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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
5.03.2007 - 11:04am ET
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CSR News from:
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Investor Environmental Health Network
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News Categories: |
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Trillium Asset Management Congratulates Apple on Moving into Environmental Leaders' Circle
Firm Withdraws Shareholder Resolution on Safer Materials
(CSRwire) Boston, MA -May 3, 2007 - Trillium Asset Management (http://trilliuminvest.com), filer of
a shareholder resolution pending on the May 10 proxy at Apple, Inc.,
today applauds Apple and CEO Steve Jobs on their newly disclosed
commitments (http://www.apple.com/hotnews/agreenerapple)
to using environmentally safer materials in Apple products. Trillium
announced that it is withdrawing the resolution, which requested a
corporate report on safer materials policies from consideration at Apple's
shareholder meeting.
The Trillium shareholder resolution appearing on the Apple proxy asks the
Apple Board of Directors to publish a report on the feasibility of
"adopting a policy of becoming a leader in the use of safe materials, by
eliminating persistent and bioaccumulative toxic chemicals, and all types
of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
plastics, in all Apple products, including an expeditious timetable to end
the use of all BFRs and PVC."
Said Shelley Alpern, Vice President of Trillium Asset Management, "With
Apple’s new commitment to eliminate PVC and BFR’s in all products in
2008, the company has taken its rightful place in the environmental
leaders’ circle." By contrast, Dell has announced that it plans to
eliminate these two chemicals by 2009. "With Apple's announced plan to
eliminate BFR's and PVC in 2008 they have addressed the most specific
issue raised by our resolution. Now, we're looking forward to seeing
Apple move from aspiration to implementation, as its new, less toxic
products enter the marketplace over the next year."
"Apple’s announcement makes its chemical policies far more transparent,"
added Sanford Lewis, attorney and author of the resolution. "This is great
news for the environment and for Apple computer users," said Lewis. "As a
longtime Apple user myself, I'm looking forward to obtaining a greener
Apple just as soon as they're available."
Lewis noted that the company's next frontiers will be to reinforce the
steps announced May 2 with a "commitment to eliminate all persistent and
bioaccumulative toxic chemicals" and to adoption of the "precautionary
principle" as an operative principle of design, thereby cementing Apple's
leadership role.
Trillium Asset Management is a member of the Investor Environmental Health
Network, a group of financial managers and advisors who are actively
monitoring the risks and opportunities posed by toxic chemicals in
products of their portfolio companies. The withdrawal of the resolution
due to successful completion of dialogue with Apple follows several other
successes by IEHN at other companies. Resolutions were filed and later
withdrawn at Mohawk Carpets (on PFOA and PVC), CVS and Johnson & Johnson
(on safer cosmetics), Conagra (on PFOA), Sears (on PVC), and Whole Foods
(on Bisphenol A and other hormone disrupting substances). Shareholder and
business efforts to address these safer materials issues are described in
documents and reports at http://iehn.org and in a recently released 20
minute video online at http://video.investorenvironmentalhealthnetwork.org.
While the safer materials resolution continues to appear on the proxy
ballot, Trillium will not present the resolution in the May 10 shareholder
meeting.
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