Page 16 - Riverwater 2020 Sustainability Report

2020 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT OF OUR INVESTMENTS: COLLABORATION EFFORTS
COLLABORATIONS FOCUSING ON PLANET
During 2020, while much of our attention turned toward people, we also encouraged companies to consider the effects of their businesses on the planet. Ensuring a robust environmental ecosystem is imperative to sustaining people and prosperity. In this light, we collaborated with our NGO and non- profit partners to act as signatories to letters addressed to stakeholders ranging from our investee companies to Congress to the President of the United States. Examples of these letters are below:
CDP REQUEST FOR DISCLOSURE
The CDP requests disclosure on climate change, forests and water. We sign-on to support those requests at our investee companies. We signed on to letters requesting that the following companies respond to CDP’s request for disclosure: Americo, Berkshire Hathaway, Next Era Energy, Phillips 66, Nestle and Newmont Mining.
As of the deadline of September 30, 2020, only Nestle submitted CDP Forests Disclosure. We will engage with those who did not again in 2021.
CLEAN ENERGY
In November 2020, Riverwater, along with other investors, signed on to a letter promoting the transition to clean energy adoption by asking Congress to update legislation to extend tax credits and incentives for clean energy solutions that are set to expire.
WE ARE STILL IN PLEDGE
In December 2020, Riverwater signed on to a “We Are Still In” letter to President-Elect Biden asking his administration to:
• Drive economic growth across every sector of the economy through job-creating
sustainable investments,
• Expand U.S. leadership at home and abroad, and
• Reimagine community partnership to advance just and equitable climate solutions and
build resilience to climate change.
COLLABORATIONS FOCUSING ON PUBLIC POLICY
Governance at the company level is important to formulate, execute, and oversee policy that will positively impact all stakeholders; likewise, we believe it is important to maintain strong governance at the public policy level to ensure people, planet, and profitability are secure. In 2020, Riverwater engaged in Public Policy discourse regarding the threshold for ownership required to file shareholder resolutions, fiduciary burdens of fiduciaries wishing to incorporate ESG investing in ERISA plans and fiduciary duties regarding proxy voting and shareholder rights in ERISA plans. Detail on these engagements can be found in Appendix B.
16