Shareholder Activism on Sustainability Issues is Surging

It was not long ago that shareholder activism most often focused on changing the trajectory of what investors saw as a rudderless or poorly-run company. Corporate governance directives, such as changing directors on a board, swatting aside a CEO or reining in executive salaries, have long been driven by proxy statements that asked shareholders to vote on such proposals. But a Harvard Business School study suggests that concerns over environmental and social sustainability challenges are the the fastest growing cause behind today’s shareholder proposals.