Green Century Media Mentions
View a selection of our most noteworthy mentions within the media:
- Deforestation risk think tank Chain Reaction Research winds down
The Current - November 20
Green Century and Felician Sisters of North America have filed similar shareholder proposals with The Chemours Company and Sherwin-Williams asking them to not mine titanium along the Okefenokee swamp. There is more of a focus on Sherwin-Williams because it is described that “most titanium ore is refined into titanium dioxide to impart a durable white color to paint, paper, rubber, wallboard, and plastic.” - A Silent Threat to Investors
ESG Investor - November 10
Douglass Guernsey, shareholder advocate for Green Century, wrote a piece about how supermajority voting challenges asset managers and their fiduciary duty. Guernsey outlines that “The growing number of companies with supermajority voting rights has dramatic implications for financial institutions’ ability to carry out their fiduciary duties. By taking away shareholder’s right to influence, they threaten the entire process of active ownership and engagement, both of which are crucial for investors to remain sound stewards of their beneficiaries’ capital.” - Georgia Today: Story 8
Georgia Public Broadcasting News - November 9
Green Century has filed shareholder petitions with Chemours and Sherwin-Williams urging them against mining titanium dioxide in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp. It is described that “They oppose a plan by the Alabama company Twin Pines to mine for titanium dioxide on the swamps edge. Neither company has announced plans to obtain the mineral from Twin Pines.” - Green mutual fund files shareholder proposals opposing mine near Okefenokee
Capitol Beat - November 9
Green Century is making an effort to stop companies from mining titanium in the Okefenokee swamps. Leslie Samuelrich, president of Green Century states that “As we face escalating climate and biodiversity crises, disrupting the Okefenokee’s unique ecosystem with risky and unnecessary titanium mining would not only be irresponsible but potentially catastrophic for the planet... Both Chemours and Sherwin-Williams should commit to permanently protecting the Okefenokee.” - RI survey: Nature Action 100 investor engagement plans
Responsible Investor - October 16
Responsible Investor asked 190 participants in the nature initiative to list how many sectors of companies they hope to target. Annie Sanders, director of shareholder advocacy, states that “because we have a relationship and ongoing dialogue with many of the listed companies on issues inherent in the Nature Action 100 platform, it would be useful to continue those engagements in the broader, emerging context of biodiversity and natural capital.” - Procter & Gamble descendants ask shareholders to shake up the board over deforestation
WPCO Cincinnati - October 3
Descendents of Proctor & Gamble Co.’s company founders are demanding environmental reforms. They would like the support of its shareholders to vote against P&G’s 14 board nominees to help make this happen. Annie Sanders, director of shareholder advocacy at Green Century, claims that “The company’s efforts, while positive and in the right direction, in our view have been incomplete and insufficient.” - JBS relisting plan puts corporate governance on trial
GlobalCapitol - September 20
The world’s largest meat packer, JBS, wants to move its main listing from Brazil to New York, in the process increasing the voting power of the controlling Batista family. Douglass Guernsey, shareholder advocate at Green Century, claims that “JBS is the largest player and with its chequered history is a significant risk. We were tipped off to the [relisting] and realised pretty quickly the governance concerns. The structure of the voting rights for this company was shocking. I haven’t seen a company attempt to [list] with [up to] 90% of votes held by a controlling shareholder.” - Sustainable investing that goes beyond divestment or engagement does most
InvestmentNews - September 19
Research shows that tactics that combine divestment and engagement may attract the attention of large investors and pressure them to make a positive, sustainable impact. Leslie Samuelrich, president at Green Century, shares multiple instances in which a ripple effect can occur when one company makes a sustainable impact. She gave an example of how Green Century pressured Coca-Cola to improve its plastic pollution footprint, so it was not eclipsed by PepsiCo. Leslie stated, that “It matters enormously what their competitors are doing.” - California emissions and climate risk reporting bills ‘bring US in line with global community’
ESG Clarity - September 14
California made headway in sustainability by being the first state in the U.S. to require companies to publicly report greenhouse gas emissions, as well as disclose any climate-related financial risks. Leslie Samuelrich, president of Green Century and member of the ESG Clarity US Committee, states that “The impacts of climate change have material and financial ramifications,” she continued. “Californian companies will now be better positioned to meet investor expectations by providing clear, comparable and reliable climate-related data.” - Shareholding descendants of P&G founders blast company leadership on forest degradation policy
Cincinnati Business Courier - September 11
Nine shareholders of P&G are shaming the company for deciding to drop a pair of pledges from its corporate policy. One of P&G’s shareholders, Green Century, issues a shareholder proposal that requires the company to clarify its terms in its Forest Practices Update regarding its pledge against suppliers that source from intact forest landscapes. - Quality Control for Shareholder Proposals
ESG Investor - September 6
United States environmental and social shareholder resolutions significantly dropped below 25% in 2023. Andrea Ranger, a Green Century shareholder advocate, is quoted claiming that “We’re not seeing a change in quality, so we try to support most or almost all of the ESG-related proposals we vote on.” - Meatpacker JBS Listing in NYC Would Be an ESG Nightmare
Washington Post/Bloomberg - September 5
The world’s largest meatpacking company, JBS, wants to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Its use of livestock contributes to large amounts of greenhouse-gas emissions, illegal deforestation and child labor. Douglass Guernsey, a shareholder advocate at Green Century, claims that JBS is “the perfect example of a company you wouldn’t want to invest in if you were interested in responsible investing.”
- Inflation Reduction Act ‘has changed where we invest, if not how we invest’
ESG Clarity - August 16
The United States established the Inflation Reduction Act one year ago, and it is aimed to generate more investments in green technology. Leslie Samuelrich, president of Green Century, discusses how this act is “levelling the playing field,” giving more investors the chance to support renewable energy. - CEO pay falls, but still 271 times higher than median workers
Investment News - August 4
CEO pay has decreased significantly this year, but they are still being paid more than 200 times the median salaries of their employees. “The data shows the opposite of the common perception that CEOs with higher compensation create greater shareholder value. There’s a case to be made that putting more money into making the company sustainable for the long-term rather than overpaying a CEO is the way to increase value for investors,” Leslie Samuelrich, president of Green Century Funds, said in an email.
- Green investors see growing anti-ESG mood in plastics votes
Plastics News - August 4
Plastic pollution shareholder resolutions received less support this past year from major corporations, but plenty of other companies support reusable packaging resolutions. Douglass Guernsey, a shareholder advocate, claims that Coca-Cola set a goal to have 25 percent of its beverages sold in reusable or refillable packaging globally by 2030, and he predicts that more commitments like this will come from other companies in the coming years. - P&G Drops Forest Pledge, Drawing Criticism From Environmental Groups, Investors
Reuters - July 26
Procter & Gamble has announced that they have dropped their commitment to follow a supply chain policy that stops them from buying wood pulp from degraded forests. This announcement poses a huge environmental threat: "In an era where companies are moving forward on climate risk," the change marks a "step backward," says Green Century Funds President Leslie Samuelrich. - After years of experience, Amazon looks to cut down on plastic
Business News - July 20
Amazon has finally announced progress in reducing the company’s drastic plastic footprint. The multi-trillion dollar retailer has made strides through phasing out padded plastic mailers and stopping using non-recyclable plastic bags, however, they still have a long way to go. Proposals from Green Century Funds, among other shareholder advocate groups, urge Amazon to cut down on their plastic use and set forth a direct commitment to do so in the near future. - Despite a decade of effort, P&G can't please activists on deforestation
WCPO 9 News - Cincinnati - July 19
Despite pressure from Green Century Funds and other activist groups, P&G continues to cause deforestation and other environmental damage due to palm oil extraction. To keep up with growing demand, P&G has been converting tropical forests in Malaysia and Indonesia into plantations. - Is The World Headed For An Uninsurable Future?
ESG Investor - July 19
Various insurance agencies are feeling the impact of climate change, causing them to consider exiting risky markets. This poses a threat to the overall balance of the economy and underscores the importance of addressing global warming by pressuring businesses to take action. Andrea Ranger, Green Century shareholder advocate is quoted in the ESG Investor article, as highlighting “the business risks to [insurance firms such as] The Hartford, Travelers and Chubb that are attributable to enabling more and more carbon pollution into the atmosphere”. - Investors Urge EU Lawmakers to Stay Strong on Plastics as Companies Lobby for Watered down Legislation
ESG Clarity - July 18
Despite multiple attempts from companies to weaken legislation around plastic reduction, investors, such as Green Century Funds, urge Members of the European Parliament and Member State environment ministers to hold their stance and work towards reducing plastic use and the long-term damages it can cause. - Proxy season: Resolutions drive deforestation action
Financial Times - July 12
In this Financial Times article, Andrea Ranger, a shareholder advocate at Green Century discusses the difficulties of changing the global use of antibiotics on animals, specifically with beef and pork. With antibiotic use in animals increasing, life-threatening antibiotic-resistant bacteria increase as well. - What You Need to Know Moral Money | Financial Times About the Critical Minerals Race
Financial Times - July 12
In this Financial Times article, Andrea Ranger, shareholder advocate at Green Century discusses the difficulties of changing the global use of antibiotics on animals, specifically with beef and pork. With antibiotic use in animals increasing, life-threatening antibiotic-resistant bacteria increase as well. - The Future of Biodiversity at AGM's
Responsible Investor - July 6
Biodiversity-related issues with investors and companies at AGMs will continue to be a difficult task but is something to look forward to in the future. “Part of the reason these were successful is that we made tailored, laser-focused arguments around why deforestation-related risks, in particular, were material for these specific companies,” says Leslie Samuelrich, President of Green Century Funds. - Kraft Heinz bows to Green Century deforestation resolution
Environmental Finance - July 4
After a shareholder resolution from Green Century, Kraft Heinz has agreed to the removal of deforestation in its supply chain. Annie Sanders, director of shareholder advocacy, at Green Century, discusses deforestation and nature as a priority. “There are a lot of questions in the private sector around what is the exact definition of nature-positive,” she said. “We aren't going to get a perfect biodiversity metric, so each company needs to start somewhere now and build-in better metrics as they come.” - At The Holiday Barbecue, Don't Fight About Politics, Religion -- or ESG
Morningstar - June 29
Learn how to avoid the controversies of ESG in this Morningstar article featuring Leslie Samuelrich, President of Green Century Funds. - Right to Repair Movement Demands Parts, Diagnostics, Access from Manufactures
Eco RI - June 29
Andrea Ranger, Green Century shareholder advocate is quoted in this Eco RI article on the Right to Repair Movement. Green Century Funds filed shareholder proposals in 2021 that nudged Apple and John Deere into making some concessions on giving repair information to customers. - Heinz Recycled PET Sauce Bottles, Tesco PCR Plastic Food Trays, Clover Sonoma Recycled HDPE Milk Jugs
Packaging World - June 20
The Green Century Funds has successfully pushed Keurig Dr Pepper for more sustainable packaging. - Best Water Stocks to Buy
Kiplinger - June 19
“You turn on your tap and expect water, but when it doesn't work, all of a sudden there's all this attention on it," says Leslie Samuelrich, president of Green Century Funds. This Kiplinger article introduces water investing as a megatrend. - Bottled-up Rage: Bud Light and ESG
Investment News - June 15
It’s problematic that “ESG” has different meanings, varying by context and whom you ask, Green Century Capital Management CEO Leslie Samuelrich is cited as commenting in this article. - 10 Questions for Green Century Capital Management's Leslie Samuelrich
Morningstar – May 31
Green Century Funds President, Leslie Samuelrich, was featured in this Q&A style interview with Morningstar about the recent proxy season, the perception that the influence of climate-focused activists is waning, and the trend of greenhushing. - Insurers Take Heat from Shareholder Over Oil and Gas Coverage
Investment News – May 22
Green Century Funds President Leslie Samuelrich was quoted in this Investment News article on pushing insurers to disclose plans for their climate goals, saying, “Insurance companies have a critical role to play in steering us toward a low-carbon economy..." - Insurers Told to Up Their Game On Race
Financial Times – May 22
Shareholder Advocate Andrea Ranger commented on this Financial Times piece saying, “shareholders who file climate proposals must be prepared to educate others about the role played by the insurance industry." - Fossil Fuel Insurance Is Turning Into A Climate Change Fight. What's At Stake?
Barron's – May 20
Shareholder Advocate Andrea Ranger was quoted in this article on the role of insurers at the forefront of climate risk and why this is important. Oil and gas projects can be halted if insurers change their underwriting practices. - ESG Investing Goes Quiet After Blistering Republican Attacks
Bloomberg Investor – May 19
Green Century Funds President Leslie Samuelrich was mentioned in this Bloomberg Finance article on the “culture wars” over ESG investing and “greenhushing”. - Mainstream Firms' ESG Claims Are Not Always What They Seem
ESG Clarity – April 27
Green Century Funds President Leslie Samuerich explains in this guest column how ESG criteria and exclusionary screens are distinct, yet how some firms blur the lines in an attempt to gain a marketing edge. - Keurig Dr Pepper to Increase Reuse and Refill Options
Recycling Today – April 17
Green Century President, Leslie Samuelrich, was quoted in this Recycling Today article on Keurig Dr Pepper. The company will grow its efforts to cut single-use plastic by expanding its reuse and refill options across the country. In exchange for its heightened focus on plastic reduction, Green Century Funds withdrew its shareholder proposal for the company’s 2023 annual meeting that calls for a reduction in total plastic packaging. - Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance
Barron's – April 14
Green Century Funds President Leslie Samuelrich joins the ranks of prominent women including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other notable names in finance. Leslie has been an articulate and powerful voice in promoting environmentally and sustainable investing for the past 10 years at the helm of Green Century Funds. Leslie is one of the few women honored on the list to work in the responsible investing field. - Earth Day 2023: 6 Top-Rated Funds From Sustainable-Investing Pioneers
Morningstar Investor– April 14
It’s Earth Month! This year, Earth Day’s theme is “Invest In Our Planet.” Morningstar Investor dives into accelerating change, investing in our planet and the investment legacy of Earth Day, socially responsible investing (SRI).
- SEC Lets Amazon Avoid Proxy Vote on Emission Reporting Plan
Bloomberg Law– April 10
Green Century is attempting to micromanage Amazon.com Inc. through its Scope 3 reporting proposal, which would allow the company to scrap the resolution under Securities and Exchange Commission rules. - Morgan Stanley to Strengthen Deforestation Policies for Clients
ESG Today– March 10
ESG Today highlights Green Century’s work with Morgan Stanley. The company has committed to strengthening its deforestation policies for clients in several agriculture and land-use sectors. President Leslie Samuelrich was quoted. - Amazon Seeks to Block Scope 3 Emissions Shareholder Proposal
Corporate Secretary – January 31
Corporate Secretary highlights a resolution co-filed by Green Century and Amalgamated Bank. The resolution asks Amazon to measure and disclose Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions from its full value chain inclusive of physical stores, e-commerce operations and all products sold by third party vendors. - Institutional Investors File Shareholder Resolutions at JP Morgan, Bank of America to Curb Emissions
MarketWatch – January 24
Institutional investors are teaming up to file shareholder resolutions at the largest banks in the U.S. to get the financial companies to reduce financing tied to greenhouse-gas emissions as promised in earlier measures. Green Century Fund filed resolutions at insurance companies Chubb Ltd., Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. and Travelers Inc. asking the insurance companies to eliminate fossil-fuel projects over time. - Big Banks Told to Phase out Financing of Fossil-Fuel Projects
Bloomberg – January 24
Green Century, along with As You Sow, the Sierra Club Foundation and Trillium Asset Management filed climate-finance resolutions that are calling on companies to disclose how they measure and reduce emissions from their underwriting and investing businesses to align with the goals of the 2015 Paris climate accord. This Bloomberg article highlights how Wall Street banks are being ‘pressed’ to reduce their financing of fossil fuels faster. - Jack in the Box Vows to Improve Treatment of Pigs
Bloomberg – January 17
Andrea Ranger, Green Century shareholder advocate, continues to advocate for zero gestation crates in this recent Bloomberg article. Green Century Funds, owns shares of Jack in the Box and calls on pork suppliers to stop keeping pregnant sows in the individual pens, which are too small for them to lie down in or turn around. - Sustainable Funds Face Big Challenges. Only Some Will Be Winners.
Barron's – January 6
Green Century Funds are featured in this article about whether ESG investing needs an overhaul, and how to find mutual funds and ETFs that are making a difference to the planet and delivering solid returns over the long term. Leslie Samuelrich, president of Green Century Funds, highlights the firm as a place for investors “who want to align their values deeply on environmental issues,” including climate change, biodiversity, forest protection, plastic pollution, and factory farming. - Office Depot, OfficeMax to cut plastics by 20%
Plastics News – January 5
Green Century's director of shareholder advocacy, Annie Sanders, shares her thoughts with Plastics News on Office Depot's recent plastic reduction commitment.
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