Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Burlington Stores, Inc. is an off-price retailer whose primary business is direct retail sales, not financial services. Therefore, all KPIs related to lending, deposit services, financial product pricing, fees, customer financial data, or financial literacy programs are not applicable. The company does not offer consumer credit products, manage customer finance data, or operate financial service access points. While Burlington engages in community partnerships, such as supporting education and career preparation for youth through organizations like Her Honor and YouthBuild Global, and donates coats and merchandise, these initiatives do not constitute direct reinvestment of pre-tax profit into community finance or profit-sharing with underserved communities as defined by the rubric.

The corporate debt-to-equity ratio is not relevant to the customer debt burden KPI.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio for Burlington Stores Inc. was 1,144:1 in FY2023, based on a CEO total compensation of $13.9 million and a median worker pay of $12,116.

This ratio is significantly higher than the General Merchandise Stores industry median pay ratio of 422:1. The company's voluntary employee turnover rate is reported to be between 60-70% annually. There are allegations of the company lying about starting wages ($8.50/hour vs. advertised $10.50/hour) and advertising full-time positions when 'everything is part time'. Employee reviews mention issues with health insurance, stating that 'full time "medical insurance" is actually a discount off of your TOTAL BILL' and 'there's literally no way to afford even basic medical treatment'. The company has a significant portion of its workforce on precarious contracts, with mentions of 'on-call employee never knowing if or when you work' and 'everything is part time'.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Burlington conducts annual inspections and third-party audits for factories where it is the importer of record.

All business partners are required to abide by Burlington's Code of Conduct, which includes ethical standards. Additionally, purchase order terms and conditions require suppliers to certify compliance with laws regarding slavery and human trafficking and non-use of forced or child labor.

Honest & Fair Business

Burlington's Board of Directors consists of 8 independent directors out of 9, which represents 88.88% of the board.

The company requires its vendors to adhere to anti-bribery standards and has a Code of Ethics for its CEO and Senior Financial Officers, with all employees expected to follow a Code of Conduct.

Kind to Animals

No specific, concrete data points were found in the provided articles to score any of the KPIs related to the 'Kind to Animals' value. While Burlington Stores has a policy against selling real animal fur (effective November 2017) and has banned angora, the rubric's KPI for 'ethical_input_sub_pct' requires a percentage of animal-derived ingredients/materials replaced with ethical alternatives, which is not provided, and the fur policy explicitly excludes leathers, shearling, cowhide, and wool.

For 'wildlife_conservation_impact', compliance with the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is mentioned, but this is a legal requirement, not a measurable impact of conservation initiatives. For 'animal_testing_policy', the requirement for cosmetic vendors to comply with FDA and FTC regulations does not specify the nature of testing (animal vs. non-animal). All other KPIs lack specific, measurable evidence.

No War, No Weapons

The provided articles do not contain specific, concrete data points or actions related to arms manufacturing, military contracts, dual-use technologies, sales to embargoed regimes, peacebuilding investments, or any other KPIs under the 'No War, No Weapons' ethical value.

Therefore, no assessment can be made against this value based on the evidence provided.

Planet-Friendly Business

Burlington Stores reported total Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions of 343,208 tCO₂e for 2024.

The company aims to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 60% per operating square foot by 2030, against a 2016 baseline. In 2024, 73,952 MWh of energy was consumed from renewable sources, with a target to reach 20% of electricity consumption from renewables by 2030. In 2021, renewable energy represented 9% of overall electricity consumption. The waste diversion rate was 64% in 2024. The company reported no environmental compliance violations in fiscal 2022. Burlington aligns with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) but has not yet undertaken a formal review of its strategy based on climate-related scenarios to test its resilience. Total water withdrawals were 1680 megaliters/year in fiscal 2022, with net sales of $8.7 billion, resulting in 193.1 m³ per $1M revenue. The percentage of water withdrawals from stressed areas is unknown. The company has not undertaken scenario analysis for water-related issues.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Burlington Stores has established over 100 formal partnerships with non-profit organizations, including long-standing relationships with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and AdoptAClassroom.org, and new partnerships with UNCF and various diversity organizations.

In its first year, the Burlington Stores Foundation disbursed nearly $670,000 to charities, which represents a very small percentage of its $9.3 billion net revenue in 2021. The company has an Integrity Hotline and a STEPS Program, including an Open-Door Policy and Request for Reconsideration, with decisions typically made within 45 days. Associates nominate non-profits for grants, and a Grant Review Committee comprising Associates votes on funding decisions. There are no reported cultural appropriation incidents. The company donated $500,000 to five non-profit diversity organizations and $25,000 to Lake Street Council. All corporate Associates and field leaders are required to complete Code of Conduct training annually, which was updated in 2021, but specific cultural sensitivity training completion rates are not provided.

Safe & Smart Tech

Burlington.com uses industry-standard security techniques, including encryption, to protect personal information transmitted to the site and holds a digital certificate from DigiCert.

The company performs annual compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Its privacy policy is updated to reflect rights for consumers in 17 states. However, a class action lawsuit filed in June 2024 alleges the company secretly embedded web-tracking technology in marketing emails to collect personal data without consent, breaching an Arizona privacy law. The company collects a wide range of personal information, including sensitive data like social security numbers and precise geographic location, and retains it for as long as needed or permitted, without specific retention periods. While users can review, update, or delete online account information and opt-out of promotional communications, the lawsuit alleges personal data was illegally captured without authorization. The company's authentication security involves collecting account log-in credentials. Burlington conducts ongoing internal and external cybersecurity assessments, including vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, and maintains a written incident response plan tested periodically. The Board's Audit Committee oversees information technology and security matters, with the CIO reporting quarterly on the Information Security program, which is measured against the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. The company has not identified any cybersecurity threats that have materially affected its business strategy, operations, or financial condition to date.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Burlington Stores, Inc. achieved an overall waste diversion rate of 64% in 2024.

The company has implemented numerous waste reduction initiatives, including rolling out waste-compacting technologies to 200 stores in 2021, using small trash balers that saved an estimated $100,000 in waste management expenses, and adding large cardboard balers. In 2021, they recycled 52,400 tons of cardboard, 12,200 tons of timber pallets, 165 tons of metal, and 52 tons of eWaste at 358 stores. They also have plastic bag recycling/elimination initiatives, offer reusable bags, and partner with organizations like Good360 and Happen Ventures to donate unsold merchandise and excess inventory. For hazardous waste, the company diverted 393 U.S. tons in 2024 and has a Hazardous Waste Program aligned with California and Washington requirements, including training for store associates. Burlington has set a company-wide climate target to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030, based on a FY 2016 baseline.