“Leading investors call on FTSE100 companies to quit climate lobbying groups”, 2 Sept 2015

A global coalition of 25 institutional investors with over forty five billion pounds in assets under management is calling on nine major publicly listed companies to review their membership of lobbying groups that seek to undermine EU climate policy. The investors have written to BHP Billiton, BP, EDF, Glencore, Johnson Matthey, Proctor and Gamble, Rio Tinto, Statoil and Total expressing concern that the companies declared climate policies are undermined by membership of lobby groups with a track record of obstructive lobbying on climate change policy…Based on evidence from a recent publication from the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) at the University of Westminster, the letters highlight the obstructive lobbying undertaken on behalf of the companies by EU trade associations including Cefic, BusinessEurope and FuelsEurope…

Investors signing the letters come from three continents and include: Boston Common Asset Management, AP4 Swedish National Pension Fund, The Pensions Trust, UNISON Staff Pension Scheme, Australian Ethical Investment, Barrow Cadbury, Christopher Reynolds Foundation, The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Walden Asset Management, Sarasin & Partners LLP, Arjuna Capital, Jesuits in Britain, Zevin Asset Management LLC, Effective Assets, Barrow Cadbury Trust, LankellyChase Foundation, Polden-Puckham Charitable Foundation, The Baring Foundation, Ashden Trust, JJ Charitable Trust, Mark Leonard Trust, Tellus Mater Foundation, Mercy Investment Services Inc. and Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment… [Also refers to Unilever]