NEWS STORY:
SHAREOWNER ACTIVISM | CLIMATE CHANGE | OIL SANDS
Shareowner Activists Request Better Disclosure of Strategic Risks by Oil Sands Developers
Investor group led by Boston Common Asset Management in the US and FairPensions in the UK joins
forces to engage with BP and Shell on disclosure of strategic risk mitigation in Canadian oil sands
developments.
NEWS BRIEF:
ECONOMIC CRISIS | CREDIT RATING AGENCIES | LAWSUITS
Connecticut AG Sues Rating Agencies for Their Role in Financial Meltdown
Lawsuit charges that Moody's and Standard & Poor's knowingly assigned inflated ratings to
investments backed by sub-prime loans in order to earn lucrative fees.
NEWS STORY:
SHAREOWNER ACTIVISM | EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
More Than 60 Companies Voluntarily Adopt Annual Shareowner Votes on Executive Compensation
Companies adopting say-on-pay include many in the financial industries, and all TARP recipients
mandated to do so last year; in the absence of legislation or regulations, activist shareowners
file more than 70 resolutions on the issue this year.
NEWS BRIEF:
SHAREOWNER ACTIVISM | HUMAN RIGHTS | SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Forced Child Labor Remains Widespread in Cotton Fields of Uzbekistan
A report from the Environmental Justice Foundation finds that up to two million children are forced
into working in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields, and recommends that apparel retailers improve
monitoring of their supply chains to ensure that forced labor is not a part of them.
NEWS STORY:
SHAREOWNER ACTIVISM | CLIMATE CHANGE
Investors File Record Number of Shareowner Resolutions on Climate Change
Organizations that have filed resolutions addressing oil sands operations, quantitative greenhouse
gas emissions reduction targets, and coal ash waste disposal, express strong support for SEC
guidance on climate change disclosure.
NEWS BRIEF:
CLIMATE CHANGE | ENERGY EFFICIENCY | ELECTRONIC WASTE
UNEP Report Describes Urgent Need to Address E-Waste
With growth of e-waste in developing countries expected to multiply by 2020, the report identifies
technologies that can increase recycling rates and generate jobs in a low-carbon economy.
NEWS STORY:
SHAREOWNER ACTIVISM | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | POLITICAL SPENDING
Social Investors Brainstorm Responses to Citizens United
Possible actions in response to the Supreme Court decision include voluntary disclosure of
corporate political spending, regulatory action by the SEC, and Congressional legislation.
NEWS BRIEF:
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE INVESTMENT RESEARCH | ACQUISITIONS AND MERGERS
MSCI Will Acquire RiskMetrics
Implications are uncertain for the ESG investment research industry, whose consolidation has been
driven in large part by acquisitions by RiskMetrics.