7 Brands That Reversed DEI Promises This Year

In 2020, after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd, protests led by civil rights group Black Lives Matter galvanized corporate America to take action. In the months after, household-name brands, including Microsoft, Uber, Target, and Cisco, publicly pledged to create various internal programs to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI.) However, companies that once touted these initiatives—including Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson, and Ford Motor—have abandoned them in recent months. With hot-button issues like reproductive rights and affirmative action at the center of ever more heated debates on TV and online, many brands are pulling back from initiatives that didn’t feel so risky two years ago. “We know historically that brands lockdown for major potentially polarizing events like elections,” said David Evans, chief insights officer for the Collage Group. Elsewhere, a 2023 boycott of Bud Light over a partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has driven some brands from LGBTQ+ marketing and representation. And with a presidential election pending in November, DEI—a favored target of the right—has become a third-rail issue. Here are seven companies, presented alphabetically, that rolled back their DEI initiatives this year, and why. Each was approached by ADWEEK for a statement, but only one replied.— Robert Klara 1. Ford Motor Ford has ceased involvement in external culture surveys including the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index. Conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who had a respectable (if not massive) 646,000 followers on X (at the time of publishing), has been at the helm of a group putting pressure on large brands, including Ford, to reverse their DEI initiatives. In August, Ford Motor Company chief executive (CEO) Jim Farley sent a letter to the automaker’s 177,000 employees. In the letter, which Ford shared with ADWEEK but declined to comment beyond it, Farley spoke about Ford’s history of being a “pioneer of equal opportunities,” pointing out that it spearheaded the equity movement in 1914 with the five-dollar workday. Then he announced Ford would be taking “a fresh look at [its] policies and practices” by moving the advocacy groups that cater to workers of specific races and persuasions to address general HR areas such as mentorship and networking. To critics, this has stalled out the DEI engine by watering down the gas. Ford has also ceased involvement in external culture surveys including the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index, a definitive list of the most welcoming companies for LGBTQ+ employees. Ford had previously enjoyed a perfect score of 100 on that index. So why surrender such boasting rights? Audrey Chee-Read, principal analyst at Forrester, suggests companies like Ford are responding to a “heightened conversation around beliefs and values at the moment.” — R.K. 2. Harley-Davidson Following pressure from right-wing activists Harley-Davidson announced DEI rollbacks. In 2020, Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion pledge to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The company has seemingly reversed that stance with DEI pullbacks. Following pressure from right-wing activists, Harley-Davidson announced plans in August to ditch DEI hiring quotas, cut minority and women-owned supplier spending goals, and opt out of HRC scoring. In a statement at the time, it said the decision had been made following an “internal stakeholder review.” “We are saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few weeks, designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community,” the brand added. “As a company, we take this issue very seriously, and it is our responsibility to respond with clarity, action and facts.” Harley-Davidson also said it would reevaluate its sponsorships and affiliations to retain its “loyal riding community.” At the same time, it revealed plans to remove “socially motivated content,” from employee training programs. – Cydney Lee 3. John Deere John Deere updated its employee materials to ensure they didn’t contain 'socially motivated messages.' John Deere’s DEI principles were heralded in a 2020 book The 5 Disciplines of Inclusive Leaders for providing relevant training programs to over 68,000 workers and creating global and regional diversity councils. But in July, the company announced DEI rollbacks, saying it would stop participating in and supporting “social or culture awareness parades, festivals, or events,” following criticism over its decision to sponsor the Capital City Pride Little Rainbow Run in Des Moines, Iowa, one month prior. The business also updated its employee materials to ensure they didn’t contain “socially motivated messages.” The company claimed on X that it wouldn’t abandon diversity efforts entirely. “[We] fundamentally believe a diverse workforce enables us to best meet our customers’ needs and because of that we will continue to track and advance the diversity of our organization,” a spokesperson said at the time. In September, the company's HRC Corporate Equality score dropped from 90 to 75 owing to its new policies. – Rebecca Stewart 4. Lowe’s Lowe's no longer contributes data to the HRC’s annual ratings. Lowe’s once seemed to be model company for DEI initiatives. CEO Marvin Ellison, who is Black, joined the company in 2018 and diversified its leadership. In 2019, it launched a “multiyear approach to integrate diversity and inclusion initiatives and programs into our corporate strategy,” per its company responsibility report. By 2021, 55% of its executive leaders and 60% of its board were female or ethnically diverse. Lowe’s also invested $55 million in minority-owned businesses following the police killing of George Floyd. However, the company claimed it began reviewing its DEI initiatives in July 2023, one month after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed affirmative action in college admissions. The retailer also dialed back on sponsoring events “outside of its business areas,” including festivals and parades, despite having sponsored the 2023 Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade in North Carolina. In late August, Lowe’s told staff in a memo obtained by the Associated Press (AP) it would no longer contribute data to the HRC’s annual ratings. The company then combined its inclusion resource groups, previously dedicated to minority employees. Lowe’s last published its culture, diversity, and inclusion report in 2022. The company still operates a page on its website dedicated to its DEI initiatives. – C.L. 5. Molson Coors Molson Coors has cut quotas related to the diversity of its suppliers. In its 2023 imprint report, Molson Coors crowed how it had already achieved “workforce goals,” including a 27.1% representation of women and a 29.4% representation of people of color. But in September, Molson Coors circulated a memo to employees announcing that it was “rolling out the next steps of [its] culture journey centered on an evolution from our work focused on DEI to a broader view in which all our employees know they are welcome." Molson Coors’ policy revisions included a withdrawal of cooperation with the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index. However, the memo also stated the company would end quotas related to the diversity of its suppliers and no longer tie executive incentives to what it called “aspirational representation goals.” Also, the webpage dedicated to the spirits brand’s 12 employee resource groups, each devoted to groups like Black Americans and Asian Americans, is now blank. Critics say this “evolution” is a retraction of the company’s formalized commitments to DEI. In a statement, the HRC said that when companies like Molson Coors abandon formalized DEI efforts, they “risk losing both top employee talent and consumer dollars.” Responding to efforts to walk back DEI programs in general, National Urban League president Marc H. Morial told NBC News that “when you attack DEI, you are literally slapping us in the face.” —R.K. 6. Target Target’s LGBTQ+ pullback started in May 2023. Target stores, which serve 80% of U.S. shoppers according to analytics firm Numerator, have become an unlikely battleground for extreme cultural divisions around transgender rights in the U.S., amid inflamed discussions around gender-affirming health care and sporting participation. These tensions culminated in June 2024, with the brand pulling Pride Month merch from 2,000 stores. This marked a drastic reversal for the chain which had been selling such items in most locations nationwide since 2013. Target’s LGBTQ+ pullback started in May 2023, after prominent right-wing activists, Republican political leaders, and conservative media outlets criticized the business online and physically confronted in-store employees over its Pride collection. Detractors focused on a women’s swimsuit that was described as “tuck friendly” for its ability to conceal male genitalia. Misinformation spread on social claiming it was marketed to children; an untrue claim. In response, Target stopped selling some items from the 2023 range, and moved Pride displays to the back of its stores in certain Southern locations. When Pride Month rolled around in 2024, the retailer said it would only sell Pride-themed “adult apparel” and home goods in select stores “based on historical sales performance.” Target has since faced a backlash from LGBTQ+ groups and allies, who have accused the business of “rainbow capitalism.” In a June 2024 statement, the retailer said: “Target is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round.” – R.S. 7. Tractor Supply Company Tractor Supply claimed its changes were driven by feedback from 'disappointed customers'. In 2021, Tractor Supply Company strengthened its DEI and sustainability initiatives by establishing multi-year DEI and carbon emission reduction goals. But in early summer, conservative activist Starbuck had singled out Tractor Supply on X for what he described as its “woke policies.” In June, three weeks after Starbuck’s complaint, it announced it would divest from “non-business activities” including Pride festivals and voting campaigns, eliminate its DEI roles and goals, and shift its focus from carbon emission reduction to land and water conservation efforts. Tractor Supply claimed the changes were driven by feedback from “disappointed customers”. The business said it wanted to ensure its activities were aligned with farmers and rural communities, its primary customer base. On July 2, The National Black Farmers Associations (NBFA) called on Tractor Supply’s president and CEO Hal Lawton to resign. — C.L.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

From Ford To Lowe’s, These 7 Brands Reversed Their Big DEI Promises This Year

With a presidential election pending, DEI—a favored target of the right—has become a third-rail issue

Rebecca Stewart

Robert Klara

Cydney Lee

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