Compass Minerals International

Rating Overview

Compass Minerals International is Medium Risk.

Compass Minerals International, Inc. 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	High Risk
Political Actions	No Data

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:

Compass Minerals International integrates ESG into its business practices, tying ESG with its executive compensation. From its 2025 Proxy Report: “[Executive compensation] performance metrics include ESG targets” (1). However, the company has not 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:

Compass Minerals International does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Compass Minerals International offers unconscious bias and inclusion training to its employees (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its 2024 ESG Report, the company has goals to “Achieve and maintain at least 40% diversity on the board of directors [and] at the management level” (2). The company is an affirmative action employer. “Compass Minerals is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer” (3). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (4).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Compass Minerals International’s CEO Kevin S. Crutchfield signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace, strategize on DEI programs/initiatives with other signatories, and engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DEI strategies (1)(2). The company supports DEI within its business practices, employing a Vice President of DEI (3). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2024 ESG Report: “it’s both a reasonable and responsible business practice to continually assess the motivation and efficacy of our company’s commitments and programs around environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters” (4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Compass Minerals International is a Corporate Member of the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce (1)(2). The company “partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City to support Pride Build” (3). The company “partnered with Sporting Kansas City and marched in the KC PrideFest parade, spreading messages of love and support” (4). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (5).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Compass Minerals International does not operate a PAC or report on its lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).