Stewardship

Engaging and voting as stewards of people and planet

Direct company engagement

We engage with companies to discuss the sustainability issues that matter most to us.

In open dialogue, we explore their perspectives, policies and business practices and how these relate to our transition themes - Food, Resource, Energy, Wellbeing and Societal - as well as to the Triodos Minimum Standards. This helps us understand the depth of their commitment to achieving long-term positive impact. Our engagement methods are varied and personal, ranging from on-site visits and online meetings to letters and emails.

Collaborative and industry engagement

We collaborate with like-minded partners to address sustainability challenges.

Proxy voting

We exercise our voting rights, either in person or by proxy, for every investment where we hold voting shares.

Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, we carefully assess each resolution within the specific context in which a company operates. Guided by our organisation-wide vision for sustainability, we vote the same for all shares we hold in a company, across all our funds and portfolios. After voting by proxy, we inform all investees of our voting decisions to stimulate awareness.

While we regularly hold one-on-one conversations with companies to discuss ad-hoc sustainability topics, we also follow a structured engagement agenda. This agenda currently includes the following topics:

Climate change

Since 2020, we have actively engaged with the companies in our portfolios on pressing climate issues, stimulating them to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We encourage them to provide transparent reporting on their scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions. We also urge them to establish science-based reduction targets, preferably endorsed by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and hold them accountable for their progress and strategies in reducing emissions. Find out more in our latest update.

Executive remuneration

We advocate balanced and fair remuneration policies and practices by limiting excessive CEO pay and reducing the pay gap. We engage with portfolio companies where we see significant room for improvement in remuneration, aiming to reduce the pay gap in companies, achieve concrete improvements regarding disclosure, transparency, responsiveness, risk-taking, pay for performance, and create awareness of the relationship between inequality and remuneration systems. Find out more in our latest update.

Plastics and packaging

Extensive use of plastic has a detrimental effect on our environment, our climate, biodiversity, human rights and public health. Through our engagement we aim to improve the criteria used to evaluate plastic reduction ambition, phase out hazardous additives in virgin packaging, and reduce the use of types of plastics that are not recyclable and disrupt the effectiveness of recycling systems. We initially focus on companies in the consumer staples and packaging industries. Find out more in our latest update.

Family-friendly work policies

Family-friendly work policies are crucial for the development of both children and parents. They contribute to both an inclusive and healthy society. We engage with all the companies in our Future Generations portfolio to create a family-friendly workplace, with policies such as paid parental leave, flexible working hours, facilitation of breastfeeding and childcare support. Find out more in our latest update.

Find out how we act as stewards of people and planet

Stewardship

The pillars of our stewardship approach

Our engagement agenda

Climate change

Executive remuneration

Plastics and packaging

Family-friendly work policies

Quarterly update

Insights

"Impact is not confined to private markets"

Action against PFAS

Driving change in plastics and packaging

Pushing for ESG metrics in executive remuneration schemes

Next steps in reducing GHG emissions

Impact investing on the public market

Company engagement is a strong force for change

Triodos Bank’s 2035 emission reduction targets validated as science-based

Start investing in impact

Interested in investing?

Are you looking for funding?

Main

Impact investing

Strategies and solutions

Insights

Triodos IM office

Media enquiries

Investor relations

Funding options

We use cookies

Climate change

Executive remuneration

Plastics and packaging

Family-friendly work policies

Start investing in impact

Interested in investing?

Are you looking for funding?