Mueller Industries - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Mueller Industries is Medium Risk.

Mueller Industries 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	Medium 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:

Medium

Rationale:

Mueller Industries integrates ESG into its business practices. From its 2022 Sustainability Report: “Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are not new to us, but rather have long been integral to how we deploy our resources, and establish our strategic priorities” (1). However, the company has not publicly 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:

Mueller Industries does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1)(2).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Mueller Industries appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter: “The Committee is committed to including, in each search, qualified candidates who reflect diverse backgrounds, including diversity of gender and race. Moreover, the Committee will consider all candidates irrespective of whether their background includes work in the corporate, academic, government or non-profit sectors” (1). Mueller Industries does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (2).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Mueller Industries supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2022 Sustainability Report: “Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are not new to us, but rather have long been integral to how we deploy our resources, and establish our strategic priorities” (1). Otherwise, Mueller Industries has not supported ideological causes or policies (2)(3).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Mueller Industries 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:

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