Public Equities - Engagement & Advocacy
Advocacy - an alternative to screening
Corporate engagement represents an opportunity to express faith-based values in a listed equities portfolio without divesting from the company.
We engage directly with companies on behalf of clients, expressing views on a wide range of issues where we see how our faith can influence company behavior in ways that promote human flourishing and support shareholder outcomes.
We typically select several issues per month to commence engagement, opening dialogue with a company to understand more about the issue at stake and seek changed company behavior. Engagement progression depends on a company's response and may focus on information gathering, requests for improvement, and specific requests for company action.
Issues on which we have engaged on include:
Improving monitoring and reporting processes to remove child labor from a company's supply chain.
Taking steps to reduce the high frequency of sexual harassment in the Fly-In-Fly-Out Mining Industry.
Understanding how companies address allegations of age-based discrimination in their hiring and termination practices.
Ensuring that environmental practices are improved following a significant fine issued by the EPA for dangerous soot emissions.
Brightlight does not presently offer proxy voting services but can support with introductions to organizations that offer this service.
A principles-based approach
Our values-based rationale for investing articulates foundational principles that govern the way we engage with companies:
Core business- we consider companies' core business to be the important point of engagement and will engage on topics relevant to a company's business operations.
Promoting Profitability – we seek the flourishing of the companies in which our clients invest; our engagement should support outcomes that are in the long-term interests of shareholders.
Flourishing People – we care about and advocate for the dignity of all people – customers, employees, and others across all parts of a company's value and supply chain.
Forward Looking – we recognize past mistakes without fixating on them, ensuring that engagement is future action oriented.
Clear Actions – we provide concrete and reasonable steps that are within the company’s power to take in responding to our engagement.
Influence, not Power – we focus on constructive dialogue and a tone of encouragement, not on seeking to exercise power to force change.
Non-partisan – our goal is human well-being and flourishing, not the promotion of politically aligned causes.
