The Kraft Heinz Company
KHC
Consumer Staples
3
exclusion reasons
3 themes
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
The Kraft Heinz Company has disclosed three climate targets aimed at reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. However, the company has been cited for greenwashing, including a 2024 shareholder proposal challenging its use of “deceptive” recycling labels. In March 2025, Kraft Heinz was among the major U.S. corporations reported to be purging website references to climate change amid intensified political attacks on climate action. This pattern of retreating from public climate commitments, combined with marketing claims contested as misleading, aligns with a strategy of climate intransigence rather than transparent, accountable transition planning.
The Kraft Heinz Company maintains a structured political influence operation through its corporate political action committee (PAC) and lobbying activities. According to its public governance documents, the company has established compliance procedures and oversight for its lobbying activities, corporate contributions, and the Kraft Heinz PAC. Employee political contributions from corporate funds require approval from the Global Head of Government Affairs.
The company engages in lobbying as part of its ongoing community and policy engagement. While its public disclosures outline governance procedures, the scale and strategic focus of these expenditures are not fully detailed in available public sources. The available evidence does not specify the monetary volume of these activities, their specific policy targets, or whether they are deployed to shield specific business practices related to public health or sustainability.
The Kraft Heinz Company has engaged in documented anti-union activity, including the use of captive audience meetings and other coercive tactics to suppress worker organizing efforts. While the company’s manufacturing and distribution workforce is largely non-union, it has employed union avoidance strategies common in the food processing sector.
In a specific incident, Kraft Heinz utilized mandatory meetings to dissuade unionization. The company has also been linked to broader patterns of employer resistance to organizing drives, which are known to reduce the likelihood of successful union campaigns. This conduct aligns with documented tactics such as captive audience meetings, which are designed to intimidate and discourage workers from exercising their right to organize.
Available public enforcement data does not detail recent National Labor Relations Board settlements or complaints specifically for Kraft Heinz, indicating a potential evidence gap for formal penalties. However, the documented use of coercive anti-union tactics establishes a pattern of interference with worker organizing rights.
Research Sources
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Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
This information is provided for educational and transparency purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Data is drawn from independent watchdogs, NGOs, government registries, and Ethical Capital's ongoing research — see Research Sources for the full list.
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