Johnson & Johnson — Ethics Grade D+

Johnson & Johnson receives an overall ethics grade of D+ (33/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Healthcare / Consumer. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 55
• privacy: 65
• consumer: 10
• environment: 50
• humanRights: 40

Documented incidents (3)

• Talc-asbestos contamination lawsuits (high, 2023) — Faced 38,000+ lawsuits alleging baby powder contained asbestos causing cancer. Proposed $8.9B settlement.
• Opioid crisis contribution (high, 2019) — Ordered to pay $465M for fueling Oklahoma's opioid crisis through deceptive marketing of pain medications.
• Subsidiary bankruptcy to avoid liability (high, 2021) — Created subsidiary LTL Management to file bankruptcy and shield J&J from billions in talc lawsuit liabilities. Courts rejected the strategy.

Documented good deeds

• COVID-19 vaccine at cost — Developed and distributed single-dose COVID-19 vaccine on a not-for-profit basis to developing nations.

Ethical alternatives

• Dr. Bronner's — Fair trade, organic, B Corp certified. Donates 33% of profits to charity.