Buy locations to recycle not only their obsolete TV sets but also computer monitors, VCRs, DVDs, iPods, and other electronic waste for free. As You Sow's efforts received national coverage in several press outlets. Click here to read our press release. The Best Buy recycling pilot program began in June 2008 after we began pushing Best Buy to offer free electronics recycling. Best Buy plans to expand its free recycling program to its more than 900 stores later this fall. Now that AYS has succeeded in persuading the largest electronics retailer to offer free recycling, we are pressing Wal-Mart and Circuit City to follow suit. Thanks in part to As You Sow pressure, LG, a major producer of cell phones and TVs, recently jumped on the bandwagon by unveiling its own free recycling program. Sony and Samsung have also announced similar programs. There is no need to buy a new TV to receive the digital signal. A converter box can be obtained at major electronics stores that will allow an old TV to receive digital transmission (If you already have cable you don’t need a converter box). Free discount coupons worth $40 reduce converter box prices from about $60 to $20; the coupons are available from www.dtv.gov. Click here for more information on our Sustainability Program.

Questioning the Unseen

Some of the newest substances you’ll find in your food, cosmetics and sunscreens today are those that contain nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are substances measured in billionths of a meter. At the nanoscale, substances such as silver, titanium oxide, and others, behave significantly differently than their full-scale “counterparts”. By virtue of their tiny size, nanomaterials are more likely to pass through biological membranes, circulate through the body, and enter cells. The ability of nanoparticles to be absorbed through the skin and to access the bloodstream remains poorly understood. Scientific studies are already raising concerns about health and safety risks to consumers, factory workers, and the environment. There are no FDA or EPA policies regulating this new technology and no labeling requirements for products containing nanomaterials. While nanotech offers great promise in many industrial sectors, without sufficient testing AYS believes that people should not be exposed to nanoparticles in food, food packaging, cosmetics, and other products that can be ingested or absorbed through the skin. AYS and other concerned shareholders are beginning to press companies such as Avon, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Wal-Mart, Kraft, Pepsi and Sarah Lee about their sale of products containing nanomaterials. Companies are being asked to conduct inventory surveys identifying which products contain nanomaterials, to commit to remove, reduce, or label their products pending test results that prove these products safe; and to increase transparency and public reporting of this issue. For more information visit our website

Tackling Climate Change in the IT Sector

Although we have seen some major IT companies take proactive steps to minimize their carbon footprint, several technology leaders have not released the most basic information about their greenhouse gas emissions. Outsourced production of electronics is a major contributor to climate change, and the allocation of resources to address the supply chain will have a significant impact on reducing emissions. Using our long-standing relationships with computer manufacturers, in Q4 2008 we are launching a new climate change initiative targeting the IT sector including such companies as Apple, Broadcom, Novell and Sandisk. We will encourage companies to report on their carbon footprint and emission reduction plans through the Carbon Disclosure Project. A majority of shareholders who are concerned about climate change are focused on the auto, oil, homebuilding, and electric power industries. Our initiative complements and expands these efforts.

Promoting Best Purchasing Practices

A major finding of our recent anti-sweatshop work is that last minute changes in orders by companies forces suppliers to scramble to meet deadlines resulting in factory code violations. Associate Director Patricia Jurewicz was invited to present research on this issue at the annual meeting of the Fair Labor Association, in Shanghai, China at the end of June. Patricia presented research collected in partnership with colleagues from the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) on best practices in purchasing by apparel companies. The report highlights policies, systems and procedures that minimize the negative impacts of how buyers plan and execute each season’s orders. A few examples of best practices include using Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software, having a buyer’s incentive package tied to factory audit results, and having tighter controls on order placement. The full report will be issued this fall.

As You Sow Welcomes its Newest Staff Member

We extend a warm welcome to Amy Galland, who came on staff at AYS in June as our Research Director. Prior to joining As You Sow, Amy worked as a consultant providing strategy, business development, marketing, and organizational design expertise to for- and non-profit businesses. She has worked as project manager and production coordinator in the music industry and as an adjunct assistant professor of art history at Binghamton University. Amy was awarded an MBA and a Ph.D. in art history from UCLA, an MA in anthropology from Stanford, and a BA in philosophy and art history from Tufts.