Costco Wholesale — Ethics Grade B

Costco Wholesale receives an overall ethics grade of B (72/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Retail. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 85
• privacy: 80
• consumer: 75
• environment: 55
• humanRights: 60

Documented incidents (3)

• Forced Labor in Supply Chain (high, 2014) — Investigations linked Costco's shrimp supply chain to Thai fishing vessels using forced labor and human trafficking. The company faced a lawsuit for not disclosing these conditions to consumers.
• Clean Air Act Violations (medium, 2014) — Costco paid $1.5 million to the EPA for failing to repair leaks of ozone-depleting refrigerant gases in its warehouses. The company also committed to spending $2 million to improve compliance.
• Rotisserie Chicken Welfare Concerns (medium, 2022) — A shareholder lawsuit alleged that Costco violates animal welfare laws in its industrial chicken farming operations, leading to diseased and injured birds in crowded conditions.

Documented good deeds

• Industry Leading Wages — Consistently maintains a starting wage significantly above the federal minimum and provides comprehensive benefits to part-time workers.

Ethical alternatives

• The Co-operative Group — Member-owned model with aggressive fair trade and sustainability targets.