Of the 20 shareholder resolutions filed with companies by Domini Social Investments for the 2008 proxy season, six concerned sustainable forestry and climate change. Four of the six companies targeted — Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s, MeadWestvaco — reached agreements with Domini to address their impact on forests in exchange for withdrawal of the resolutions.
Home Depot and Lowe’s agreed to issue reports on their policies for sourcing wood from around the world. Best Buy agreed to work with Domini to develop a sustainable paper purchasing policy and MeadWestvaco agreed to assess the feasibility of phasing out the sale of paper made from wood fiber that is not certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Eyes are on International Paper and the printing company RR Donnelley, which have not responded to Domini’s concerns about unsustainable wood and paper purchasing practices. Shareholders will vote on forestry practices resolutions at their annual meetings on May 12 and May 28, 2008, respectively.
In 2007, Domini withdrew a shareholder proposal filed with the consumer products company Procter & Gamble when P&G committed to publish more complete information on its fiber procurement policy and practices.
U.S. investors have filed 54 global warming shareholder resolutions with U.S. companies, nearly doubling the number filed two years ago.
In March, International Paper took the top spot on Fortune Magazine’s annual list of the most admired companies in terms of social responsibility. UPS, Starbucks, Fortune Brands, Walt Disney, McDonald’s, Medco Health Solutions, Herman Miller, Weyerhaeuser, and Union Pacific rounded out the top 10.
Last year, Best Buy said that beginning this year it would build only eco-friendly stores, certified by the USGBC through LEED.
EBAY'S WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM PAYS FOR ITSELF
eBay saves water and energy with a program that'll achieve ROI within 18 months. How much could you save? Go to calculator>>
CLEAN ENERGY DOESN'T GET ANY COOLER THAN THIS
Hybrid Cooling Solutions from Ice Energy. There's no cooler way to improve your bottom line. Discover the power of Ice. >>
CUT ENERGY COSTS WITH VMWARE VIRTUALIZATION
Eliminate server sprawl, reduce costs and save energy with VMware Virtualization >>
FINALLY! NEXT-GENERATION CARBON MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR BUSINESSES
Clear Standards environmental intelligence software helps businesses measure, analyze, and reduce their carbon footprint. No more spreadsheets! >>
It's a perfect storm for green communications. There are two industries traditionally considered first for the chop during an economic downturn: environment ... continue »
The "Energy Star" label is extremely or very important to 68 percent of consumers, according to the fourth EcoPinion Survey from ...
click to view full size chart »
A Telegraph Business Club Video MasterClass by Guy Beaudin the Head of Solutions for PC World Business on SMEs and the environment....
Join the Discussion