In the most recent proxy season, one of the key trends related to nature-oriented proposals pertains to the adoption of new frameworks for managing and reporting on nature and biodiversity impacts. In the twelve-month period leading to June 30, 2024, 10 submitted proposals asked companies to report on their nature and biodiversity impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities, effectively suggesting companies report in line with the TNFD framework and along the lines of the ESRS standards. This type of reporting takes a holistic assessment of the company’s nature-related dependencies and impacts and facilitates strategy development to manage associated risks in operations and along the value chain.

In previous years, submitted proposals tended to be relatively narrow in scope, focusing on specific corporate impacts. Such requests included questions around deforestation in the supply chain, the impacts of hydraulic fracturing, the environmental and health impacts of coal ash, the impacts of pesticides on pollinators, water pollution from specific operations, drilling in the Arctic, the use of polystyrene foam cups, and other operations-specific concerns. While proponents continue to raise many of these specific questions, the numbers of such proposals have either plateaued or decreased. Proposals focusing on packaging, recycling, and the use of plastics are the exception, as they have grown in numbers, reaching a record of 22 proposals in 2024.