Kickstart: Sustainability and shareholders

ExxonMobil Corp. shareholders won't be following the lead of Phillips 66 Co. shareholders. Only 37.4 percent of ExxonMobil shareholders voted in favor of a resolution backed by As You Sow calling for the company to study the impact of its virgin plastics production.

A week ago, just a little more than half of Phillips shareholders voted in favor of a similar measure.

ExxonMobil has set targets to increase its recycling capacity, but As You Sow, an environmental activist group, said that the company's virgin plastics production is eight times higher than its recycling target.

As You Sow also noted that although its measure did not win a majority, it still did see strong support.

"These high votes with Exxon and Phillips 66 send a loud, clear message to the industry to move swiftly to develop a blueprint for an expeditious transition away from virgin plastic and less production of throwaway plastics overall," Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president at As You Sow, said in a news release.

Results of another AYS-backed proposal, this time at Amazon, are expected next week.

If you're a fan of craft beer, you've likely encountered the rigid high density polyethylene multipack carriers favored by those beermakers. They're referred to typically as PakTech, taking their name from the company based in Eugene, Ore., that makes them from 100 percent recycled HDPE. (PakTech also makes handles for other consumer multipack products that you may find at warehouse stores.)

The handles are much more sustainable than the flimsy plastic rings that have a reputation of getting entangled with turtles, birds and other wildlife. But not every curbside program is equipped to handle them, and drop-off locations aren't available everywhere, so some Chicago breweries are joining forces to collect and reuse them in the Chicagoland Can Carrier Reuse and Recycling Co-op, public television station WTTW reports.

Customers can bring carriers to participating breweries and shops. The breweries then clean and reuse them for a new multipack. The reuse system also means there's no need for the energy used to ship, recycle and mold new carriers, said Alex Parker, founder of Craft for Climate, which is organizing the program. Some participating brewers also are offering free beer (up to a pint) in exchange for the carriers.

"The goal is to keep these [carriers] in circulation as long as possible," Parker told WTTW.

Here's a story combining two trends of the last couple of years: supply chain stresses and the Great Resignation.

Bloomberg reports that supply chain managers are quitting their jobs at the highest rate since at least 2016, with workers citing burnout from having to juggle so many issues at once. At the same time, they have the opportunity to pursue other, higher-paying jobs.

LinkedIn calculates that the average "separation rate" between supply chain managers and their companies increased by 28 percent from 2020 to 2021, Bloomberg writes.

And for those managers remaining in the field, they are able to pick from employers that can provide both the paycheck and support they desire.