As You Sow® conducted 210 corporate engagements in the 2023 proxy season. It is with immense gratitude to YOU – share authorizers, donors, supporters, colleagues, and community – that we offer this summary. Thank you for participating in creating this impact. The credit for these successes is yours.
THE NUMBERS. In total, the As You Sow team led 210 engagements with 169 companies across 11 issue areas. In proxy year 2023, a total of 111 of these engagements were escalated, and shareholder resolutions were filed on behalf of 73 shareholders. We successfully withdrew 51 resolutions in instances where companies agreed to take requested actions; 48 resolutions went to a vote and received an average support of 23%. A total of almost $2 trillion of share value was voted in support of our resolutions. Companies challenged eight resolutions at the SEC; we won six of those challenges with only two resolutions being omitted.
Our 210 engagements addressed a range of issues: climate change (81); diversity, equity, and inclusion (43); racial justice (28); governance (13); ocean plastics, single use plastics, and recyclability (11); retirement plan climate risk (10); sexual and reproductive health (7); petrochemicals (6); water use (5); environmental health, including antibiotics in factory farming, pesticides, and PFAs(4); and political spending (2).
