Brunswick Corporation

Industries Commercial and Professional Services, Technology Hardware and Equipment
Subsidiaries Mercury Marine, Navico, Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, Princecraft Boats, Inc., Freedom Boat Club, Lowe Boats
Activism

The biggest 1000 U.S. companies by revenue according to form 10-K.

CEO Action Pledge

Rating Overview

Risk Rating: Medium

Brunswick Corporation is Medium Risk.

Brunswick Corporation is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Brunswick occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria Risk Level
Cancellations Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy Lower Risk
Employment Protection Medium Risk

Corporate Weaponization

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria Risk Level
Advocacy Bias High Risk
Funding Medium Risk
Political Actions Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization


Criteria:

Has canceled 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:

Medium

Rationale:

Brunswick Corporation’s Integrity Playbook requires international vendors to include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policy (1). However, the company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Brunswick Corporation does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs. Its charitable giving focus areas are “education, preserving access to water, and community partnerships” (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Brunswick Corporation does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (1)(2).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy


Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Brunswick Corporation has an “action-oriented commitment to ESG” (1). The company’s CEO, David Foulkes, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (2)(3).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Brunswick Corporation donated to the Equal Justice Initiative (1). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Brunswick Corporation using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (2).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Brunswick Corporation has not used its PAC donations or lobbying for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).