The Great ESG Shift: Governance Emerges as the New Focus
A new report by Morningstar Sustainalytics reveals a shifting landscape in shareholder activism, with governance-focused resolutions gaining momentum while support for environmental and social proposals continues to decline. The report highlights a changing landscape in shareholder activism, with a growing focus on governance issues and a decline in support for environmental and social proposals.
The team from Stwrd are flying in to host a roundtable of thought leaders discussing the challenges & opportunities when thing go right….and wrong. There’s a lot to talk about, based on the key findings in the Sustainalytics report which include:
Governance resolutions on the rise: Support for governance-focused resolutions climbed from 30% in 2023 to 36% in 2024.
Environmental and social resolutions decline: Support for these resolutions fell from 22% to 20%, though the decline was less severe than in previous years.
Social resolutions on the rise: The number of social resolutions filed increased from 260 to 300.
Anti-ESG resolutions increase: The proportion of environmental resolutions filed by anti-ESG proponents tripled.
Decreased support from major asset managers: BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street all reduced their support for environmental and social proposals.
While environmental and social resolutions saw a slight decrease in support compared to previous years, governance resolutions experienced a notable increase. The report attributes this trend to a growing focus on shareholder rights and corporate accountability.
Despite that ‘decrease in support’ THIS panel is proving to be one of the most popular selection of delegates attending #RAOEurope24 on November 21st. The 20% discount code is a nice touch too from @Stwrd Hosts of this important roundtable. Thank you!
