The 2022 proxy season is a record breaker for ESG proposals, with Michael Passoff, CEO of Proxy Impact and co-author of a new report, saying ‘you can feel the momentum building for real corporate change.’

Commenting on the 529 ESG proposals that have been filed this year, Passoff says there is ‘unprecedented support for environmental and social shareholder proposals.’ The Proxy Preview 2022 report, a comprehensive look at the season from As You Sow and Proxy Impact, predicts that around 300 proposals could be up for a vote at AGMs this year.

This follows an historic 2021 proxy season that saw record numbers of environmental and social shareholder proposals gaining approval and record levels of support for proposals on topics ranging from board diversity to plastic pollution.The new report notes that shareholders have already won five majority votes on issues ranging from sustainable packaging and net-zero emissions to gender/minority pay disparity and racial justice, suggesting the wins so far could take the total beyond last year’s record-breaking 39 majority vote wins. 

Record-breaking proxy season for ESG proposals, report says | Corporate Secretary