As You Sow

As You Sow is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992 focusing on corporate sustainability, shareholder advocacy, and corporate accountability. It engages with public companies, institutional investors, and regulatory processes to promote environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and corporate governance reforms. The organization uses tools such as shareholder resolutions, proxy voting campaigns, and public reports to influence practices at corporations, investment firms, and financial institutions.

History

As You Sow emerged in 1992 amid heightened attention to environmental issues following events associated with Earth Summit (1992), Rio de Janeiro, and the rise of environmentalism advocacy networks. Early activities intersected with campaigns led by Natural Resources Defense Council, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, and Friends of the Earth that targeted corporate pollution and hazardous waste. Over time, As You Sow broadened strategies to include shareholder engagement similar to efforts by Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, CalSTRS, and CalPERS, aligning with trends in responsible investment exemplified by initiatives like the Principles for Responsible Investment. Its development paralleled policy debates involving Securities and Exchange Commission, Shareholder Rights Directive, and litigation precedents such as matters before the United States Supreme Court affecting fiduciary duties.

Mission and Programs

The stated mission focuses on leveraging shareholder power and public education to advance environmental protection, human rights, and corporate governance. Program areas have addressed corporate practices on toxic chemicals, plastic pollution, climate change, executive compensation, and workplace diversity. Initiatives align with regulatory frameworks and standards promoted by Environmental Protection Agency, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme, and reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative. Programmatic tools include research reports, coalition building with organizations like Ceres, Rocky Mountain Institute, and Center for American Progress, and filing shareholder proposals in coordination with institutional investors including Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street.

Campaigns and Shareholder Advocacy

As You Sow conducts targeted campaigns using shareholder resolutions, proxy fights, and public pressure. Campaigns have targeted corporations across a range of industries including fossil fuels (ExxonMobil, Chevron Corporation, BP), consumer goods (Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola Company, Unilever), financial institutions (JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs), and technology firms (Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc., Amazon (company)). Efforts have focused on issues such as deforestation linked to supply chains involving Nestlé, Kraft Foods, and Mondelēz International, chemical safety related to manufacturers like Dow Chemical Company and DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and plastics reduction at retailers such as Walmart and Costco Wholesale. Engagements often intersect with proxy advisory services like Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis and with litigation or regulatory scrutiny involving agencies like the Department of Justice or the Federal Trade Commission.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The organization operates as a nonprofit corporation with an executive leadership team, program directors, campaign staff, and legal advisors. Governance includes a board of directors drawn from philanthropy, advocacy, and investment sectors, comparable to boards at The Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation-backed entities. Funding sources combine philanthropic grants from foundations such as The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Ford Foundation; donations from individual philanthropists; and grants tied to collaborative projects with groups like Ceres and Calvert Research and Management. Financial oversight interacts with reporting obligations to authorities such as the Internal Revenue Service and state charity regulators.

Impact and Criticism

Supporters credit the organization with measurable outcomes including corporate policy changes on chemical disclosure, renewable energy commitments from utilities, plastics reduction pledges by consumer brands, and increased transparency in corporate political spending, paralleling advocacy impacts attributed to Green Century Capital Management and As You Sow-peer groups. Critics, including some corporate executives, investor groups, and commentators from outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, argue that shareholder proposals can impose costs, politicize corporate governance, or produce symbolic rather than substantive change. Debates have involved proxy access conflicts, the role of passive asset managers such as BlackRock in stewardship, and regulatory responses from bodies like the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Category:Environmental organizations in the United States