A recent report by corporate accountability advocacy group As You Sow rated Exxon Mobil last out of all S&P 500 companies on measures of racial justice. The San Antonio based company received an overall score of negative 23 percent out of a possible 100 percent:
Zero percent for Racial Justice Statement, Corporate Responsibility, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Department, and External Actions, meaning they took no actions in any of those categories.
7 percent on its disclosure of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion data, earning 2 out of a possible 27 points within that category.
Within the category of Environmental justice:
Zero for Acknowledgement of Environmental Justice.
Negative 5 for Abides by Environmental Regulations.
Negative 6 for Environmental Fines and Penalties.
Negative 2 for Adverse Effects to BIPOC Communities, for a total score of negative 13 out of 16, or negative 81 percent.
As You Sow’s report listed Exxon as having over 100 environmental regulation violations since 2015 and found that, more generally, companies with a low environmental score were often repeat offenders. As of March 2021, a federal judge ordered Exxon to pay a $14.25 million fine for 16,386 violations of the federal Clean Air Act between 2005 and 2013—this averages out to approximately 5 to 6 violations per day at less than $900 per violation—in their flagship Baytown, Texas refinery alone.
Residents living near Exxon’s Beaumont, Texas refinery face elevated health risks likely due to the 135 toxic chemicals, including carcinogens, released in the refining process. The risk of cancer for those living in this historically black neighborhood is 54 in a million, much higher than the zero-to-one in a million national average. The local community suffers from elevated health issues related to their elevated exposure to pollutants. The Beaumont refinery is the third largest polluter in the United States. The top two polluters are Exxon’s Baton Rouge and Baytown facilities, respectively. Similar to Beaumont, the Baton Rouge refinery is located in a predominantly black neighborhood that suffers from elevated health risks.
Overall, the energy sector had the lowest average score, 3 percent, compared to Consumer Staples at 21 percent and Materials at 9 percent. By defining specific racial justice actions, As You Sow provides companies with a potential road map for improving their social impact and consumers and stakeholders with information on and a methodology for assessing company actions.
