GreenYes Archives
[GreenYes Archives] - [Thread Index] - [Date Index]
[Date Prev] - [Date Next] - [Thread Prev] - [Thread Next]

RE: [GreenYes] Social Investors and Coke

For Immediate Release
New York, NY - April 18, 2002

Contact:
Domini Social Investments LLC
Sigward Moser, Managing Principal
212-217-1110
smoser@domini.com


DOMINI SOCIAL INVESTMENTS ANNOUNCES 2002 SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS

Socially Responsible Firm Focuses on Sweatshops and the Environment,
Continues Push for Greater Corporate Transparency

Domini Social Investments, manager of the Domini Social
Equity Fund (NASDAQ: DSEFX), the nation's oldest and largest socially
responsible index fund, announced today that it has filed nine
shareholder resolutions for the 2002 proxy season and is engaged in ten
separate dialogues with companies on a range of social and environmental
issues.

"Responsible investing requires responsible ownership," said Amy Domini,
Founder and a Managing Principal of Domini Social Investments. "By
filing shareholder proposals on social and environmental issues, and
through constructive dialogue with companies, we are helping to make
corporations more accountable to their stockholders, employees,
communities and the environment."

Several of Domini's 2002 shareholder initiatives involve the sweatshop
issue, on which the firm has been active for a number of years. In
addition to filing shareholder resolutions with The Gap (NYSE: GPS) and
Sears, Roebuck (NYSE: S) this season, Domini is also engaged in dialogue
with The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) and
Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) regarding international labor standards. Domini's
resolution with The Gap (NYSE: GPS) was withdrawn when the company
agreed to work with Domini and other concerned investors to explore the
development of assessment methods for benchmarking and reporting vendor
compliance activities and progress. Also as a result of dialogues,
McDonald's has produced its first public report on its vendor standards
compliance program, and Nordstrom recently announced that it would be
adding "freedom of association" to its global code of conduct.

Domini's 2002 shareholder activism initiatives also focus on
environmental issues. Domini's two-year dialogue with Merrill Lynch
(NYSE: MER) about the social and environmental impacts of Merrill's
investments showed signs of progress when Merrill's CEO & Chairman cited
China's Three Gorges Dam at the recent World Economic Forum Summit in
New York. "One important goal of our dialogue has been realized - our
concerns about the disastrous impacts of this dam have been raised to
the highest levels of the firm," said Adam Kanzer, Director of
Shareholder Advocacy at Domini Social Investments. Domini also initiated
a dialogue with Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) asking the company to
refrain from using old growth timber and to set goals for using recycled
content in popular paper products such as Bounty paper towels and
Charmin bath tissue.

Domini was a co-filer this year on resolutions calling on The Coca-Cola
Company (NYSE: KO) to report on progress in meeting beverage container
recycling goals, and on Pepsi Co. (NYSE: PEP) to adopt a comprehensive
recycling policy. Coca-Cola has agreed to increase the recycled content
in its plastic bottles and participated in a project, along with
recycling companies, environmental organizations and government
agencies, to comprehensively evaluate recycling opportunities throughout
the beverage container value chain. Pepsi recently followed Coca-Cola's
lead by announcing that it would begin including recycled content in its
plastic bottles sold in the United States.

Domini is also working to encourage corporations to improve the way they
treat their employees. For the second consecutive year, Domini is asking
AT&T (NYSE: T) to revise its employee pension plan so as not to
discriminate against longer-term employees. Domini also co-sponsored a
resolution with Emerson (NYSE: EMR) for the second consecutive year,
asking it to adopt a written policy barring discrimination based on
sexual orientation. The Emerson resolution received 10.2% of the
shareholder vote at the company's annual meeting on February 5, ensuring
the right to return to Emerson for a third year with this issue.

Domini also co-filed a resolution with Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE) to
issue annual sustainability reports; with Household International
(NYSE: HI) asking it to link executive paHõ83 progress on eliminating
predatory lending practices; and with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ),
concerning the firm's global code of conduct. This resolution was
withdrawn after the firm committed to a dialogue with proponents. The
Cooper Industries resolution received a very strong 21.85% vote at their
annual meeting on April 5. Management has agreed to meet with
proponents.

In addition to filing shareholder resolutions and initiating dialogues
with companies, Domini has been extremely active on shareholder
disclosure issues of late. Three years ago, the firm became the first
mutual fund manager in America to publish its proxy votes. Last
December, Domini filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC), urging adoption of a rule requiring all
mutual funds to publicly disclose their proxy votes. The firm also
recently revised its Proxy Voting Guidelines to emphasize greater
corporate transparency on auditor independence and other issues.

"We think mutual fund shareholders have a right to know how their shares
are voted on important issues of corporate governance and social and
environmental responsibility," says Ms. Domini. "In light of revelations
about corporate practices at Enron and other companies, where small
groups of management insiders seemed more interested in self-enrichment
than in benefiting shareholders, we think shareholder vigilance and
increased corporate transparency are more important than ever."

Domini Social Investments manages more than $1.8 billion in assets for
individual and institutional investors seeking to create positive change
by integrating social and environmental values into their investment
decisions. Its flagship fund, the Domini Social Equity Fund, was the
first socially and environmentally screened index fund and is the
nation's largest socially responsible index fund. The Fund includes
companies with positive records in community involvement, the
environment, diversity and employee relations, and excludes companies
deriving significant revenues from alcohol, tobacco, gambling, nuclear
power and weapons contracting. In addition to the Domini Social Equity
Fund, the company also offers the Domini Social Bond Fund (NASDAQ:
DSBFX) and an FDIC-insured money market account (in partnership with
ShoreBank), both of which focus on community economic development.

Domini is working with a number of concerned investor groups and
non-governmental organizations on its 2002 shareholder initiatives,
including the As You Sow Foundation, Friends of the Earth, the
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, the International Rivers
Network, the National Wildlife Federation, the Pride Foundation, Walden
Asset Management, and a number of large institutional investors,
including the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of the United
Methodist Church.

For additional information on Domini's shareholder activism and proxy
voting initiatives, information on the Domini Funds, or a free copy of
the firm's 44 page Proxy Voting Guidelines & Shareholder Activism
booklet, call 800-762-6814, or visit the firm's web site
http://www.domini.com.

                                 ***

The Domini Social Equity Fund and the Domini Social Bond Fund are
subject to market risks and are not insured. You may lose money. Some of
the Domini Social Bond Fund's community investments may be unrated and
carry greater credit risks than the Fund's other investments. Although
the Domini Funds are no-load, certain fees and expenses apply to a
continued investment and are described in the prospectus. Please obtain
a prospectus by calling 1-800-762-6814 or online at
http://www.domini.com. Read it carefully before you invest or send
money. 04/02

As of March 31, 2002, the companies mentioned above represented the
following percentages of the Domini Social Index Portfolio: AT&T: 0.99%,
Coca-Cola Co.: 2.32%, Cooper Industries: 0.07%, Emerson: 0.43%, The Gap:
0.23%, Household International: 0.46%, Johnson & Johnson: 3.55%,
McDonald's: 0.64%, Merrill Lynch: 0.83%, Nordstrom, Inc.: 0.06%,
PepsiCo.: 1.61%, Procter & Gamble: 2.10%, Sears, Roebuck: 0.30%, The
Walt Disney Co.: 0.84%. The DSIP's holdings are subject to change.
Unlike other mutual funds, the Domini Social Equity Fund
(DSEF) seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing all of its
investable assets in the DSIP, a separate portfolio with an identical
investment objective. DSIL Investment Services LLC (DSILD), Distributor.
The Domini Social Equity Fund is not affiliated with any bank and is not
insured. DSILD and ShoreBank are not affiliated. Domini Social
Investments, Domini Social Equity Fund, Domini Social Bond Fund and
Domini Money Market Account are registered service marks of Domini
Social Investments LLC.

Eric Lombardi
Executive Director
EcoCycle, Inc
Boulder, CO
www.ecocycle.org
303-444-6634



******************************************
To post to the greenyes list,
email to: greenyes@grrn.org

Subscription information for
this list is available here:
http://www.grrn.org/general/greenyes.html
******************************************

[GreenYes Archives] - [Date Index] - [Thread Index]
[Date Prev] - [Date Next] - [Thread Prev] - [Thread Next]