SfC Winter Meeting: new Vice-President and new engagement projects
On December 11th and 12th, Shareholders for Change’s members gathered at the headquarters of Banca Etica in Padua for our annual winter meeting.
During the winter meeting, we had the opportunity to discuss the successes of the current year’s engagements and plan 2024 activities.
On the first day, we had the pleasure to have with us Giorgio Capasso, A2A’s Investor Relations Analyst, and Paolo Alessio Viganò, A2A’s Head of Debt and Financial Planning. A2A is Italy’s largest regional utility, listed on Milan’s stock exchange.
A2A’s representatives presented the industrial plan, the energy transition strategy, the financial strategy and their commitment to emission reduction. Since the company does not have an explicit target for Scope 3 emissions, they assured us a stronger commitment in the new business plan along with a timetable for the reduction of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. In addition, A2A has committed to ceasing the production of energy from coal by 2026.
Member also asked clarifications on the utilisation of waste to produce energy. As well as on projects to raise awareness about the importance of waste reduction among citizens.
The engagement with the company was positive and will continue next year.
We then hosted a webinar by the NGO Access to Nutrition Initiative. Christopher Board, Responsible Investor Engagement Manager, shed light on the global nutrition crisis and its impacts on the global economy. The growth of processed foods and their unhealthiness affect health budget, GDP, and productivity. The hidden costs of today’s diets are estimated to be more than double the cost of food itself.
During the discussion, SfC members had the opportunity to address several issues such as the sugar tax, food speculation and genetic engineering. The webinar also outlined what investors can do and how ATNI supports investors’ collaborative engagement.
On the second day Alix Ditisheim, ESG Analyst at our member Phitrust, was elected as Vice-President. We also shared some preliminary results of our 2023 engagements activities. Biodiversity, plastic pollution, tax transparency, sustainable transformation and nuclear weapons, are just a few of the issues addressed by our members in 2023.
The meeting served as a platform for updates and fruitful exchanges among our members. It was an important moment to share ideas about new in-house research and new network-driven engagement. Moreover, new members and new engagement campaigns by our members are on the horizon.
The prospects for next year are very promising. Stay tuned for updates on our members’ activities!