RESOLVED: Amend Article II of the bylaws of the corporation to add a new section 2.11 authorizing the board to establish a Board Committee on Sustainability.
2.11 Board Committee on Sustainability: The Board is authorized and encouraged to appoint a Board Committee on Sustainability. Such committee could engage in ongoing review of corporate policies, above and beyond matters of legal compliance, to assess the Corporation’s response to changing conditions and knowledge of the natural environment, including but not limited to, waste creation and disposal, natural resource limitations, energy use, waste usage, and climate change.
B) The Board of Directors is authorized in its discretion, consistent with these Bylaws and the Washington Business Corporation Act, by resolution adopted by a majority of the Board members to: (1) select the members of the Committee, (2) provide said committee with funds for operating expenses, (3) prescribe guidelines for said Committee’s operations, (4) empower said Committee to solicit public input and to issue periodic reports to shareholders and the public, at reasonable expense and excluding him confidential information, on the Committee’s activities, findings and recommendations, and (5) adopt any other measures within the Board’s discretion consistent with these Bylaws and applicable law.
C) Nothing herein shall restrict the power of the Board of Directors to manage the business and affairs of the company. The Board Committee on Sustainability shall not incur any costs to the company except as authorized by the Board of Directors.
Supporting Statement
The Board Committee on Sustainability would be authorized on an ongoing basis to initiate, review, and make policy recommendations regarding the company’s preparedness for changing environmental conditions that may affect the sustainability of our business. Issues related to sustainability might include, but are not limited to: global climate change, political instability, emerging concerns regarding toxicity of materials, resource shortages, and biodiversity loss. By contrast, the current Nominating and Governance Committee conducts an annual review of the Company’s sustainability report.
Adoption of this resolution would reinforce our company’s position as an industry leader in this area of increasing concern to investors and policy makers. The proposed by-law would authorize and encourage the creation of a Board Committee, but would retain discretion for appointment and implementation with the full Board of Directors.