Posts in Circular Economy
Shareholders Seek to Hold Tobacco Industry Accountable for Littered Plastic Cigarette Butts

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. 

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California Adopts Nation’s Strongest Electronics Repair Law 

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. 

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25% of ExxonMobil Shareholders Approve Studying a Future With Less Virgin Plastic as Global Negotiators Discuss Reduced Production

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. 

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As You Sow Salutes Passage of California Legislation Mandating Cuts in Single-Use Plastic and Producer Responsibility for Recycling Post-Consumer Packaging

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.

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Investors Urge Microsoft to Give Consumers Right to Repair Electronic Devices

In a move to bolster the growing “right to repair” movement intended to extend the life of consumer electronics, As You Sow has filed a shareholder resolution requesting that Microsoft analyze the environmental and social benefits of making its devices more easily repairable through measures such as the public provision of tools, parts, and repair instructions.

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