To: TIAA
Tell TIAA to go deforestation-free!
Dear Mr. Ferguson,
TIAA is among the top U.S. shareholders in big global palm oil traders and growers -- companies whose business model is fundamentally unsustainable because it thrives on forest destruction and depends on land grabs from small farmers to make way for plantations run with dangerous, dirty, low wage or no-wage labor. This destruction makes palm oil production among the leading causes of tropical deforestation.
Palm oil is unsustainable for the planet and it is unsustainable for our investments!
The Carbon Disclosure Project’s 2017 Global Forest Report notes that up to US$941 billion of turnover in publicly-listed companies is dependent on commodities linked to deforestation, including palm oil, soy, cattle, and timber, and urges investors to adopt policies to address the material risks related to deforestation in their portfolios.
TIAA has not addressed what it is doing regarding the material ESG risks related to deforestation and land governance. As one of the largest investment firms in the U.S., TIAA should be investing responsibly -– across all its portfolios!
We are demanding TIAA go deforestation and land grab-free!
Sincerely,
TIAA is among the top U.S. shareholders in big global palm oil traders and growers -- companies whose business model is fundamentally unsustainable because it thrives on forest destruction and depends on land grabs from small farmers to make way for plantations run with dangerous, dirty, low wage or no-wage labor. This destruction makes palm oil production among the leading causes of tropical deforestation.
Palm oil is unsustainable for the planet and it is unsustainable for our investments!
The Carbon Disclosure Project’s 2017 Global Forest Report notes that up to US$941 billion of turnover in publicly-listed companies is dependent on commodities linked to deforestation, including palm oil, soy, cattle, and timber, and urges investors to adopt policies to address the material risks related to deforestation in their portfolios.
TIAA has not addressed what it is doing regarding the material ESG risks related to deforestation and land governance. As one of the largest investment firms in the U.S., TIAA should be investing responsibly -– across all its portfolios!
We are demanding TIAA go deforestation and land grab-free!
Sincerely,
Why is this important?
TIAA and CREF pour millions of dollars a year into big global palm oil traders and growers in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa. These companies fund forest destruction.
Today, CREF -- a set of funds owned by TIAA -- is holding its shareholder meeting. Shareholders will vote for their new board of trustees, which could decide to stop funding land grabs and forest destruction. So we need to send a message to TIAA CEO Roger Ferguson and demand that he act now!
Today, CREF -- a set of funds owned by TIAA -- is holding its shareholder meeting. Shareholders will vote for their new board of trustees, which could decide to stop funding land grabs and forest destruction. So we need to send a message to TIAA CEO Roger Ferguson and demand that he act now!