PRESS RELEASES

As You Sow filed a first-of-its-kind shareholder proposal on Friday asking U.S. tobacco giant Altria to assess and take responsibility for the collection and cleanup costs of trillions of discarded plastic cigarette filters. Used cigarette filters are the most littered form of plastic on the planet, with an estimated marine ecosystem and waste management cost of $26 billion per year. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the nation’s most sweeping electronics device repair legislation, SB 244, into law on Tuesday. Under the bill, manufacturers will be required to facilitate the repair of covered consumer electronics – including computers – by making certain tools and parts available to consumers and repair shops for at least seven years after production. The bill was supported by Apple and HP, yet opposed by device manufacturer trade associations, including the Consumer Technology Association. 

While delegates from 180 countries debated a global treaty to combat plastic pollution that might include plastic production caps, one-quarter (25.3%) of ExxonMobil shareholders representing $66.7 billion supported a resolution filed by As You Sow asking the company to study how a one-third cut in demand for virgin single-use plastic would affect its financial position at the company’s recent annual meeting. 

As You Sow, a long-time advocate of producer responsibility for packaging, salutes the passage of landmark California legislation (SB 54) that makes producers responsible for the recycling of post-consumer packaging, requires a 25% reduction in use of single-use plastic packaging, and a 65% recycling rate for all packaging by 2032.

Shareholders of McDonald’s Corporation representing more than $51 billion in market value supported a resolution filed by As You Sow requesting the company develop a list of actions it could take to reduce plastic pollution.

In a powerful display of support in the fight against plastic pollution, 48.9% of shareholders of Amazon.com supported an As You Sow shareholder resolution at the company’s annual meeting last week.

A shareholder resolution challenging a major petrochemical company on virgin and single-use plastic production received a 37.4% vote from ExxonMobil shareholders at the company’s annual meeting today.

A first-of-its-kind shareholder resolution challenging a major petrochemical company on plastics production received majority support (50.4%) from Phillips 66 shareholders at the company’s annual meeting last week.

Today, Microsoft Corp. published findings from a third-party study — “Summary of Sustainability Benefits of Microsoft Device Repair” — that evaluated the benefits of the company improving repairability of its devices.

Church & Dwight Co., maker of Arm & Hammer, Orajel, and other popular consumer brands, has shared with As You Sow its commitment to set a total virgin plastic use reduction goal. In response, As You Sow has withdrawn its shareholder proposal with the company.