McDonald’s has joined the growing list of companies retreating from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, announcing plans to retire its “aspirational representation goals” and rebrand its diversity team as the “Global Inclusion Team.” The fast-food giant also revealed it will no longer require diversity pledges from its suppliers, though it emphasized a continued commitment to fostering “inclusion” within the company, according to a report by the Daily Caller.
“As we start the New Year and set our ambitions for McDonald’s, we want to also update you on our accomplishments embedding inclusion throughout our system and highlight a few important changes to our approach,” the company said in its announcement. “We are also excited to introduce a new concept: the power of OUR ‘Golden Rule’ — treating everyone with dignity, fairness and respect, always. For the last several months, a small team has been working on refining our language to better capture McDonald’s commitment to inclusion.”
McDonald’s explained the decision to phase out its DEI pledges “in favor of a more integrated discussion with suppliers about inclusion as it relates to business performance.” The company said its efforts would now focus on embedding “inclusion practices” that contribute to its business growth.
The changes are partly motivated by recent legal developments, including legislation targeting DEI at universities and the US Supreme Court’s ruling on race-based admissions policies. McDonald’s decision aligns with a broader trend of companies scaling back similar initiatives under pressure from legal challenges and consumer backlash.
Other major corporations, including Walmart, Lowe’s, and Boeing, have recently rolled back their DEI efforts amid mounting criticism from “anti-woke” activists who argue such practices alienate customers and employees.
