Metro - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Metro is Medium Risk.

METRO Inc. 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. The company 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	Medium 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:

Metro integrates ESG into its business practices. “METRO encourages suppliers to take measures to reduce the GHG emissions generated by their operations, products and services, as well as favour a transparent disclosure approach of their GHG emissions” (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:

Metro does not 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:

Metro requires its employees to take ED&I training (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its Human Resources Policies and Procedures: “METRO therefore takes steps on an ongoing basis to promote ED&I in the workplace, including within the company’s leadership” (2). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its business structure through the establishment of gender and racial targets for its hiring. It is seeking to “increase the number of women and culturally diverse people in management positions” (3). The company 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:

Metro supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report: “We remain firmly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I), as evidenced by our progress toward our objectives” (1). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report: “The CR Plan demonstrates our rigorous and committed approach to tackling the complex environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors facing our society while creating value for METRO and all its stakeholders” (2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Metro sponsored Pride Houston 365 in 2025 (1). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

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