The Decline of Shareholder Proposals in the US

A majority of all US shareholder proposals related to environmental issues, 58% were withdrawn before they went to a vote. Success for a shareholder proposal is getting over 50% of shareholder votes which then means in the US the company has to seriously think about enacting the proposal. Companies are responding to investor concerns at an earlier stage on the engagement spectrum and giving investors a reason either to withdraw the proposal or just never to submit it in the first place. Many of the proposals going to vote may represent proposals where investors and issuers couldn't find that compromise.