It’s illogical – and quite myopic – that many of the nation’s largest institutional investors refer to shareholder-sponsored resolutions addressing material topics such as climate change, resource constraints and environmental stewardship as “special interest,” “non-routine” or involving “special circumstances.”

The opposite is in fact the case. We strongly agree with David Lubin and Daniel Esty’s contention in a recent Harvard Business Review article that sustainability is a core driver of competitive business strategies. Sustainability issues present both opportunities for competitive advantage and risks that, left unmanaged, will cause a company to lag its sector. If companies aren’t addressing sustainability they won’t be producing long-term value for their shareholders.

The financial numbers back this up: A review of 36 studies by Mercer Investment Consulting shows strong linkages between ESG (environmental, social and governance) integration and positive investment performance. “Eighty-six percent of the studies are neutral or positive,” Mercer’s Jane Ambachtsheer told the CalPERS Board of Directors in August.

With this in mind, Ceres recently unveiled the new and detailed Ceres Guidance: Proxy Voting for Sustainability to a Council of Institutional Investors breakfast in Boston. Our guidelines are a tool. But more importantly, they launch a serious effort to get mainstream investors moving now – immediately – to assert their prerogative, as part of their fiduciary duty, on these issues. Ceres, which coordinates the $10 trillion Investor Network on Climate Risk, has the partners in its network to leverage this initiative.

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