PROPOSAL 5: SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL
REPORT ON ANIMAL WELFARE
We received the following
proposal from Brianna Lynn Harrington, 1001 2nd Street, Suite 325, Napa, California, 94559, a beneficial owner of 66 shares of our common stock.
In accordance with
SEC rules, we are reprinting the proposal and supporting statement in this proxy statement as they were submitted to us. The shareholder proposal is required to be voted upon at the Annual Meeting only if properly presented at the Annual Meeting.
As explained below, your Board unanimously recommends that you vote AGAINST the shareholder proposal.
Shareholder Proposal
TJX2020
Whereas, TJX Chief Executive Officer and President has stated, ... being mindful of our impact on the environment, and operating our
business ethically, we address the interests of our stakeholdersspecifically, our Associates, customers, communities, vendors, and shareholders. We believe its important that they know we share their values, however, there is a
lack of congruency between the Companys values and the absence of any consistent animal welfare policy at TJX;
Whereas, TJX
has issued public statements and ensuring that Company values and ethics are enforced throughout our supply chain, including manufacturing issues in Bangladesh, forced labor in Uzbekistan, modern slavery and human
trafficking, labor rights, and conflict minerals, while animal welfare is completely absent from governance documents. The internal capacity already developed by ethical sourcing in the supply chain could be leveraged to broaden the scope of due-diligence to avoid animal cruelty;
Whereas, TJX has already successfully executed a fur-free business model in the United States, with praise from the public, as well as making exclusions from certain animal products at some TJX retail stores in Europe and Australia;
Whereas, TJXs 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report states,... as part of our ongoing considerations regarding animal welfare,
we have recently incorporated information about our fur practices into our social compliance training. The Corporate Social Responsibility Report goes on to outline an inconsistent patchwork of different global fur practices;
Whereas, recently, numerous companies and designers and have adopted more humane, ethical approaches regarding animal welfare, including Jean Paul
Gaultier, Gucci, Michael Kors, Armani, and Covergirl, the worlds largest cosmetics company, has announced they are going cruelty-free in November 2018;
Furthermore, Macys and Bloomingdales announced their departure from fur by the end of 2020, making sourcing decisions more straight-forward;
Whereas, our Company may be viewed as a laggard on ensuring the safe, humane and ethical treatment of animals throughout TJXs supply
chain;
Whereas, California recently passed a ban on the sale of fur, and over a dozen countries have passed laws enhancing animal
welfarewith many more pendingfurther emphasizing the growing disapproval regarding animal cruelty. Laws may soon require eliminating cruelly sourced animal products. Rather than be perceived as an outdated retailer, taking proactive
steps in response to trends and consumer preference would enhance TJXs image, Company and shareholder value, minimizing legal and regulatory risk;
BE IT, THEREFORE, RESOLVED: Shareholders request that the Board of Directors, at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, commission
an independent analysis of any material risks of continuing operations without a company-wide animal welfare policy or restrictions on animal-sourced products associated
2020 Proxy Statement 67