Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc.

Rating Overview

Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. is Medium Risk.

Cooper-Standard Holdings 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. Cooper-Standard 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	Lower 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:

Cooper-Standard Holdings integrates ESG into its business practices. From its Supplier Code of Conduct: “Suppliers shall manage, measure and minimize the environmental impact of their facilities and demonstrate continuous improvement in areas such as air emissions; waste reduction, recycling, recovery and management; water use and disposal; energy usage; and greenhouse gas emissions and put in place measures that drive forward the decarbonisation of the entire value chain” (1). From its 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report: “Integrate select ESG goals and milestones into executive compensation plans” (2). However, Cooper-Standard Holdings has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Cooper-Standard Holdings does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs. Cooper-Standard Holdings’ charitable giving focus areas are “children’s charities, education, health and wellness and community revitalization” (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Cooper-Standard Holdings requires its employees to take unconscious bias training (1). Cooper-Standard appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment, hiring, and leadership composition. From its 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report: The company seeks “[to create] a recruiting culture that attracts a diverse talent pool and hires the right person for the right job” and details its “Corporate Governance Guidelines [to require] that the potential pool of Board candidates reflects diversity in gender, race, ethnic background, country of citizenship and professional experience” (2). Cooper-Standard Holdings does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Cooper-Standard supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report: “At Cooper Standard, we believe in our Core Value Diversity Makes Us Stronger, and we are committed to maintaining a culture that supports and promotes Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB)” (1). Cooper-Standard supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report: “It ensures the integration of ESG risks and opportunities into the Company’s longterm strategy and enterprise risk management, and delegates certain ESG oversight responsibilities to its committees” (2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Cooper-Standard Holdings has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Cooper-Standard Holdings does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).