Molson Coors, the company behind popular beers like Coors Light and Miller, is scaling back its diversity initiatives. The brewer has decided to discontinue participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s scoring system, which evaluates companies based on their LGBTQ+ inclusion practices. Additionally, Molson Coors will no longer set supplier-diversity goals aimed at procuring supplies from businesses owned by minorities or women.
The shift aligns Molson Coors with other major consumer brands that have recently modified their diversity policies. Notably, last week, Ford, Lowe’s, and Brown-Forman, the producer of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, all announced similar policy changes. These changes come amid pressure from both activists and customers.
The alterations to Molson Coors’ diversity practices were detailed in an email from the company’s leadership to its employees, which was obtained by The Wall Street Journal. Coors has been actively reshaping its company culture since March, according to an email from the company.
The focus has shifted from an exclusive emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to fostering an environment where “all our employees know they are welcome,” the company stated in the email. “The driving force behind this shift,” the email explained, “was the understanding that when all our people know they are welcome, they are more engaged, motivated and committed to our company’s collective success.”
In an internal memo obtained by CNBC on Wednesday, Coors executives announced they are eliminating supplier diversity quotas, describing them as “complicated and influenced by factors outside of [the company’s] control.” However, the brewer affirmed its commitment to maintaining a supplier base that reflects the diversity of its consumer base. The company is also adjusting its executive incentives to align solely with business performance, moving away from “aspirational representation goals” starting next year.
Molson Coors is revamping its training programs as well. The new focus will be on key business objectives rather than the previous DEI themes, which all current U.S. employees have already completed. The company is also rebranding its Employee Resource Groups to Business Resource Groups, maintaining their original functions but under a new name. It will also withdraw from all voluntary “best of” third-party company rankings in the U.S., including the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, where it had previously scored perfectly.
“This will not impact the benefits we provide our employees, nor will it change or diminish our commitment to fostering a strong culture where every one of our employees knows they are welcome at our bar,” the memo read. Molson Coors will continue to focus its corporate charitable contributions on supporting core business goals like alcohol responsibility, disaster relief efforts, and promoting access to higher education. However, the company still noted its significant contributions through its “Tap Into Change” program, which has raised over $700,000 for LGBTQ+-focused organizations since 2011 and has sponsored pride festivals.
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Are you tired of winning yet? I’m not. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/CCT5YvqwCq
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 4, 2024
“Companies are starting to realize the whole DEI thing has been a house of cards,” activist Robby Starbuck told The New York Post. “Somebody just had to press the cards. The majority of CEOs in America are very happy to have an excuse to get rid of this stuff.” Starbuck targets companies with contentious DEI programs in his widely viewed online exposés, which he shares with his more than 500,000 followers on X.
WATCH:
Big news: Last week I messaged executives from @CoorsLight @MolsonCoors to let them know that I planned to expose their woke policies. Today they’re preemptively making changes.
Here are the changes:
• Ending participation in the @HRC’s woke Corporate Equality Index social… pic.twitter.com/RuOVb1IuNU
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 3, 2024
Earlier in the week, Starbuck shared the developments on his social media. Last week, he informed executives at Molson Coors of his intentions to spotlight their woke policies. As a result, the company preemptively announced several changes, signaling a shift away from certain DEI practices. His actions, Starbuck claims, have instilled a fear of exposure among companies, leading to preemptive policy changes. The change at Molson Coors is part of a greater trend Starbuck has been advocating for, aiming to restore “sanity and neutrality” in corporate America.
