Merchants Fleet - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Merchants Fleet is Lower Risk.

Merchants Fleet 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, Merchants Fleet 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	Lower 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:

Lower

Rationale:

Merchants Fleets has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

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

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Merchants Fleet appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment. From its 2023 Impact Report: “Merchants utilizes Circa, a diversity recruitment technology that connects our company to millions of under-represented job seekers through a network of community-based organizations and niche diversity websites” (1). Merchants Fleet operates a supplier diversity program. “A core tenant of Merchants sustainability strategy is to proactively seek and encourage the consideration of competitive suppliers that are diversely owned and/or promote socially responsible business practices” (2). The company 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:

Merchants Fleet supports DEI within it business practices. From its 2023 Impact Report: “Merchants continues to be a member of the Diversity Workforce Coalition (DWC), which comprises employers and other community members whose purpose is to promote diversity in the workplace through education, training, and enhancing networking opportunities. Merchants was recognized as a DWC Diversity Champion, and we will continue our role as a diversity leader at both the state and national level in 2024”. Merchants Fleet also launched “the Diversity in Fleet Task Force to amplify the industry’s collective impact for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion” (1). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Merchant Fleet using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Merchants Fleet 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:

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