Animal Exploitation
Conduct Screen Animal Welfare
Commercial exploitation of animals not covered by a more specific code (animal_exploitation_hides, animal_exploitation_meat, animal_exploitation_entertainment). Includes producing equipment designed to harm animals at scale.
8 companies currently excluded under this screen
Excluded Companies (8 total)
Showing 8 of 8 companies excluded under this screen.
| Ticker | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| TSCO | Tractor Supply Company | Tractor Supply Company is the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, and approximately half of its net sales come from animal feed and agricultural products (fencing, fertilizer, livestock equipment). The company sells live chicks seasonally through its "Chick Days" program in stores and year-round online, as well as live ducks, chickens, and other poultry shipped from hatchery partner facilities. Its product catalog includes livestock supplies, poultry feeders, waterers, coops, and animal health products. While individual live birds are low-cost items (a few dollars each), they function as a gateway to ongoing feed and equipment purchases. The company's business model is built on supporting and provisioning animal husbandry at the hobbyist and small-farm scale. A previous exclusion for animal_exploitation_meat was retired; this reassessment is under the broader animal_exploitation category given the company's direct sale of live animals and material revenue dependence on animal agriculture supply chain products. |
| TR | Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. | Tootsie Roll Industries generated $716 million in net sales in 2024 from confectionery products that use animal-derived ingredients. The flagship Tootsie Roll contains condensed skim milk and whey (dairy byproducts). Junior Mints and Sugar Babies use confectioner's glaze (shellac), a resinous coating derived from secretions of the female lac insect (Kerria lacca). Multiple products across the portfolio rely on gelatin derived from pig or cow collagen for texture and binding. The company's product line — Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops, Junior Mints, Sugar Babies, Dots, Andes mints, and others — uses animal-derived ingredients as standard formulation components, not specialty additives. Dairy derivatives (skim milk, whey) and insect-derived shellac are embedded in the manufacturing process across the core SKU range. The scale of production (Tootsie Roll has been in continuous production since 1896) means substantial ongoing demand for these animal-derived inputs. |
| PETQ | PETIQ INC | PetIQ manufactures and distributes prescription and over-the-counter pet medications, flea and tick preventatives, health supplements, and treats for companion animals. Trailing twelve-month revenue was approximately $329 million before the company was acquired by Bansk Group in October 2024 for $1.5 billion. PetIQ operated mobile veterinary wellness clinics at over 2,900 retail locations through its VIP PetCare subsidiary and preventative care clinics inside more than 1,650 Tractor Supply stores via PetVet. The entire business model depends on the commodification of companion animals as consumers of pharmaceutical and wellness products. PetIQ does not manufacture food or engage in animal agriculture, but its veterinary clinic network and medication distribution infrastructure treat animal health as a retail transaction, dispensing products through mass-market channels (Walmart, Tractor Supply, PetSmart) at scale. |
| SNOA | Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Sonoma Pharmaceuticals develops and markets Vetericyn-branded wound care and antimicrobial products formulated for use on animals. Total revenue was $14.3 million for fiscal year ended March 2025, with animal health products contributing a material share. The Vetericyn product line uses hypochlorous acid technology to produce sprays, gels, and rinses marketed for companion animals, horses, and livestock including cattle. Vetericyn products are distributed through PetSmart (1,000+ stores), Tractor Supply, Amazon, and veterinary clinics. The livestock care line targets cattle eye care (pink eye), navel care, udder care, and wound treatment. While the products themselves are non-toxic and antibiotic-free, they are designed to maintain animal health in commercial agricultural and companion animal contexts, constituting direct participation in the animal health industry. |
| KWR | Quaker Chemical Corporation | Quaker Houghton is the global leader in industrial process fluids, generating approximately $1.9 billion in annual revenue from metalworking fluids, lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and specialty chemicals serving steel, aluminum, automotive, aerospace, and mining industries. The company uses approximately 3,000 raw materials, including animal fats and their oleochemical derivatives, as disclosed in SEC 10-K filings. Animal fats and tallow derivatives serve as feedstock for certain lubricant and metalworking fluid formulations. While animal-derived inputs represent one category among thousands of raw materials, the company's scale of production means aggregate consumption of animal fat derivatives is substantial. Quaker Houghton does not raise or slaughter animals but is a downstream industrial consumer of rendered animal byproducts from the meatpacking industry. |
| HLF | Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. | Herbalife Ltd. generated $5.0 billion in net sales in 2024 from nutritional supplements, many formulated with animal-derived ingredients. The company's protein products contain whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, and micellar casein sourced from dairy. Herbalifeline fish oil softgels use gelatin capsules derived from animal collagen. Condensed skim milk appears in the flagship Tootsie Roll-style Formula 1 shake mix. Animal-derived ingredients are structural to the product line, not incidental. Whey and casein are the primary protein sources in the Herbalife24 Enhanced Protein Powder and Personalized Protein Powder, two of the company's highest-volume SKUs. The gelatin softgel format is standard across the supplement line. Reformulation to plant-based alternatives would require fundamental changes to the product portfolio. |
| RTO | RENTOKIL INITIAL PLC | Rentokil Initial plc operates a global pest control business whose core service involves the commercial killing of animals, primarily rodents and insects, at industrial scale. The company’s operations are built on deploying traps, baits, and chemical agents designed to eliminate these animals as pests. Public regulatory filings from Rentokil Initial acknowledge that its business faces risks from evolving societal “demands, perceptions and preferences” regarding animal cruelty, specifically citing concerns around glue boards and snap traps. The company is flagged by Cruelty Free Investors for commercial exploitation of animals through its pest elimination services. While the company also offers disinfection and hygiene services, its foundational pest control activity remains a primary revenue driver centered on the large-scale harm of animals. |
| PETS | PetMed Express, Inc. | PetMed Express operates as a nationwide direct-to-consumer pet pharmacy under the 1-800-PetMeds brand, selling prescription and non-prescription medications, health products, and supplies for dogs and cats. Net sales were $227 million for fiscal year 2025. The company generates substantially all revenue from dispensing pet medications online and by phone, making the commercial treatment of companion animal health the sole business line. Founded in 1996, PetMed Express was an early mover in online pet pharmacy. The company does not manufacture drugs but acts as a high-volume distributor, filling prescriptions written by veterinarians and selling OTC flea/tick, heartworm, and joint-care products. Revenue depends entirely on the companion animal pharmaceutical market. |
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.
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