Disney
OVERALL |
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Owned |
USA |
Rating |
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Media conglomerate
Founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy Disney. Disney has four major divisions: Media Networks; Parks and Resorts; Studio Entertainment; Consumer Products & Interactive Media. World's largest entertainment company, with global brands like Disney, ABC (in the US), ESPN, Pixar, Marvel, Muppets and Lucasfilm.
Walt Disney Company | USA | website |
Company Assessment
PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
Walt Disney Company | ||||
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of B.
Source: CDP (2022)
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign (2021)
America's Most Responsible Companies 2022 by Newsweek and Statista recognises the Top 500 most responsible companies in the United States. Companies were evaluated in three areas: environmental (waste, energy use, etc.), social (leadership diversity, employees and philanthropy) and governance (transparency and economic performance). This company received a total score of 75/100, ranking 7th in the Hotels, Dining & Leisure sector, and 207th overall.
Source: Newsweek (2021)
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2023 rankings JUST Capital asked a representative sample of 3,002 Americans to compare 20 different business Issues on a head-to-head basis, producing a reliable hierarchy of Issues ranked in order of priority. Issues are organised under the headings Workers, Customers, Communities, the Environment, or Shareholders & Governance. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 198th of 951 companies, and 2nd of 15 Media companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2023) |
This company received a score of 6/100 (retrieved 10-Oct-2020) in the Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI), a system for evaluating supply chain practices in China, particularly in regards to environmental management and water pollution. Scores are calculated using government compliance data, online monitoring data, and third-party environmental audits, as well as trends in the environmental performance of factories in the company's supply chains.
Source: IPE (2020)
This 2016 investigative report by China Labour Watch found that Disney has not made improvements to the systemic labor rights violations of Chinese workers. Labor abuses such as low wages, excessive overtime and poor living conditions are still widespread.
Source: China Labor Watch (2016)
A 2019 report by China Labour Watch conducted investigations into five Chinese toy factories, which manufacture for the largest toy companies in the world, including this one. Labor abuses include low wages, excessive overtime, dangerous working conditions, terrible living conditions and gender discrimination.
Source: China Labor Watch (2019)
In 2019 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$52,184. The CEO was paid 911 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Source: AFL-CIO (2020)
As You Sow's 2022 report, 'Road to Zero Emissions', assessed the progress of 55 of the largest U.S. corporations in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the Paris Agreement's objective of limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, which requires achieving "net zero" emissions by 2050. Companies are graded on: climate related disclosures; GHG reduction targets, and GHG reductions. This company received an Overall Net Zero grade of D-.
Source: As You Sow (2022)
This company is on OpenSecrets.org's list of "Top Donors", a list of the 100 biggest givers in US federal-level politics since 1990. Companies on this list lobby and spend big, with large sums sent to candidates, parties and leadership PACs. This company comes in at number 44 on the list, with contributions totalling $53,525,709 between 1990 and 2020.
Source: Open Secrets (2020)
The 2022 Fashion Transparency Index reviewed 250 of the world's largest fashion brands and retailers and ranked them according to how much they disclose about their human rights and environmental policies, practices and impacts. Brands owned by this company scored 17%, signifying it is doing a bit more than the others when it comes to having policies and commitments in place and auditing and reporting activities, but could be doing more. The average score was 24% and the highest score was 78%.
Source: Fashion Revolution (2022)
The Invest Your Values Corporate Retirement Plan Sustainability Scorecard by As You Sow rates retirement plans on seven environmental and social sustainability issues. This company's default corporate retirement plan offered to employees is the Vanguard Target Retirement Fund which is rated Fair for gender equality and civilian firearms, and Poor for fossil fuels, deforestation, prison industrial complex, military weapons and tobacco.
Source: As You Sow (2022)
As You Sow's 2023 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Robert Chapek came in at number 21 on the list, having been paid US$32,464,293 in 2022. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."
Source: As You Sow (2023) |
Public Eye Awards are given to companies with the worst record in terms of environmental pollution and human rights violations. Disney received the award in 2006 for serious labor and human rights violations by Walt Disney subcontractors in China. Listed under information due to age of award.
Source: Berne Declaration (2006)
This 2007 investigative report by China Labour Watch reveals workers in Chinese factories endure low wages, no benefits, dangerous work environments and humiliating living conditions. [Listed under information due to age of report]
Source: China Labor Watch (2007)
Named in the International Labor Rights Forum's "Sweatshop Hall of Shame 2008", which highlights apparel and textile companies that use sweatshops in their global production. (Listed under information due to age of report)
Source: International Labor Rights Forum (2008)
This 2010 investigative report by China Labour Watch reveals how a Chinese factory that supplies products to Disney and Tesco were found to have violated local labor laws due to its practices such as forcing employees to work excessive amount of overtime with a serious lack of workplace security. [Listed under information due to age of report]
Source: China Labor Watch (2010)
This 2010 investigative report by China Labour Watch reveals that although the overall conditions in Disney's Chinese suppliers have been improved, violations of Disney's Code of Conduct and China Labor Law remained, especially in aspects related to overtime, wages, underage labor, and workers' living conditions. [Listed under information due to age of report]
Source: China Labor Watch (2010)
This 2014 report by China Labour Watch investigates four Chinese factories supplying some of the largest toy brand companies in the world, including this one. The report reveals many labour violations in these factories, including long hours, excessive overtime, dangerous working conditions, low wages, and underpaid workers. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: China Labor Watch (2014)
This 2015 investigative report by China Labour Watch found that poor working conditions in Chinese toy factories continue. This company was among those implicated in the report. Labor abuses such as low wages and excessive overtime are still widespread, with very little improvement in working conditions over time.
Source: China Labor Watch (2015)
This company has been called out by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) for not signing the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile & Garment Industry. All of the brands that have not yet signed the Accord continue to put workers' lives at risk and CCC urge them to sign on as soon as possible.
Source: Clean Clothes Campaign (2023)
This company signed the Uzbek Cotton Pledge with the Responsible Sourcing Network, signifying a public commitment to not knowingly source Uzbek cotton for the manufacturing of any of their products until the Government of Uzbekistan ends the practice of forced labor in its cotton sector. However the Pledge was lifted in March 2022 after the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, who monitored the annual cotton harvest since 2010, found no state-imposed forced labor in the 2021 harvest.
Source: Cotton Campaign (2022)
This company is a Bronze Member of the Sustainable Brands Network, the leading peer to peer, learning and networking group designed to support brands in meeting their sustainability goals and ultimately become those leaders of the next sustainable economy.
Source: Sustainable Brands (2018)
Social Accountability International (SAI) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organisation established to advance the human rights of workers by promoting decent work conditions, labor rights, and corporate social responsibility through the voluntary SA8000 Standard.
Source: SAI (2019)
This company is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (formerly the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative), which helps companies address conflict minerals issues in their supply chains. The RMI provides information on conflict-free smelters and refiners, common tools to gather sourcing information, and forums for exchanging best practices on addressing conflict minerals. Membership is open to companies that use or transact in tantalum, tin, tungsten or gold (3TG). Founded in 2008 by members of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.
Source: RMI (2019)
This company is a partner of Better Work, an initiative of the UN's International Labour Organization and the International Finance Corporation which brings diverse groups together - governments, global brands, factory owners, and unions and workers - to improve working conditions in the garment industry and make the sector more competitive.
Source: Better Work (2020)
This company is a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, a multi-stakeholder initiative launched in March 2011 by a group of global apparel and footwear companies and non-profit organizations (representing nearly one third of the global market share for apparel and footwear). The Coalition's goals are to reduce the apparel industry's environmental and social impact, and to develop a universal index to measure environmental and social performance of apparel products.
Source: Sustainable Apparel Coalition (2020)
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: company website (2016)
As You Sow's 2019 report, Mining the Disclosures, is a deep analysis of 215 companies' human rights performance in relation to sourcing conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This company's score was 55.4% (Adequate).
Source: As You Sow (2019)
This company is a member of the ICTI Ethical Toy Program, the global standard for ethical toy manufacture. The Ethical Toy Program focuses on social sustainability issues which impact well-being of workers involved in toy manufacture globally. However human rights groups including SOMO and China Labor Watch have criticised the Program, with investigators finding serious labour rights violations occurring in ICTI-certified factories.
Source: ICTI Ethical Toy Program (2020)
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre digital platform presents news and allegations relating to the human rights impact of over 20,000 companies. Their enhanced Company Dashboards also include financial information, key data points based on corporate policies, and scores from prominent civil society benchmarks. Follow the link and use the search function to view this company's dashboard.
Source: BHRRC (2022)
The Apparel and Footwear Supply Chain Transparency Pledge (Transparency Pledge) helps demonstrate apparel and footwear companies' commitment towards greater transparency in their manufacturing supply chain. Transparency of a company's manufacturing supply chain better enables a company to collaborate with civil society in identifying, assessing, and avoiding actual or potential adverse human rights impacts. This is a critical step that strengthens a company's human rights due diligence. This company has published limited supplier factory information, and falls well short of the Pledge standard.
Source: Transparency Pledge (2019)
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
Source: Open Secrets (2020)
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 41/100 in the Media category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 23 Sep 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022)
The Corporate Research Project's Corporate Rap Sheets are dossiers summarising the most significant crimes, violations and other questionable activities of the world's largest and most controversial companies. Follow link to see this company's Corporate Rap Sheet. "a relatively small part of Disney's operations the licensing of characters from its animated films to producers of children's clothing, toys and other merchandise has put the company at the center of much controversy. That's because those goods are frequently produced in sweatshop conditions in countries such as China and Bangladesh. Disney, which has a history of anti-union animus going back to its early years, has also faced criticism over its U.S. labor practices and has recently emerged as one of the leading corporate opponents of the campaign to enact paid sick days laws."
Source: Corporate Research Project (2018) |
Company Details
Type | Public company |
Founded | 1923 |
Revenue | 65 billion USD (2020) |
Employees | 223,000 (2019) |
Subsidiaries | Disney Consumer Products Inc ![]() Business segment of Walt Disney Company As the business segment of Walt Disney, the company has 3 units - Licensing, Publishing and Disney Store. - The Walt Disney Company (Australia) Pty Limited ![]() Media and family entertainment Australian business activities are film and television distribution and production; manufacture and distribution of home entertainment products (DVDs and Blu-Ray discs); and third party Disney products produced under licence. |
Contact Details
Address | Walt Disney Studios, 500 S. Buena Vista St, Burbank, California, USA |
Website | www.thewaltdisneycompany.com |
Products / Brands
Disney
Disney+ Video Streaming |