Categories

Anti-Fossil Fuels

This is a broad category of climate change proposals which usually call for some type of risk assessment of climate change or plan for how the company will mitigate climate risk, including through retirement savings plans. Some proposals focuses specifically on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, typically calling on the company to adopt some arbitrarily determined emissions limits.

These proposals tend to be highly directive and often involve explicit calls to abandon investments in fossil fuels or similar industry and sector boycotts in one form or another.

Anti-Pollution/Waste

Proposals regarding use of materials, plastics, waste disposal, and sustainability. These proposals sometimes include nuclear production and supply chain sourcing.

Animal Rights

Proposals seeking to dictate corporate animal welfare policy, such as transportation of animals, living conditions, and use of animals for products.

DEI

Many such proposals call for racial equity audits can include racial equity within the company workforce or, increasingly, auditing the company’s alleged racial impact on society in general.

Weapons/Defense

These proposals generally seek to influence companies to stop doing business with the military or with law enforcement. Some proposals seek to influence companies, such as payment processors, to consider the risks of processing related transactions with the apparent goal of getting those companies to remove service for such transactions.

Human Rights

Proposals calling on companies to change their working conditions, use of child labor, supply chains, and, increasingly, attempts to deter labor unionization.

Income Equality

This category of proposal has incorporated a number of types of resolutions. Some focus on the effect of employee compensation: for example, raising wages to a “living wage” standard or changing the calculation involved with the treatment of tipping when calculating minimum wage, when not required to by law. CEO compensation also has been part of the inequality conversation. In general, this category calls upon the company to solve real or alleged social problems regardless of the impact on shareholders.

Political Speech/Lobbying Spending

These proposals asked for further reporting and action regarding corporate political donations, lobbying, professional association, and advocacy. Most proposals ask companies to report on the alleged incongruence of the company’s stated values with the politicians it supports (e.g., LGBTQ issues). Proposals have targeted support for politicians who raised concerns about voter fraud in 2020, or supported voter ID or pro-life legislation. Other targets have included groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, American Legislative Exchange Council, and State Financial Officers Foundation.

Health Care

These proposal vary widely but encompass requests for companies to improve paid sick leave, consider external societal costs of selling products with adverse health effects, reduce use of patents on vaccinations or other proprietary medications, or report on  the impact on employees from various working conditions.

Race/Gender targets on Boards

These proposals tend to focus on quotas, reports, or goals for increasing the gender and racial diversity of corporate boards. Viewpoint diversity proposals are classified in the Equality, not DEI category.

Non-Pecuniary Corporate Purpose

Most proposals in this category call for greater tax transparency from companies allegedly not paying their fair share of taxes abroad or failing to abide by an ESG-related non-financial goal.

ESG-Focused Governance

These proposals dilute executive compensation incentives, which traditionally focus on corporate financial performance for the benefit of shareholders, with various social causes such as racial diversity or climate change.

Some proposals require board members to bring requisite experience in environmental/social issues, such as civil rights or climate change, or undergo training on these respective issues to serve on corporate boards.

Other proposals seek to create board-level committees focused on social and environmental goals, instead of leaving those issues under the responsibility of the board in general, or in general risk management committees where they can be balanced against other risk factors.

Abortion

These proposals attempt to recast proposed and passed pro-life legislation at the state level as presenting risks and costs to corporations, in part due to women leaving the workforce, and ask corporations to issue a report to include mitigation strategies or push back on state legislation.

Pro-Fossil Fuel

Proposals encouraging companies to continue to utilize, finance, or insure traditional energy sources. Some question the relevance and impact of companies’ net-zero or other climate pledges to returns for shareholders.

Equality, not DEI

These proposals promote regarding viewpoint diversity and risks associated with reverse discrimination in corporate policy. Some proposals request that companies refrain from ideological discrimination, DEI-related affirmative action, or canceling customers for viewpoints.

Controversial Cause Support

Although not exclusively so, these proposals tend to come from conservative groups seeking information on corporate giving or support for controversial organizations or causes and its impact on the bottom line. Past proposals have questioned donations to or support for Planned Parenthood, the BLM Foundation, and the Human Rights Campaign.

Geopolitical Rivals/China

Proposals calling for reports and plans regarding probable geopolitical threats, particularly for business activity in China, Russia, or active war zones.