Colgate maintains board diversity standards amid DEI decline — Bloomberg

LootboxPhobia · 2026-02-25T05:41:14+00:00

Colgate-Palmolive plans to continue using race, gender, and sexual orientation as criteria for future board members despite opposition. Conservative organizations have submitted proposals for a vote, while Colgate plans to oppose the proposal at the shareholder meeting, arguing that it interferes with board judgment. The company emphasizes the importance of diversity for its global business.

LootboxPhobia

2026-02-25 05:41:14

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Investing.com - According to Bloomberg, Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) informed a conservative shareholder group that the company plans to continue using race, gender, and sexual orientation as criteria for selecting future board members, despite companies like Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and American Express (NYSE: AXP) indicating they will abandon this practice.

A non-profit organization opposing diversity policies, the National Law and Policy Center, has submitted a proposal requesting a vote on this issue at Colgate’s next annual shareholder meeting. According to a reply sent via email this week to the National Law and Policy Center and reviewed by Bloomberg News, the toothpaste manufacturer will ask investors to vote against the proposal.

The reply email to the National Law and Policy Center stated that the proposal “overly interferes” with the judgment of the board nomination committee, which “is committed to building a board composed of members with broad experience, skills, and diverse perspectives.” Colgate told Bloomberg that regulatory requirements prevent it from publicly commenting on the matter until around March 25, when it releases its proxy statement.

Colgate noted that two-thirds of its sales come from outside the United States. The company stated, “Integrating diverse experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds is essential for designing innovative products, predicting consumer trends, and ultimately driving business results and growth in global markets.”

Recently, companies such as Goldman Sachs, American Express, Deere & Company (NYSE: DE), and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) have chosen to remove DEI-related language from their corporate board standards or indicated they will do so. Conservative activists and President Donald Trump have prioritized removing DEI from corporate decision-making, viewing such practices as discriminatory against white men.

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