As You Sow

Climate change and environmental health: As You Sow is working to accelerate market transformation toward a clean energy economy and avoid the threats of climate change to the world's populations, ecosystems, and economies. Our energy program exposes the financial and environmental risks of companies involved in coal, oil & gas, and methane; and the banks that fund these extractive industries. Our goal is for every company to develop and implement a paris-compliant emissions reduction plan. To do this, we build global investor coalitions to compel change. We point out the material risks of continued investment in coal, oil, and gas; the dangers of hydraulic fracturing; and the benefits and opportunities of clean technologies. We research and write original reports, develop financial transparency tools, engage management at major oil, gas, coal, utility, banking and insurance corporations in direct dialogue, maintain a website disclosing fossil fuels in mutual funds, and utilize shareholder advocacy to create systemic change. Our environmental health and waste programs focus on sustainability in food and packaging. We research and write original reports, engage major food and consumer goods manufacturers in dialogue, and employ shareholder advocacy to create systemic change. Our work addresses antibiotics used in factory farms, industrial-scale pesticide use, consumer packaging, and ocean plastics. This program helps companies reduce material risk for all stakeholders by adopting systemic policies for increased responsibility and stewardship toward all stakeholders including their customers, shareholders, and the global commons.

Toxic enforcement: working on behalf of the public, As You Sow enforces California's safe drinking water and toxic enforcement act (proposition 65), which requires warnings be provided to consumers prior to exposure to certain chemicals such As formaldehyde, ethyl benzene, toluene, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and other known carcinogens and reproductive toxicants. Since 1992 As You Sow has resolved prop 65 actions leading to product reformulations that remove toxics from products and causing warnings to be placed on products that contain toxics including nail polish, temporary classrooms, vitamin supplements, hair care products, and earbuds. We also administer cy pres awards generated in settlements on other environmental matters. In 2022 we filed 60 day notices and worked to settle actions to result in warnings and reformulations on products including protein powders, medical foods/hospital feeding tube formulas, and spinach and other leafy greens.

Social: our social program encompasses racial justice, diversity in the workforce, and wage justice. We research and publish quarterly scorecards covering 1000 companies on 27 key performance indicators (kpi) related to racial justice and 34 kpis related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the corporate workplace. Our wage justice initiative publishes an annual report called the 100 most overpaid ceos of the s&p500 that evaluates excessive executive compensation versus median workers and peers. All initiatives utilize the data from the scorecards to engage corporations in direct dialogue to discuss how they can increase their performance on these issue and how it is correlated to financial performance versus their peers. If necessary, we file shareholder resolutions on these topics to escalate the conversation to include all shareholders that goes to a vote at the annual general meeting. Our goal is to help corporations attract and retain the best and brightest employees and reduce material risk for all stakeholders.