Green groups and shareholder activists have pushed some of the world’s largest companies to stop sending used lead-acid batteries to Mexico for recycling, but not every company has responded. The fight underscores the persistence required of shareholder activists addressing widespread, economics-driven practices such as cross-border battery recycling, which green groups regard as evidence of U.S. companies taking advantage of lower environmental standards in Mexico. “It’s like moving an ocean liner,” says Catherine Rowan, shareholder advocacy coordinator for the Maryknoll Sisters, the Catholic women’s order. “We’re in for the long haul. We’re willing to engage.” The effort to halt lead-acid battery exports targets the telecommunications and high-technology industries, which use the batteries for backup power in cellphone towers and server farms... [Log in to read more]