Fighting Against Plastic Pollution
- Blue Summit
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Plastic pollution represents one of today's more urgent environmental challenges. As plastics enter our oceans, rivers, and lakes, it threatens marine life, spreads toxins, and poses potential human health risks. Green Century, one of the fund companies we use, has risen to this challenge through strategic shareholder engagement, driving meaningful corporate change across multiple industries.
Here are some key points summarizing their work:
Track Record: Green Century has secured 20 commitments or majority shareholder votes to reduce plastic pollution in just three years.
Major Entertainment & Hospitality Victories: Disney agreed to reduce single-use plastic across operations, while Hilton, Marriott, and Choice Hotels committed to measuring plastic footprints and setting reduction goals.
Retail & Consumer Success Stories: Amazon reduced single-use packaging by 86,000 metric tons in 2023 and Costco will create a 5-year plastic reduction plan for Kirkland products.
Toy Industry Transformation: Green Century persuaded Hasbro to disclose all packaging use and worked with Mattel to reduce plastic packaging by 25% for brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels.
Beyond Recycling: With only 9% of plastic actually being recycled, Green Century focuses on eliminating single-use plastics and expanding refillable packaging options.
Shareholder advocacy drives systemic change across major industries. By engaging industry leaders, this work creates ripple effects throughout supply chains, setting new standards as companies increasingly recognize that sustainability benefits both planet and profit.
We hope you find this on-the-ground Shareholder Impact story interesting and insightful. As always, feel free to pass these articles to others or share your comments with us!
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Blue Summit does not directly engage with companies listed above. Many, but not all clients, are invested in funds that perform this advocacy.
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