Clean Yield in Conversation: Shareholder Advocacy & Proxy Voting 2024-25 Year in Review

Clean Yield in Conversation features team members in dialogue with timely updates and analysis of the financial markets. Listen to this episode with insights from Liz Levy: 

In this recording, Liz summarizes the Clean Yield Shareholder Advocacy and Proxy Voting Year in Review articles she authored. Her recap describes our firm’s activities during the period July 1st, 2024 through June 30th, 2025, which were based on the 2025 Annual General Meetings schedule of companies in the Clean Yield portfolio. Liz begins by describing the context that influenced our latest cycle of engagement and advocacy work to ensure our clients’ capital makes a positive impact on the world.

“It’s impossible to talk about the past year without acknowledging the political reality,” says Liz. Starting in January, the administration gave companies leeway to ignore shareholder proposals, with the promise of more rules in the future that will make it challenging for investors to file resolutions or dialogue with companies. The year also brought attacks on the use of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices or diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) actions in investment decisions. “Companies out there are quietly changing language and policies and reducing disclosure,” says Liz.

As equity investors, Clean Yield clients are the owners of these companies. “Networks we’re a part of are using every tool they can think of to defend our rights as equity owners,” says Liz. “We think it’s really important to push back against these changes.”  

Listen to the full recording above.

Read Shareholder Advocacy: 2024-25 Year In Review
Read Proxy Voting: 2024-25 Year in Review