How shareholder activism is tackling plastic pollution
MEET TULIPSHARE, OUR NEW PARTNER, CREATING ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE CHANGE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, ONE INVESTMENT AT A TIME
Tulipshare is an awesome new activist platform that empowers retail investors to promote ethical change. Through acquiring shares and uniting buying power in publicly listed companies, Tulipshare enables individuals to have a say in the way public companies are conducting their business – in a way that was previously not possible.
In partnership and just in time for World Refill Day, we are excited to announce that we will be working with Tulipshare to call out McDonald’s, using shareholder power to hold them accountable for the huge amounts of plastic they produce every year- an estimated 2 million tons of the stuff!
We will be asking McDonald’s by their next AGM in March 2023 to include reuse targets in a report that clearly outlines plans to reduce significant amounts of plastic produced, include tangible reuse targets as well as outlining the benefits of adopting a more reusable way of business across their 34,000 restaurants.
To find out more about the McDonalds campaign and how you can get involved, download the Tulipshare app here.
What is Investing or Shareholder Activism?
Put simply, activist investing and shareholder activism is the act of investing your money into publicly traded companies held on the stock market and then using your shares to influence their corporate governance.
So, why do we need Activist Investing?
We’ve all seen the news: the private sector, left unchecked, has demonstrated its potential to damage the environment, contribute to rising inequality, and ignore social responsibility in favour of greed.
For instance, despite making numerous promises to use more recycled plastic in their production line, Coca-Cola has repeatedly fallen short of its targets, continuing its reign as one of the world’s top polluters. Apple, another titan of waste, skirts corporate social responsibility by shrouding its device repair policies in layers of convoluted rules, ultimately leading to more consumer waste. Amazon, on the other hand, has an ongoing reputation for ignoring workers’ rights.
We know that, globally, we are not meeting crucial climate change-related targets. We also know that a healthy, well-paid, socially mobile workforce makes for a happier, safer, and more productive society. Furthermore, the environment and financial stability are connected, and most of the above issues are heavily influenced by the private sector.
This is why we have partnered with City to Sea, to work together campaigning for long-lasting, sustainable and much-needed change within big organisations- Keep your eyes peeled for more news on our partnership coming soon.
But what power do we really have as individuals?
Well, traditional activism can only go so far. For companies to commit to real and lasting change, the pressure needs to come from within. But the good news is that we live in a world where we as individuals have the power to influence the private sector—in addition to monitoring consumer preferences, publicly held companies are obligated to listen to the concerns of their shareholders.
Meaning if you have money, you can buy shares in publicly held companies. And if you can buy enough shares, you can earn a seat at a company’s annual general meeting (AGM) and exercise your voting rights on company matters. Just recently, an activist investment advisor called Engine No.1 challenged ExxonMobil, unseating three of its board members for failing to sufficiently adjust its strategies in response to the climate crisis, demonstrating the effectiveness of shareholder activism. Coca Cola have recently announced that they will be making 25% of their bottles reusable to ensure less plastic ends up in our waterways. Together, City to Sea and Tulipshare are excited to work on similar campaigns in the future.
Changing our attitudes towards investing
When combined, the words ‘wall’ and ‘street’ tend to evoke certain wolf-like connotations, and maybe that’s because investing has long been an individualistic or even a competitive pursuit used primarily to make money back for investors. But suppose we change our mindset when it comes to investing? In that case, we may increase the effectiveness of the third sector, including major charities and activist organisations, by using this existing system to force change.
Investing could be about more than just you – it could be about investing in our society and making a better future. Rather than making your money just work for you, you could make your money work for everyone – a more conscious way of investing or investing with a conscience. The good news is you don’t have to be rich to have an impact. All it takes is a lot of people with just a little bit of money.
Innovations such as Tulipshare’s platform are specifically designed for activist investment, making it easier for individuals to invest, collectivize and put pressure on corporations. You provide the desire for change by investing behind one of our campaigns, and we’ll provide the Trojan horse that seeks to sneak past corporate blockades.
Because, ultimately, companies are better off investing in the future, not just their short-term profits.
- Read more about Tulipshare’s ongoing campaigns to promote change within these companies here. Keep an eye on our social channels for news of how City to Sea and Tulipshare will be working together to achieve long-lasting, sustainable change through activist investment.
- Visit the Tulipshare website to learn more about current campaigns for change: www.tulipshare.com
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