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.
Nucor Corporation operates steel mills and manufacturing facilities across the United States, an industrial process with a documented history of environmental contamination. The company has been subject to multiple federal and state enforcement actions for pollution control failures.
In December 2000, Nucor reached a nearly $100 million settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice over allegations it failed to control toxic pollution releases at its facilities. More recently, a 2021 proposed settlement addressed years of repeated permit violations at its Louisiana operations from 2014 to 2019. A 2025 investigation by The Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab linked hazardous waste from U.S. steel mills, including material from Nucor, to a facility in Mexico where testing revealed high levels of lead and arsenic in nearby homes, indicating a cross-border environmental impact.
Research Sources
1 organization
Related Exclusions
Wondering what we do invest in?
The Naughty List
A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
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.
Ethical Capital LLC is a state-registered investment adviser in Utah (CRD #316032). Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.