URBN

Pennsylvania
Retailing

Risk Level:

Rating - Caution
Medium Risk

Summary:

URBN has not terminated business relationships due to ideological beliefs, though it does not protect employees from viewpoint discrimination. URBN has expanded its healthcare coverage to cover travel for an abortion. It has also partnered with the LGBTQ-advocacy group Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and opposed state-level election security laws. For these reasons, URBN receives a "Medium 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

URBN has not publicly terminated business relationships due to political or religious differences. Although the company has a score of 80 on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign, it has not pledged to vet suppliers according to 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

URBN has no official rule prohibiting partnerships with religious organizations in its charitable giving (1).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

URBN does not protect employees from political 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

During the 2016 election, Urban Outfitters sold several pieces of anti-Trump and pro-Democrat (i.e., Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton) clothing, yet the company featured no merchandise voicing the opposite political opinion (1). URBN is a member of the Civic Alliance, a corporate coalition that vocally opposes state-level election security laws (2). The Urban Outfitters brand also “partners” with GLSEN, albeit among many other non-ideological organizations (3).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
Rationale

After the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, URBN announced that it would expand its medical benefits to cover employees’ travel to states with less strict abortion laws (1).

Criteria

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

Risk Level
N/A
Rationale

URBN does not have a PAC.

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 24, 2023

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