Consumers Research is an anti-responsible investing organization that has opposed ESG investing and criticized numerous companies for being “woke.” Consumer’s Research is funded by Marble Freedom Trust, which is run by Leonard Leo. Leo is also the owner and chairman of public relations firm CRC Advisors, which has received over $1 million in contract work from Consumers Research. In 2020, it was discovered that CRC Advisors had a contract with Chevron, where they surreptitiously attacked climate policy on the big-oil company’s behalf.
Harmful Attacks. Consumers Research has criticized corporate diversity efforts at companies such as Best Buy and Activision calling them “blatantly discriminatory” and “putting race and gender ahead of actual skills.” They have criticized corporations such as Kit Kat, Nordstrom, and Home Depot for supporting LGBTQ+ programs. They have attacked companies such as Major League Baseball, Coca Cola, Ticketmaster, and American Airlines for their opposition to voter suppression laws in Georgia and Texas that targeted voters of color. They’ve even attacked Ford Motor Company’s European division for pledging to go full electric by 2030. Consumers Research has opposed responsible investing calling it “a way to drive a progressive agenda…through economic coercion and ignoring democratic processes.”
Polluter Funding. Consumers Research is funded by Marble Freedom Trust, an organization founded by extreme legal advocate Leonard Leo in 2020, which was seeded by a record $1.6 billion donation from secretive manufacturing magnate Barre Seid. Leonard Leo also runs a for-profit public relations firm called CRC Advisors that Consumers Research paid in excess of $1.2 million over 2021 and 2022. Not unrelatedly, Leonard Leo is currently under investigation by the DC Attorney General over whether he has violated laws against using charities for personal enrichment for the large sums of money his network of nonprofits has paid to CRC Advisors. Leo’s interest in opposing responsible investing, however, could be related to a CRC Advisors client that is outside of his non-profit network.
Backdoor Deals. In 2020, CRC Advisors inadvertently revealed that they were working for oil giant Chevron when CRC Advisors sent an email to journalists criticizing “white environmentalists” for pushing “radical climate policies” that would hurt black communities. Accidentally left at the bottom of the email, however, was a tagline that said, “If you would rather not receive future communications from Chevron, let us know by clicking here.” Chevron later confirmed that they were a client of CRC Advisors and had hired them for communications work.
Fact: The majority of voters support corporations being environmentally and socially responsible, including the majority of Republican voters. A majority of Republicans also believe that the government should let corporations support whatever causes they want, rather than fight “woke” ideology.