The path toward transformative impact demands an unwavering commitment to Principled Investing.
In 2023, Boston Trust Walden continued to advance solutions to the world’s most urgent sustainability challenges by engaging portfolio companies directly, voting proxies responsibly, advocating for smart public policy, and contributing to industry-leading practices related to climate risk, equality, and governance.
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Report Highlights
PRINCIPLED INVESTING. SUSTAINED STEWARDSHIP.
In this 2023 ESG Impact Report, we share examples of actions we’ve taken on behalf of our clients to transform the systems that guide corporate decision-making and achieve sustained impact.
2023 REACH AND IMPACT RESULTS
Boston Trust Walden’s multifaceted approach to active ownership — refined over nearly five decades of experience — enabled us to reach 83% of the companies held across our investment strategies. Nearly half of the companies we engaged took steps to strengthen corporate policies, enhance public reporting, or advance more sustainable business practices.
DRIVING BOARD DIVERSITY
For more than 30 years, Boston Trust Walden has been actively engaging companies, regulators, and policymakers to advance diversity within corporate boardrooms. In 2023, we leveraged public policy advocacy to defend the Nasdaq Board Diversity rule and ensure investor access to decision-useful board diversity disclosure.
BUILDING MORE INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES
Since the early 1990s, Boston Trust Walden has successfully engaged more than 200 companies to adopt fully inclusive EEO policies and practices — including protections for LGBTQ+ employees. In 2023, approximately 99% of companies held across our investment strategies had in place fully inclusive EEO policies.
GETTING TO NET ZERO
In 2023, Boston Trust Walden implemented a multiyear initiative to engage with portfolio companies encouraging them to set science-based GHG emissions reduction targets. Utilizing a multiphased approach, we engaged nearly 100 companies on this topic – 70% of which were small or SMID cap equity holdings.
INFLUENCING STANDARD SETTING
To price evolving ESG risks appropriately and allocate capital responsibly and efficiently, investors require access to rigorous, standardized, and high-quality corporate disclosures. In 2023, we continued our decades-long engagement with regulators and standard setters to drive efforts to improve corporate disclosure of material ESG information and influence the creation of disclosure standards in the US and globally.
AMPLIFYING OUR IMPACT
Our team strategically leverages the power of collaborative partnerships, multistakeholder engagements, and public policy advocacy in complement to Boston Trust Walden’s independent commitments and in support of our fiduciary duty to clients. Throughout this report, we include illustrative examples of Boston Trust Walden’s efforts to amplify the impact achieved on behalf of our clients.
