Mazda - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Mazda is Medium Risk.

Mazda 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. Mazda 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	Medium 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	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:

Mazda requires its suppliers to “implement a roadmap for reducing the amount of CO2 emissions in…production and logistics” (1). However, Mazda 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:

Medium

Rationale:

The Mazda Foundation will not give grants to religious organizations (1)(2). The Mazda Foundation’s charitable giving focus areas are food security, STEM, and workforce development (3). Mazda’s employee matching guidelines are limited to educational giving (4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Mazda offers unconscious bias and inclusive leadership training to its employees. Mazda appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment. From its 2022 ESG Report: “we intend to focus on DEI in the talent acquisition process” (1). Mazda does not publish a nondiscrimination policy (2)(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:

Mazda supports DEI within its business practices, hosting a DEI committee and employing a Director of DEI. Mazda also conducts workshops on unconscious bias and inclusive leadership (1). Mazda hosts in-house lectures to “promote understanding of sexual minority issues” (2). Mazda integrates DEI into its business practices. From its 2022 ESG Report: “DEI is a part of all things. It is woven into everything we do. We did that intentionally” (3). Mazda is committed to achieve carbon neutrality at its global factories by 2035 and throughout its supply chain by 2050 (4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Mazda has not used company 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:

Mazda does not operate a PAC at this time and has not lobbied for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).