|
Mission
The Sustainable Investment Institute (Si2), a non-profit
organization based in Washington, D.C., conducts impartial research and
publishes reports on organized efforts to influence corporate behavior
on social and environmental issues.
Si2 closely follows shareholder resolutions proposed by investor activists,
analyzing changing reform campaigns and identifying key points of contention
in reports that enable institutional investors to make informed, independent
decisions about their votes and views on these proposals. In addition
to educational proxy research materials for members, SI2 publishes reports
for the interested public on related emerging issues.
Si2 seeks to elevate the debate on investor responsibility and expand
the market for robust, impartial analysis of corporate sustainability
concerns. Much of the extant research on socially responsible investing
and corporate performance is gathered and maintained in proprietary databases
by financial service firms, which limits the ability of academic researchers
and the public at large to independently and accurately assess corporate
behavior. By conducting original research on these issues and making reports
more readily available, Si2 will enrich civil society’s knowledge
and understanding. It will both inform investors and spur dialogue between
key stakeholders and corporations, helping to identify solutions that
benefit the world.
Founding members believe that a public interest research institute best
realizes the organization’s intended mission; establishment as an
independent institute differentiates Si2 from other companies, activists
and research firms in the field. We avoid conflicts of interest by not
taking a position on the issues we cover.
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW REPORT ON INTEGRATED REPORTING (APRIL 29): Every company in the S&P 500 except one reports some form of sustainability disclosure, but fewer quantify those disclosures in bottom line impacts, according to the new report we issued today with funding from the IRRC Institute (IRRCI). The report is the first to comprehensively benchmark the status of integrated reporting in the United States.
A webinar to review the findings and respond to questions about the report, Integrated Financial and Sustainability Reporting in the United States, will be held on Friday, May 3, 2013, at 2 PM ET. Register here.
The 285-page report analyzes sustainability disclosures on a sector-by-sector basis, and examined a total of 56,000 individual data points, across both mandated SEC filings and voluntary sustainability reports issued in 2012. It looks at industry trends and regulatory developments, presenting the results of a months-long analysis that looks at the extent to which companies are combining traditional financial reporting with quantifiable environmental and social metrics in their securities filings and sustainability reports.
Download the report and read the press release here.
2013 PROXY SEASON: Si2’s forecast of the 2013 annual meeting season and all social and environmental shareholder proposals known as of February 15 was available to subscribers in mid-February and appears in Proxy Preview 2013, a collaboration with the As You Sow Foundation and Proxy Impact. It documents a continued avalanche of proposals on political spending—before and after elections—and a new set of climate and energy resolutions. Key proxy season advocates and issue experts also provide their perspectives on the season and related dialogues, including views from students, investors and companies.
Download the report, listen to a re-broadcast of the webinar, check out the slides and learn more about the report extras here .
Si2’s Executive Director, Heidi Welsh, talked with Ken Bertsch from the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals about the proxy season in “Governance Minutes” here
SEC SUBMISSION:At the end of October 2012, Si2 submitted a comment about investor support for shareholder resolutions on corporate political spending to the SEC, which is considering a proposed rulemaking.
|
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
April 22: It now appears that the number of social and environmental proposals going to votes in 2013 will significantly surpass the number voted on in 2012, and could be an all-time record. As in 2012, the clear majority of resolutions relate to corporate political spending, and as Si2 reported early in the season, proposals on lobbying have transcended the number on campaign spending.
|
|
|
|
|
|
