Heidi Welsh is Executive Director at the Sustainable Investments Institute (Si2). This post is based on a Si2 report.
The total number of environmental and social policy shareholder resolutions filed in 2016 dropped to 431, down from 465 in 2015. But 239 went to votes, more than ever before, and the final tally included nine majority votes (including two not opposed by management). However, the number of withdrawn proposals dropped to the lowest level of the decade, suggesting that proponents and companies are simply not agreeing as much as in the past. Combined with the high votes, this seems to set the stage for more confrontation about the hard questions of sustainability and corporate responsibility in the coming year, as investors and companies prepare for the 2017 proxy season.
