
Amazon.com
Corprate Bias Ratings
Risk Level:
Summary:
Amazon has removed conservative content from its store and from Amazon Web Services. It has banned books and censored Parler, an online free-speech platform. Its AmazonSmile charitable program worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to exclude nonprofits such as Family Research Council and Alliance Defending Freedom. Amazon covers the cost of "medically necessary transition-related care" for its employees and their children and fails to protect its employees from viewpoint discrimination. Amazon is a signatory of the Business Roundtable's 2019 Statement on the Purpose of Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism and is committed to carbon neutrality by 2040. Amazon uses both its corporate reputation and its corporate funds to advance ideological causes and organizations hostile to freedom of expression. For these reasons, Amazon receives a High Risk rating.
Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.
Amazon stopped selling Ryan Anderson’s book When Harry Became Sally due to the book’s portrayal of transgenderism (1). Amazon Web Services removed the free speech-focused social media platform Parler’s web presence over concerns of “violent speech,” just as Parler was growing among conservatives (2). Amazon has also hindered the release of documentaries by or about black conservatives, namely Clarence Thomas (Created Equal was removed from the Amazon Prime streaming service) and Shelby Steele (What Killed Michael Brown was delayed without reason) (3). Amazon also has banned other conservative books, such as Alex Berenson’s book on COVID-19 lockdowns, which was “accidentally” banned (4). Amazon suddenly removed Matt Walsh’s previously best-selling children’s book from its online retail store (5). Amazon declined to run paid ads for Matt Walsh’s What is a Woman book as well, stating that “we don’t allow content that appears to infer or claim to diagnose, treat, reverse or question sexual orientation” (6). The company received a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Among other requirements, this means Amazon has pledged to vet vendors based on LGBTQ policies (7). Amazon’s new “inclusion policy” sets benchmarks for casting, including “30% white women and non-binary people, 20% men from underrepresented races and ethnicities, 20% women and non-binary people from underrepresented races and ethnicities,” indicating that the company bases its hiring practices on identity politics rather than merit (8). Amazon-owned Twitch is a Select Partner of the Global Disinformation Index, which has withheld advertising funds from conservative news outlets (9)(10).
Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.
Amazon does not have an employee matching program but does donate through AmazonSmile, a program that has labeled Christian groups like Alliance Defending Freedom as hate groups (1). Amazon will retire its AmazonSmile program in February 2023 (2). Amazon claims to work with 28,000 faith-based nonprofits through their Amazon Business reduced rates for charities but continues to work with the SPLC to allow certain nonprofits and not others selectively (3).
Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.
Amazon does not protect its employees from viewpoint discrimination (1).
Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.
Amazon has a perfect score on the HRC’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index. This score indicates the company covers the cost of “medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children (1)(2). The company clearly supports various ideological causes, including increased minimum wage and police reform legislation (3). Amazon has joined the Business Coalition for the Equality Act and advocates for transgender participation in girl’s and women’s sports (4)(5). Additionally, Amazon publicly referred to laws like Georgia’s voting integrity law as an effort to disenfranchise black voters (6). Amazon opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (7). CEO Andy Jassy is a member of the Business Roundtable and Former CEO Jeff Bezos signed its 2019 Statement on the Purpose of Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism over traditional obligations to shareholders and customers (8)(9). Amazon is a Ceres Network Member, committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2040 (10)(11).
Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.
Amazon funds many ideological groups hostile to freedom of expression like the American Civil Liberties Union and Black Lives Matter, and the company is a Platinum Sponsor of the HRC (1)(2). In fact, Amazon has pledged over $100 million to the Black Lives Matter movement and related causes (3)(4). In response to the leaked draft ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, Amazon announced it would pay for employees’ abortion-related travel (5). Amazon is a copper sponsor of Out & Equal (6).
All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
August 28, 2023
Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer
Voting History
Date | ESG Category | Proponent | Summary of Resolution | Mgmt Rec | Total Vote % in Favor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5/31/23 | Social | United Steelworkers | Energy Transition Social Impact Report | Against | 16.60% |
5/31/23 | Governance | Kenneth Steiner | Reduce Executive Stock Holding Period | Against | 2.20% |
5/31/23 | Environmental | Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. | Report on Asset Retirment Obligations Under IEA NZE Scenario | Against | 16.00% |
5/31/23 | Environmental | Bahnsen Family Trust | Establish a New Board Committee on Decarbonization Risk | Against | 1.60% |
5/31/23 | Governance | Oxfam America | Tax Reporting Beyond Legal Requirement | Against | 13.60% |
5/31/23 | Environmental | Mercy Investment Services | Additional Report on Worst-case Spill and Response Plans | Against | 13.30% |
5/31/23 | Environmental | Follow This | Establish a Scope 3 Target and Reduce Hydrocarbon sales | Against | 10.50% |
5/31/23 | Environmental | Anna Marie Lyles | Litigation Disclosure Beyond Legal and Accounting Requirment | Against | 9.10% |
5/31/23 | Environmental | Meyer Memorial Trust | Report on Plastics Under SCS scenario | Against | 25.30% |
5/31/23 | Environmental | Steve Milloy | Additional Carbon Capture and Storage and Emissions Report | Against | 5.20% |
5/31/23 | Environmental | Sisters of St. Francis Charitable Trust | Aditional Direct Methane Measurement | Against | 36.40% |
5/31/23 | Environmental | Andrew Behar | GHG Reporting on Adjusted Basis | Against | 18.40% |
5/24/23 | Governance | Missonary Oblates of Mary Immaculate – United States Province | Report on Tax Transparency | Against | 17.60% |
5/24/23 | Governance | Tulipshare Ltd. | Report on Warehouse Working Conditions | Against | 35.20% |
5/24/23 | Governance | SHARE | Assess/Report on Adherence to ILO/UN Trade Union Standards | Against | 34.60% |
5/24/23 | Governance | National Legal and Policy Center | Report on Content Removal Requests | Against | 1.60% |
5/24/23 | Social | National Center for Public Policy Research | Analysis of Costs Associated with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs | Against | 83.00% |
5/24/23 | Environmental | The George Gund Foundation | Report on Packing Materials | Against | 31.80% |
5/24/23 | Governance | James McRitchie | Requesting an Amendement to Bylaws to Require Shareholder Approval for Certain Future Amendements | Against | 11.50% |
5/24/23 | Social | Anne Bartol Butterfield | Report on Gender/Racial Pay | Against | 29.00% |
5/24/23 | Governance | Adrian Dominican Sisters | Report on Content and Product Removal/Restrictions | Against | 10.20% |
5/24/23 | Environmental | Eric and Emily Johnson and Mercy Rome | Report on Climate Lobbying | Against | 23.50% |
5/24/23 | Governance | AFL-CIO | Reduce Executive Pay Disparity | Against | 6.50% |
5/24/23 | Governance | Jing Zhao | Establish Board Committee on Public Policy | Against | 6.30% |
5/24/23 | Environmental | PETA | Report on Animal Welfare in Supply Chain | Against | 5.60% |
5/24/23 | Governance | Harrington Investments | Report on Customer Use of Certain Technologies | Against | 37.20% |
5/24/23 | Governance | Oxfam America, Inc. | Requesting an Alternative Director Candidate Policy | Against | 18.30% |
5/25/22 | Social | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Tax Transparency in Line with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) | Against | 17.35% |
5/25/22 | Social | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Charitable Donations | Against | 2.69% |
5/25/22 | Governance | Steven Milloy | Limit Shareholder Rights for Proposal Submission | Against | 1.50% |
5/25/22 | Governance | N/A - Undisclosed | Adopt Policy to Nominate more Director Candidates Than Board Seats | Against | 0.81% |
5/25/22 | Social | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Worker Health and Safety Racial & Gender Disparities | Against | 12.71% |
5/25/22 | Social | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Use of Facial Recognition Impact on Human Rights | Against | 0.25% |
5/25/22 | Environmental | Christian Bros. Investment Svcs. | Report on Senario Analysis Consistent with International Energy Agency's Net-zero by 2050 | Against | 51.00% |
5/25/22 | Social | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Racial and Gender Pay Gaps | Against | 28.65% |
5/25/22 | Environmental | As You Sow | Report on Packaging Materials and Reduction of Plastics Use | Against | 48.62% |
5/25/22 | Environmental | Arjuna Capital | Report on Low Carbon Business Planning | Against | 10.50% |
5/25/22 | Social | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Lobbying | Against | 47.03% |
5/25/22 | Environmental | Follow This | Set GHG Emissions Reductions Targets Consistent with Paris Agreement Goal | Against | 27.10% |
5/25/22 | Social | Unitarian Universalist Assoc. | Report on Political Contributions and Expenditures | Against | 26.70% |
5/25/22 | Social | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Warehouse Working Conditions | Against | 43.74% |
5/25/22 | Environmental | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Retirement Plan Options Related to Climate Goals | Against | 8.72% |
5/25/22 | Social | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Concealment Clauses Assessing Risks of Employee Harassment | Against | 24.65% |
5/25/22 | Social | N/A - Undisclosed | Report on Customer Due Diligence Related to Product Use Effect on Human Rights | Against | 39.99% |
5/25/22 | Governance | Oxfam America, Inc. | Adopt Policy to Include Hourly Employees as Director Candidates | Against | 22.15% |
5/25/22 | Governance | Bernie J. Pafford | Remove Executive Pay Perquisites | Against | 21.80% |
5/25/22 | Social | SHARE (Sharehldr Assoc for Research & Educ | Report on Freedom of Association and Human Rights | Against | 38.57% |
5/25/22 | Environmental | Andrew Behar | Report on Plastic Production | Against | 36.50% |