Essity - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Essity is Medium Risk.

Essity 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. Essity 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:

Essity promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Supplier Code of Conduct requires international vendors to include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policy (1)(2). However, Essity 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:

Essity does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1)(2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Essity appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion page: “The targets are set for 2025 and include: inclusive work environment for all, balanced gender representation in leadership and acceleration of under-represented groups” (1). Essity hosts the Courageous Conversations podcast which educates people about DEI (2). Essity includes DEI improvement dialogues in its bi-annual employee engagement survey to promote inclusivity among leadership (3). Essity protects its employees against viewpoint discrimination (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:

Essity supports DEI in business practices by releasing a Global Diversity in the Workforce Report in 2022 (1). Essity supports DEI within its business practices, hosting a DEI workshop. Essity is aligned with the Science Based Target Initiatives Net Zero Standard, committing to eliminating carbon emissions by 2050 (2)(3). Essity supports DEI within its business practices, employing a DEI advisory group and a DEI vice president (4)(5). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Essity using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (6).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Essity has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1)(2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Essity does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).