Statement from Trillium Asset Management, in partnership with Plymouth for over 8 years:

It is difficult to overstate our anger, frustration, and deep sadness following the string of decisions announced by the Supreme Court as its 2022 term ends. From the rights of women to make decisions related to their healthcare, to a state’s right to protect its citizens from firearms and the ravages of climate change, all of these decisions have been made possible by a group of justices, nominated by a president who took office with the votes of a minority of Americans, and confirmed by senators also representing a minority of Americans. 

While we continue to believe that sound federal policy and coordinated international responses are the most effective tools to protect human rights and limit and mitigate the impacts of climate change, we understand that in this moment corporations will play a crucial role in building a more just and sustainable economy that works for all stakeholders. We continue our decades-long commitment to shareholder advocacy with the sense of urgency that this moment requires.

Below are some of the ways we have been engaging on behalf of our clients to bring the resources and energy of corporations and investors to these important issues. Our more detailed Shareholder Advocacy Impact Report for the first half of 2022 will have additional information about these and other issues we’ve been engaging companies and policymakers on over the last six months. We thank you for your continued partnership in this work.

• Access to Reproductive Healthcare - Reproductive rights, including access to abortion care, are human rights. Trillium has a long history of advocating for policies that support gender equality, a cornerstone of which is privacy and personal choice related to reproductive healthcare. We are encouraged by the growing number of companies joining us in the “Don’t Ban Equality” campaign, proclaiming that equality in the workplace is one of the most important business issues of our time, and that restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health, independence, and economic stability of workers and customers. Read more here.
• Getting Guns Out of Indices  - While we were encouraged to see both political parties come together to sign the most significant gun violence bill in decades, the Supreme Court decision limiting state-level gun regulation, and the unceasing gun violence in neighborhoods across the country, give renewed urgency to use all of the tools at our disposal to stem the assault on our communities. Trillium does not invest in gun or ammunition manufacturers, and we do not believe that school teachers, municipal workers, and other pension beneficiaries should have to either. In a 2019 white paper co-authored with ImpactCubed, we make the case for removing gun manufacturers from the indices that underpin passive strategies utilized in many pensions and 401(k) plans in the United States. Read the paper here.
• Limiting Carbon Emissions - In April 2021, Trillium joined other leading global asset managers in signing onto the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) Initiative, formally pledging to align our portfolios with the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner, in line with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. By joining NZAM, we pledged to make our own commitments to move our equity strategies towards a net zero greenhouse gas emission world. Read more about our commitment, and interim target here.

If you have questions, concerns, hopes and dreams for Plymouth, please join the Congregational Council for open discussions. Council members are available online via Zoom 7-8 pm the second Wednesday of each month. Email Diane Jacobsen by 5 pm the day of the meeting for the Zoom link.