Wolverine Worldwide - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Wolverine Worldwide is Medium Risk.

Wolverwine Worldwide 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	High 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:

Wolverine Worldwide integrates ESG into its business practices. From its 2024 Global Impact Report: “we define ESG as both a framework to categorize
factors that influence company performance and a strategy
to embed these considerations into our business practices to
operate sustainably” (1). The company promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Production Code of Conduct requires international vendors to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination policy (2). However, the company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Wolverine Worldwide 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:

Wolverine Worldwide offers unconscious bias and diversity training to its employees (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment. From its 2023 Global Impact Report: “We
continue to leverage sourcing partners to
increase the diversity in our candidacies for
posted positions, listed jobs with the National
Black MBA Association, DiversityJobs.com,
Circa, Diversity Recruiting Experts, and Mogul,
which allows us to create inclusive candidate
slates that meet our qualifying standards
before passing them onto hiring managers” (2). Wolverine Worldwide 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:

Wolverine Worldwide supports DEI within its business practices, hosting a Diversity Action Council (1). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2024 Global Impact Report: ” Through educational
programs, mentorship, and partnerships, the
Foundation works to create inclusive pathways
for underrepresented groups” (2). Wolverine Worldwide supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2024 Global Impact Report: “The Company’s Chief Legal Officer manages a
cross-functional ESG team that is responsible
for day-to-day management of the Company’s
ESG program and the tactical advancement
of ESG priorities and initiatives” (3). In 2022, the company launched a new software in order to give employees the ability to “self-select their preferred pronouns. Every employee is encouraged to review their profile and edit their pronouns to reflect their personal preferences” (4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

In 2022 and 2023, Wolverine Worldwide and its brands partnered with PFLAG National (1). In 2022, 2023, and 2024, Chaco, a Wolverine brand, donated 10% of sales from its Camp Brave Trails collection to Brave Trails, a non-profit organization and
leadership focused summer camp for LGBTQ+
youth and their families (3)(4)(5). In 2022, Hush Puppies, a Wolverine brand, donated 100% of net proceeds from their Charlie Pride Sneaker and Pride Cap to the Free Mom Hugs Organization (6). Saucony, a Wolverine brand, partnered with the Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC) to aid Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) in the running industry (7). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Wolverine Worldwide using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (8).