As You Sow is pleased to announce the launch of the Plastic Solutions Investor Alliance, an international coalition of investors that will engage publicly traded consumer goods companies on the threat posed by plastic waste and pollution. Twenty-five institutional investors from four countries with a combined $1 trillion of assets under management have signed a declaration citing plastic pollution as a clear corporate brand risk and pledging to interact with leading companies to find solutions through new corporate commitments, programs, and policies.

At the beginning of the modern, health-conscious age, cereal giant General Mills faced a big problem. Traditional snacks and cereals were still profitable but were no longer growing in sales, as consumers of all kinds began to prefer healthier, more authentic food.

So, General Mills did two things. First they bought lots of organic and “natural” food brands that were already known by consumers, like Annie’s, and second, they made old brands more appealing by eliminating artificial ingredients and committing to sustainable agriculture.

These strong standards are imperative for U.S. automakers to stay competitive in a global market. Companies rarely achieve greater pollution reductions than required by law. So a weak standard in the U.S. can easily put U.S. automakers behind the curve. The European Union plans to meet a fuel standard of 56.8 gallons by 2021. China set their standard at 47.7 gallons by 2020. India, South Korea, and Japan all have comparable fuel-efficiency goals as well.

Mark 2018 as the year that irresponsible methane emissions became nearly universally unacceptable. Methane mitigation is now serious business – as demonstrated by some astounding shareholder vote percentages supporting methane-related resolutions this year.