PepsiCo

New York
Food Beverage and Tobacco

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Summary:

PepsiCo vets its vendors for LGBTQ protections and requires unconscious bias training for all employees while lacking viewpoint protections in its employment policy. PepsiCo also doesn't match employees' charitable giving for religious purposes but will match gifts to Planned Parenthood. PepsiCo has advocated for the Equality Act, transgender participation in girls' sports, and federalized voting systems. Based on its policies and practices, PepsiCo receives a "High Risk" rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

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.

Risk Level
Rationale

PepsiCo has not publicly terminated business relationships due to religious beliefs or political views. The company received a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Among other requirements, this means PepsiCo has pledged to vet vendors based on LGBTQ policies (1).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

PepsiCo permits donations to religious groups but does not match employee donations “for religious purposes” unless the donation serves a secular or community-based program (1).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

PepsiCo does not protect its employees from viewpoint discrimination (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

PepsiCo has signed public letters supporting the Equality Act and transgender participation in women’s and girls’ sports (1)(2). PepsiCo has also signed onto a public letter supporting the federal John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (3). The company has also issued mandatory unconscious bias training regarding race (4). PepsiCo opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (5).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

PepsiCo is a Bronze corporate partner of the HRC and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (1) (2). PepsiCo also enables employee gifts to Planned Parenthood, which it matches (3).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

PepsiCo briefly suspended all PAC donations but has resumed bipartisan donations to federal candidates (1)(2)(3).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 23, 2023

Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer

Generate Reports
Clear
Toast