Materion - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Materion is Medium Risk.

Materion Corporation is Lower Risk. The company does not yield to political activism in shaping corporate governance, preventing initiatives that potentially alienate consumers, divide employees, and harm shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Overall, the company does not embrace corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. This approach protects 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	Medium Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

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

Materion promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Supplier Code of Conduct requires international vendors to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination policy (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:

Materion does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1). The company’s charitable giving focus areas are: Humanitarian endeavors, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs, and Community initiatives (2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Materion appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its hiring, promotions, and leadership composition. From its Diversity & Inclusion and Talent Management document: “Our approach is to celebrate diversity, prioritize diverse representation, and hold ourselves accountable as leaders for fostering an inclusive environment where all employees can thrive. To support these goals, we actively monitor the diversity of our workforce as well as the diversity within our leadership, ensuring that we create pathways for diverse candidates to advance their careers and assume leadership positions across the company. Materion remains committed to enhancing the representation of diverse talent across all levels including the Board, C-Suite, senior leadership, and the broader workforce” (1). The company protects its employees against viewpoint discrimination (2).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Materion supports DEI within its business practices. From its Human Rights Policy: “We value diversity and inclusion in the workplace and prohibit all forms of harassment and discrimination. As one of our core values, we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion throughout our organization” (1). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its CEO Letter: “Materion has been at the forefront of science and technology innovation for over 90 years, and our strong commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices is at the heart of our success” and “At Materion, we are committed to continuously improving our ESG program, raising the bar for our company and our industry.” (2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Materion 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:

Lower

Rationale:

Materion has not used its PAC donations or lobbying for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).