Cintas - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Cintas is Medium Risk.

Cintas 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. The company 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	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

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

Cintas received a score of 40 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). The company promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Vendor Code of Conduct requires international vendors to include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policy (3). The company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Cintas does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs. Centas Cares’ charitable giving focus areas are “supporting causes and organizations in our local communities in addition to internationally recognized charitable organizations with whom the company has formalized relationships” (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Cintas developed a two-day diversity and inclusion leadership seminar that all manager level and above employees are required to attend (1)(2). The company requires its managers to take unconscious bias training (3). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its Corporate Governance Guidelines: “Director nominees should have appropriate skills and characteristics required of Board members, assessed in the context of the perceived needs of the Board at the time, which assessment should include issues of diversity (racially, ethnically and gender), age and skills” (4). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruiting. From its 2024 Sustainability Report: “Our diversity and inclusion strategy has five pillars encompassing our recruiting, advancement, training and education, PBRGs and communication efforts.” The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its hiring: “Our training curriculum fosters an environment of equality, inclusion and belonging. Cintas’ Meticulous Hiring Curriculum guides our hiring process” (5). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruiting. From its Diverse Supplier Registration Page: “Our [supplier diversity program] is to expand and maximize the utilization of our network of certified minority, woman, and veteran owned businesses who will enhance Cintas’ value and drive a competitive business advantage” (6). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (7).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Cintas’ HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy. By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). The company’s CEO, Todd Schneider, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (3)(4). The company is committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 (5). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2024 Sustainability Report: “Diversity and inclusion have been integral to our company since its inception, playing a crucial role in shaping our culture and driving our success at Cintas” (6). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2024 Sustainability Report: The Sustainability Team and Business-Unit Leaders is a “Cross-functional team of ESG and business-unit leaders who guide and operationalize ESG initiatives and ensure integration and visibility of our broader company strategy” (7). The company scored a 40 out of 100 on the 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group (8)(9).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Cintas’ HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). Otherwise, Cintas has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (3)(4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Cintas’ HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). The company has not used its PAC donations or lobbying for ideological purposes (3)(4)(5).