DATE PUBLISHED: APRIL 22, 2019
This document is an excerpted portion of ISS’ full report, “2019 U.S. Environmental and Social Issues Proxy Season Preview,” which provided the following early insights:
- Proposals on political activities increase: The number of proposals related to disclosure of corporate political contributions and lobbying activities is high in 2019, outnumbering all other proposal categories. Political tensions at the national level and the runup to the 2020 Presidential election may be fueling a greater interest in this issue.
- Climate change remains a top concern: In almost all climate-related proposals this year, the proponents are emphasizing the importance of reducing carbon footprints and transitioning business plans to be compliant with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
- Human rights issues proposals continue to surge: Concerns over human rights risks in company supply chains and the topic of immigration detentions are driving the increase in proposals.
- Shareholders remain concerned about pharmaceutical risks: Several proposals were filed again this year seeking governance measures related to opioids and managing risks related to high drug prices.
