Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Duke Energy Corporation is an energy utility company, and its core business activities do not involve offering lending, deposit, or other consumer financial products. The 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' value and its associated Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are specifically designed to assess financial institutions based on metrics such as APRs, loan book composition, revenue from high-cost financial products, and customer financial outcomes. While the provided articles detail Duke Energy's utility operations, including rate adjustments

and various community support and economic development grants from the Duke Energy Foundation , , , , these activities do not constitute direct evidence for the financial services-specific metrics required by the rubric's KPIs. For example, grants to small businesses or community assistance programs are not 'loan/insurance book' shares, and utility rates are not 'APRs' for financial products. As no article provides specific, concrete data points relevant to the financial product-centric definitions of the KPIs, all KPIs are omitted from scoring.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Duke Energy reported a Total Incident Case Rate (TICR) of 0.31 in 2023, its best safety record, with no employee fatalities that year.

However, the company recorded one fatality in 2022 and another in 2024, which led to a serious violation and a $16,131 fine in February 2025 for an electric hazard. In total, there were 7 substantiated workplace safety or health violations between 2023 and 2025. The employee net promoter score (eNPS) was 29 in 2023. The voluntary employee turnover rate was 7.4% in 2023. In 2023, 18.7% of the workforce were members of collective bargaining units. The company's lowest entry-level wage is $17 per hour. Duke Energy offers six weeks of fully paid parental leave, $5,000 reimbursement for adoption costs, and generous vacation and sick leave. The company also received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for seven consecutive years up to 2022, recognizing its support for LGBTQ employees.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Duke Energy has reported no substantiated forced or child labor incidents in its documents, and no allegations meeting severity thresholds were found.

Suppliers are contractually required to report policy violations to the Supplier Code of Conduct, and the company follows up on potential violations. However, Duke Energy has not met requirements for forced labor risk management.

Kind to Animals

Duke Energy actively engages in animal welfare policy by collaborating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This includes developing a Habitat Conservation Plan for endangered bat species and working to protect the endangered clasping warea wildflower and threatened sand skink in Florida , which involved adjusting vegetation management practices and installing sensitive habitat signage .

No War, No Weapons

Duke Energy engages in defense-adjacent activities by providing energy infrastructure to U.S. military installations. This includes a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to supply 135 megawatts of renewable energy to military installations, with facilities expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2026.

The company also secured a $22 million contract to design a microgrid at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and completed a 1.1-megawatt floating solar plant with 2-megawatt battery storage at Fort Bragg in June 2022. Additionally, Duke Energy supports veterans and their families through grants totaling over $128,000 across Florida and Indiana for career development, housing, and healthcare. , In 2018, it received the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for supporting National Guard and Reserve employees. There is no evidence of the company being involved in arms manufacturing, controversial weapons, or possessing defense-related assets that would require divestment.

Planet-Friendly Business

Duke Energy plans a capital investment of $145 billion over the next decade

, with $40 billion allocated to zero-carbon generation , representing 27.58% of the total capital expenditure. The company aims for net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century (2050) and targets a 50% reduction from 2005 levels by 2030 . An updated electricity production proposal includes a preferred goal of a 70% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2035 . The company also sold its unregulated utility-scale Commercial Renewables business to focus on regulated businesses , with a goal of more than 30,000 megawatts of regulated renewable energy by 2035 . Additionally, Duke Energy announced agreements with Amazon, Google, and Microsoft to develop new electricity rate structures to support carbon-free technologies .

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Duke Energy has a formal cultural impact assessment protocol, collaborating with state historic preservation offices, creating a GIS database for cultural sites, and revising processes for their protection during projects

. However, implementation has been inconsistent, as evidenced by the Lumbee Tribal Council's opposition to an LNG facility in 2020 due to a lack of cultural impact consultation, and a 2010 controversy over a substation near Kituwah Mound . Despite these challenges, the company has active protection measures for cultural sites, and no incidents of major disruption to cultural or heritage sites are explicitly reported. There are no reported cultural appropriation incidents.

Safe & Smart Tech

Duke Energy experienced a data breach in May 2024, affecting approximately 370,000 individuals.

An unauthorized third party accessed sensitive customer information, including utility account numbers, names, email addresses, mailing addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers or federal tax IDs. Law firms have initiated investigations into the company's data protection practices following this incident. The company has engaged in discussions and training sessions on artificial intelligence and ethics, focusing on principles such as transparency, justice, fairness, responsibility, accountability, and privacy to address ethical considerations in AI applications and data handling. An Executive Cybersecurity Oversight Governance Committee, which includes the CEO and CFO, receives monthly updates on cybersecurity. Following substation attacks, the company revised its security assessment protocols and improved rapid-response protocols for critical equipment. The company also invests significantly in digital transformation, with 2023 ICT spending estimated at $923.1 million, and uses AI for initiatives like methane emissions monitoring.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Duke Energy achieved an 80% waste recycling rate in 2021.

The company implements multiple waste reduction initiatives, including repurposing or recycling 90% of its 25,000 tons of annual wood waste in 2021, diverting over 22,000 tons from landfills. Other initiatives include strategies to minimize off-site landfill waste , processing ash from legacy basins , installing water bottle refilling stations , and a comprehensive recycling initiative at Crystal River Nuclear Plant Unit 3, which diverts approximately 85% of its trash. For hazardous waste, Duke Energy manages coal combustion residuals (CCR) in compliance with regulations , with all new ash being recycled or placed in lined landfills and following a closed-loop system. In 2022, the company received five water-related Notices of Violations, which were resolved without penalties , and one fine of $4,711. Duke Energy set a company-wide target to recycle 80% of its solid waste by 2018 , which it achieved by 2021.