6/13/24: ESG data analytics group ESGAUGE found that the number of DEI-related shareholder proposals going to a vote has doubled compared to 2023
6/3/24: A Deloitte survey found that 70% of M&A leaders surveyed reported abandoning potential acquisitions over ESG and sustainability concerns
5/22/24: According to an Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) report, environmental, social, and governance proposals are regaining some shareholder support this proxy season after a 2-year decline
2/28/24: According to a new KPMG study, sustainability has entered the top of corporate structures with ESG discussions occurring at board-level sustainability committees (aprox 25%) or other board committees such as audit (aprox 20%)
5/29/24: ExxonMobil's investors voted to re-elect Chairman Darren Woods and Lead Director Joseph Hooley with an average support of 95% for all directors despite shareholder opposition and controversy
5/24/24: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, one of ExxonMobil’s biggest investors, announced plans to vote against ExxonMobil’s lead independent director Jay Hooley due to concerns over a lawsuit Exxon filed against climate focused shareholder groups.
5/21/24: A group of financial officers and public and labor leaders from New York, California, and other states have called for major asset managers to vote against top Exxon directors, citing the company's lawsuit against climate activists.
5/17/24: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund (Shell's second-largest shareholder) has requested more information on Shell's weakened 2030 climate targets, but will not support a resolution from 27 shareholders calling for stronger targets
5/16/24: The UN Global Compact has launched its first Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Think Lab to engage CMOs in driving sustainable growth
5/14/24: The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a challenge of the new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proxy vote disclosure rule, requiring investment funds to disclose their votes on ESG issues
5/1/24: The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) found that since 2018 the number of companies with science-based emission reduction goals grew 500%, while corporate financing supporting sustainability only grew at 5% annually.
4/30/24: The latest CEO Outlook Pulse Survey by EY indicates an uptick in the prioritization of sustainability by corporates, with 54% of global CEOs surveyed viewing sustainability issues as more critical than they did 12 months ago.
4/16/24: A study by KPMG of 100 CEOs from companies with revenues larger than $500 million found that most CEOs expect significant returns from their sustainability initiatives.
4/7/24: A study conducted by Morning Consult indicates significant public, consumer, and investor support for ESG principles.
4/2/24: More than 80% of professional American investors report having ESG policies – a higher percentage than their European peers (75%) – despite the proliferation of anti-ESG campaigns in the U.S
3/27/24: The CFA Institute has released a report recommending different strategies for firms interested in incorporating transition finance into net-zero goals
3/17/24: A MSCI report found that women held 25.8% of board seats at large- and mid-cap companies in 2023, a slight increase from 24.5% in 2022, but with growth slowing compared to previous years
3/4/24: ISS ESG issued its inaugural ESG Corporate Rating Survey of institutional investors, corporate sustainability departments, and consultants
3/4/24: MSCI's recent research highlights that companies with high MSCI ESG Ratings have outperformed lower-rated companies primarily due to stronger earnings fundamentals
2/29/24: Findings from an IBM survey reveal that businesses that integrate sustainability into their operations are expected to outperform in terms of revenues, profitability, and talent attraction
2/12/24: Three of China’s major stock markets – the Beijing Stock Exchange (BSE), Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), and Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) – announced mandatory sustainability reporting requirements for listed companies
2/7/24: Professor Aaron Yoon, following up on his 2016 paper “Corporate Sustainability: First Evidence on Materiality,” has identified additional sustainability factors that can be linked to value creation: (1) supply chain ESG activities, and (2) high-ability managers
2/6/24: Martin Lipton and his colleagues at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz discuss how the decline in the use of the acronym "ESG" due to its politicization represents the concept’s evolution and not its demise
1/24/24: The integration of ESG metrics into executive pay incentives has surged, with 76% of S&P 500 companies incorporating at least one ESG metric into their incentive plans
1/22/24: Exxon Mobil Files Lawsuit to Block Investor-Led Climate Proposal Vote
1/17/24: According to CEO Magazine, global sustainability reporting requirements will have a seismic impact on c-suites and boardrooms
1/16/24: A group of 27 investors in Shell has submitted a resolution calling for stricter climate targets from the energy company
11/1/23: U.S. ESG Shareholder Proposal Support Dips, While Anti-ESG Proposals Face Virtually No Support
6/28/23: The practice of paying for ESG performance has surged in the past year, according to a global CEO survey conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) in collaboration with Oxford Economics
6/2/23: Companies increasingly assign ESG responsibilities to their Chief Financial Officers, according to the Wall Street Journal
10/26/22: How ESG reporting offers companies an opportunity for strategic differentiation
10/13/22: 2023 proxy topics according to ISS
9/29/22: ESG backlash from C-suite executives
9/15/22: Patagonia founder transfers ownership to two entities combating climate change
7/13/22: U.S. SEC proposes new amendments clarifying when corporations can exclude shareholder proposals
6/23/22: Growing trends towards private climate change litigation against companies and their directors
6/19/22: Yale School of Management database tracking the global corporate response to the war in Ukraine
4/20/22: UK’s FCA publishes non-mandatory targets for board diversity
4/19/22: Mastercard links employee bonuses to ESG goals
3/24/22: ESG, the war in Ukraine, and corporate governance
11/17/21: SEC passes universal proxy requirement
8/10/21: SEC approves Nasdaq’s board diversity rule
7/21/21: Bank of England to link director pay to diversity progress
7/6/21: SEC's Asset Management Subcommittee makes recommendations in support of diversity
6/28/21: SEC Commissioner Allison Herren Lee discussing the board’s role in ESG governance
5/27/21: Exxon shareholders elect two dissident directors to the board
1/18/21: The risks posed by a lack of board ESG expertise
8/19/19: Business Roundtable embraces stakeholder capitalism
