The award-winning shareholder advocacy team at Green Century, supported by investors, help create real-world impact on myriad environmental issues. Advocates work on issues such as cutting plastic pollution, protecting forests, promoting clean energy and on other environmental fronts.
Frances Fairhead-Stanova, who joined the shareholder advocacy team in September, adds an international background and varied experiences to the team. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, her advocacy work at Green Century focuses on plastics, animal welfare, tackling e-waste and right to repair issues.
“Green Century has a strong reputation for really effective shareholder engagement,” she said. “I wanted to work in a place where engagement was a priority and also part of the mission.”
Her passion for the environment began as a child. She and her husband are raising their daughter with similar values and respect for the planet.
“What makes me care about the environment is spending a lot of time in nature growing up in a family that valued and protected the environment,” she said. “I’m really inspired by things I see in my everyday life that resonate environmentally. For example, I see excessive use of plastics in packaging at grocery stores.”
Her shareholder advocacy work has won concessions from companies, such as disclosing how they are investing in new alternatives to plastic packaging. In her work, companies have also agreed to remove misleading recyclable labels from their plastic packaging. These efforts help prevent more plastic waste and help consumers understand the recyclability of their plastic packaging.
Frances said that it is important to research and understand how companies and their customers view sustainability.
“Sometimes you can help a company understand what its customers are looking for on an issue and how it aligns with their business, even if they don’t realize it yet,” she said. “Rather than just pushing for something, we work to find something that the company can embrace and embed into its strategy.”
She said she enjoys working with Green Century’s shareholder advocacy team.
“The people I work with are great and are really dedicated, helpful and effective,” she said. “They are great at teaching and growing others. The other part that I enjoy is seeing the outcomes of my work, because that is why I am here.”