Boston, June 7, 2024 – Recently, 13.7% of votes were cast in favor of a Green Century° proposal asking General Motors* to improve the sustainability of its aluminum, steel, rubber, and leather supply chains. Specifically, the proposal requested that General Motors issue an annual report providing additional disclosure on these sustainability risks within its supply chain, as well as on risk mitigation efforts.
“Ultimately, we don’t think GM wants to be associated with exacerbating global warming or destroying the rainforest,” said Leslie Samuelrich, Green Century Funds President. “If the company truly wants to clean up its supply chain and ensure a timely transition to a sustainable future, it should invest now in clean, green, deforestation-free supply chains.”
The aluminum and steel sectors emit billions of tons of climate pollution annually and will require rapid decarbonization to avoid catastrophic global warming. Leather and rubber, both commonly used in vehicle manufacturing, are linked to tropical deforestation from Brazil to Southeast Asia.
General Motors’ goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and sell only electric light-duty vehicles by 2035 may depend in part on how it responds to concerns raised by Green Century’s proposal.
So far, General Motors has not established clear targets for procuring green steel or aluminum, nor has it joined industry associations such as ResponsibleSteelTM that are working to increase customer demand for green steel. The company may also be sourcing leather and rubber from regions associated with deforestation and currently lacks the disclosure, targets and metrics to indicate progress toward deforestation-free supply chains.
“As one of the largest auto companies in the world, GM has a leadership role to play in addressing climate and deforestation risk,” said Annie Sanders, director of shareholder advocacy at Green Century. “Many European auto companies, such as BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Volvo, are already making commitments to source low-carbon metals and protect forests. GM has an opportunity to both catch up to these peers and lead the way for American manufacturers.”
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A sustainable investment strategy that incorporates environmental, social and governance criteria may result in lower or higher returns than an investment strategy that does not include such criteria.
About Green Century
°Green Century Capital Management, Inc. (Green Century) is the investment advisor to the Green Century Funds (The Funds). The Green Century Funds are one of the first families of fossil fuel-free, environmentally responsible mutual funds. Green Century hosts an award-winning and in-house shareholder advocacy program and is the only mutual fund company in the U.S. wholly owned by environmental and public health nonprofit organizations.
*As of 03.31.2024, no securities mentioned were held in the portfolios of any of the Green Century Funds. References to specific securities, which will change due to ongoing management of the Funds, should not be construed as a recommendation by the Funds, their administrator, or their distributor.
The percentage in favor was calculated by (i) dividing the number of votes in support of the proposal by (ii) the sum of the number of votes voted in support of and against the proposal. Abstentions and broker non-votes were not included in the calculation.
You should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. To obtain a Prospectus that contains this and other information about the Funds please visit www.greencentury.com, email info@greencentury.com, or call 1-800-934-7336. Please read the Prospectus carefully before investing.
Stocks will fluctuate in response to factors that may affect a single company, industry, sector, country, region or the market as a whole and may perform worse than the market. Foreign securities are subject to additional risks such as currency fluctuations, regional economic and political conditions, differences in accounting methods, and other unique risks compared to investing in securities of U.S. issuers. Bonds are subject to a variety of risks including interest rate, credit, and inflation risk.
This information has been prepared from sources believed reliable. The views expressed are as the date of this writing and are those of the Advisor to the Funds.
The Green Century Funds are distributed by UMB Distribution Services. UMB and Green Century are not affiliated. May 2024.