KKR & Co. Inc. — Ethics Grade D

KKR & Co. Inc. receives an overall ethics grade of D (32/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Consumer Goods. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 20
• privacy: 60
• consumer: 35
• environment: 25
• humanRights: 40

Documented incidents (3)

• Toys R Us Liquidation (high, 2018) — After a leveraged buyout by KKR and partners, Toys 'R' Us was saddled with billions in debt, leading to bankruptcy and the loss of 30,000 jobs. The private equity firms were criticized for taking millions in fees while employees received no initial severance.
• Fossil Fuel Investment Expansion (high, 2022) — KKR has been criticized for investing billions in fossil fuel infrastructure, including the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which faces opposition from Indigenous groups. Critics argue KKR's climate commitments are eclipsed by its high-carbon portfolio.
• Surprise Medical Billing (high, 2020) — Envision Healthcare, owned by KKR at the time, was central to the controversy over 'surprise medical billing,' where patients received massive out-of-network bills for ER visits. KKR faced backlash for prioritizing profit over patient financial stability.

Documented good deeds

• Employee Equity Initiative — Founded the 'Ownership Works' non-profit to help companies implement broad-based employee ownership programs to build wealth for low-income workers.

Ethical alternatives

• Patagonia, Inc. — Profit is dedicated to environmental protection with zero private equity extraction.