Kering

Kering Americas received a score of 75 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). However, the company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Kering’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). Kering does not appear to discriminate against religious organizations based on views of beliefs. The Kering Foundation focuses on preventing violence against women and supporting survivors of abuse (3).

Kering Americas’ HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology (1)(2). Kering protects its employees against viewpoint discrimination (3).

Kering issued a public statement criticizing the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade (1). Chime for Change, a partnership between Kering subsidiary Gucci and the Kering Foundation, hired a gun control activist, Sarah Chadwick, as a spokesperson (2). Chime for Change includes abortion access as a centerpiece of its advocacy work, both in the United States and abroad (3). Kering supports DEI within its business practices, employing a DEI Officer (4). Gucci joined the UN Women’s Generation Equality Action Coalitions in support of gender equality and LGBTQ equality (5)(6). In 2021, Gucci started using gender expansion language to allow employees to self-identify their gender (7). Gucci created a gender-fluid collection in support of LGBTQ identities (8). Balenciaga featured an artist’s line of clothing portraying explicit content of children (9). Kering is committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 (10). Kering supports ESG within its business practices. It has published an ESG databook that “gathers a non-exhaustive list of environmental, social, governance and supply chain related data that Kering is monitoring on an annual basis to report on its Sustainability Strategy advancement” (11).

Kering provides a benefits package for employees that covers travel/lodging costs for an abortion and transgender medical procedures for covered employees and dependents, including children (1)(2)(3). Balenciaga, another Kering subsidiary, made a similar statement (4). The company’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (5)(6). Gucci, a subsidiary of Kering, was a Champion Tier corporate sponsor of the Trevor Project, an organization that advocates for controversial sex and gender ideology, including “gender transition” drugs and surgeries for minors, through legislation, litigation, advertising, and PR campaigns. The organization also hosts online chatrooms that allow adults to communicate with minors as young as 13 about sexually explicit topics. Adults in these chatrooms have encouraged minors to adopt transgender identities and withhold this information from their parents. Balenciaga was a Gold Tier corporate sponsor of the Trevor Project (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). Kering and its subsidiaries have also funded Campaign Zero and the Know Your Rights Camp, a group run by Colin Kaepernick (13)(14). Gucci also pledged $500,000 to the March for Our Lives gun control campaign (15). Gucci runs a separate charitable giving campaign for “Changemakers” whereby “the fund provides preference to organizations led by diverse leaders. Gucci Changemakers will assist applicants focused on critical social impact areas, including social justice and equity, arts and culture; health equity and wellness; and education” (16). Kering brand Balenciaga committed to an annual donation to the NAACP following George Floyd’s death (17)(18) Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Kering using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (19).

Kering Americas does not operate a PAC or report on its lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).