Do sustainability initiatives actually fix the problems they claim to solve? In Ep. 101, Isaac Willour from Bowyer Research sits down with Christian Britschgi of Reason Magazine to discuss how Starbucks' 2018 decision to nix plastic straws in the name of 'sustainability' ended up being far more complicated than anticipated, and what corporate activists often miss in their crusades against plastic use.

Link to Christian's original piece here: Starbucks Bans Plastic Straws, Winds Up Using More Plastic

Do sustainability initiatives actually fix the problems they claim to solve? In Ep. 101, Isaac Willour from Bowyer Research sits down with Christian Britschgi of Reason Magazine to discuss how Starbucks' 2018 decision to nix plastic straws in the name of 'sustainability' ended up being far more complicated than anticipated, and what corporate activists often miss in their crusades against plastic use.
Link to Christian's original piece here: <a href="https://reason.com/2018/07/12/starbucks-straw-ban-will-see-the-company/">Starbucks Bans Plastic Straws, Winds Up Using More Plastic</a>

Meeting of Minds brings together the top minds in history, theology, finance, economics, language, mathematics and science. Host Jerry Bowyer invites guests to be both intelligent and clear and to follow truth wherever it leads.

Meeting of Minds brings together the top minds in history, theology, finance, economics, language, mathematics and science. Host Jerry Bowyer invites guests to be both intelligent and clear and to follow truth wherever it leads.

Meeting of Minds Podcast

I talk to the smartest people in the world about the wisest people who have ever lived, and I ask them not to dumb it down and not to follow any party line.

I talk to the smartest people in the world about the wisest people who have ever lived, and I ask them not to dumb it down and not to follow any party line.

Meeting of Minds

Starbucks Ditched Straws In the Name of "Sustainability." The Opposite Happened.

At Gilead Sciences' 2026 annual meeting, the company faced a shareholder proposal from David Bahnsen, founder of The Bahnsen Group over the use of ESG and DEI metrics in executive compensation. Listen to David's presentation, urging the company to prioritize executive clarity and business performance over activist incentives.

"Gilead does not need to be grabbing headlines or seeking activist plaudits over inclusion initiatives. Its core business, meeting the needs of humanity by combatting the world’s deadliest diseases, is a noble, commendable, and lifesaving model that every investor can and ought to be proud of. Gilead has done it so very well."

Learn more about The Bahnsen Group at thebahnsengroup.com.

At Gilead Sciences' 2026 annual meeting, the company faced a shareholder proposal from David Bahnsen, founder of The Bahnsen Group over the use of ESG and DEI metrics in executive compensation. Listen to David's presentation, urging the company to prioritize executive clarity and business performance over activist incentives.
"Gilead does not need to be grabbing headlines or seeking activist plaudits over inclusion initiatives. Its core business, meeting the needs of humanity by combatting the world&rsquo;s deadliest diseases, is a noble, commendable, and lifesaving model that every investor can and ought to be proud of. Gilead has done it so very well."
Learn more about The Bahnsen Group at <a href="https://thebahnsengroup.com">thebahnsengroup.com</a>.

David Bahnsen: Gilead, Prioritize Business Performance

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/1b57ed5e-5640-4970-a2ae-b4500142211a/transcript

At Truist's annual meeting, the company faced a shareholder proposal from the Heritage Foundation via its Free Enterprise Initiative over brand politicization. Stefan Padfield presented for Heritage, urging the company to choose political neutrality in key areas, including charitable policies.

"While our nation has come to realize that nice-sounding phrases like “diversity, equity, and inclusion” apparently routinely mean discrimination in practice, Truist has unfortunately been associated with such initiatives. Truist scores 100 on the HRC’s CEI. And while the green energy transition has arguably been exposed as a utopian endeavor that leaves Americans poorer and vulnerable to foreign adversaries, Truist apparently maintains commitments furthering that agenda."

Learn more about Heritage's Free Enterprise Initiative here.

At Truist's annual meeting, the company faced a shareholder proposal from the Heritage Foundation via its Free Enterprise Initiative over brand politicization. Stefan Padfield presented for Heritage, urging the company to choose political neutrality in key areas, including charitable policies.
"While our nation has come to realize that nice-sounding phrases like &ldquo;diversity, equity, and inclusion&rdquo; apparently routinely mean discrimination in practice, Truist has unfortunately been associated with such initiatives.&nbsp;Truist scores 100 on the HRC&rsquo;s CEI. And&nbsp;while the green energy transition has arguably been exposed as a utopian endeavor that leaves Americans poorer and vulnerable to foreign adversaries, Truist apparently maintains commitments furthering that agenda."
Learn more about Heritage's Free Enterprise Initiative&nbsp;<a href="https://www.heritage.org/free-enterprise-initiative">here</a>.

The Heritage Foundation: Truist, Reject Brand Misalignment

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/5a9b5531-003e-468f-aaae-b44f00d54afe/transcript

At HPE’s annual meeting of shareholders, the company faced a shareholder proposal from a BR client over political neutrality in the company’s charitable partnerships. Presenting at that meeting was Bowyer Research's director of corporate engagement Isaac Willour, who laid out (1) the case for risk mitigation around controversial corproate partnerships, (2) what activist ratings indicate about the company's policy stances on critical issues like gender transition surgery, and (3) why peer companies, and the Fortune 500 is broadly moving away from these sorts of partnerships and choosing political neutrality.

At HPE&rsquo;s annual meeting of shareholders, the company faced a shareholder proposal from a BR client over political neutrality in the company&rsquo;s charitable partnerships. Presenting at that meeting was Bowyer Research's director of corporate engagement Isaac Willour, who laid out (1) the case for risk mitigation around controversial corproate partnerships, (2) what activist ratings indicate about the company's policy stances on critical issues like gender transition surgery, and (3) why peer companies, and the Fortune 500 is broadly moving away from these sorts of partnerships and choosing political neutrality.

BR’s Isaac Willour: HPE, Reexamine Controversial Charitable Partnerships

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/67711371-336d-4d9c-b49f-b44e00bafaa6/transcript

Starbucks Ditched Straws In the Name of "Sustainability." The Opposite Happened.

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