Better Health for All

A lawsuit filed in 2025 alleges that Evergy's improper management of fly ash from a former power plant led to air, soil, and water contamination in Henry County, Missouri.

Tests revealed dangerous levels of radium, lead, and arsenic , which residents claim caused serious health issues including Parkinson's disease, throat cancer, and brain tumors. Furthermore, Evergy's revised plan in June 2023 includes adding 1,440 megawatts of new natural gas power by 2028 , raising concerns among environmentalists about potential air pollution risks. Conversely, by 2023, Evergy achieved a 53% reduction in CO₂ emissions from owned generation compared to 2005 levels and operates or contracts over 4,500 megawatts of wind generation capacity. In 2024, the company also contributed $7.1 million in community investments and grants , with employees volunteering 14,700 hours in local projects.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Evergy, Inc. operates as a public utility company. While the company engages in initiatives that support economic development, such as offering PACE financing

, providing energy efficiency incentives for small businesses and non-profits , awarding community grants , and fostering supplier diversity , the provided articles do not contain the specific quantitative data points required by the 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' rubric's Key Performance Indicators. The rubric's KPIs are largely designed for financial institutions and require metrics such as percentages of underserved clients in loan books, specific APRs or fee multiples, shares of revenue from high-cost products, or measured customer wealth-building outcomes. As such, there is insufficient concrete evidence to assign scores for any of the defined KPIs.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Approximately 53% of Evergy's 4,658 employees are represented by unions

, with labor agreements set to expire between 2024 and 2026 . Union workers have expressed frustration over perceived pay inequities between Kansas and Missouri employees , safety conditions , and a reduction in workforce leading to increased workloads . They also criticized a proposal to eliminate a 3% performance bonus and highlighted disparities in work-from-home and parental leave policies compared to non-union staff . In January 2024, meter operators were laid off due to new digital meters , and affected union members were not offered traditional job pool placement or severance packages , raising concerns about their ability to secure new employment and maintain health insurance . Evergy stated its commitment to competitive salaries and benefits , noting a 6% wage increase for IBEW Local 304/1523 employees since July 2021 . The company has faced $19.8 million in employment-related penalties and $49,180 in safety-related penalties since 2000 . Employee reviews are mixed regarding management practices and workplace culture .

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

In 2023, Evergy achieved a 12.1% spend with diverse suppliers, exceeding its engagement target

. The company also hosted its inaugural Supplier Diversity Week and Summit in October 2023 , emphasizing its commitment to engaging diverse suppliers and enhancing supply chain resilience.

Honest & Fair Business

Evergy's 2023 Proxy Statement confirms the existence of a whistleblower hotline

. However, the provided articles do not offer details on independent investigation processes for reports made through this channel.

Kind to Animals

Evergy, Inc. is a utility company, and its core business operations do not involve products requiring cruelty-free certification, animal testing, animal-derived ingredients, or animal agriculture. Consequently, KPIs such as cruelty_free_cert_share, alt_testing_usage, humane_cert_ops_pct, ethical_input_sub_pct, supplier_audit_pct, cage_free_source_pct, animal_testing_policy, animal_testing_volume, innovation_investment_pct, animal_agriculture_ethics, and animal_free_rd_collaboration are not applicable. While Evergy engages in environmental and habitat restoration projects, including its Avian Protection Program

, and Green Team initiatives , , the articles do not provide measurable biodiversity impact metrics, such as documented population increases or changes in biodiversity indices, required to score wildlife_conservation_impact. Additionally, there is no evidence of active engagement in advocating for higher animal welfare policy standards or legislative changes, leading to the omission of public_policy_engagement. The company also faces lawsuits , and fines for environmental contamination, raising concerns about potential harm to local wildlife and ecosystems. ,

No War, No Weapons

Evergy received a $204,200 contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for replacing overhead electric lines

. This contract is for facilities maintenance and infrastructure support, explicitly stated as not pertaining to militarization . Evergy's core business remains in utility services .

Planet-Friendly Business

Evergy achieved a 53% reduction in CO₂ emissions from owned generation compared to 2005 levels.

The company aims for net-zero CO₂e emissions for Scope 1 and 2 by 2045, with an interim target of a 70% reduction by 2030. Evergy has retired 2,200 MW of fossil-fueled generation and built a wind portfolio exceeding 4,400 MW, including the 2023 acquisition of the 199 MW Persimmon Creek Wind Farm. However, in 2023, the company delayed the retirement of the Lawrence Energy Center to 2028 and postponed the addition of 700 MW of solar power until 2026, citing increasing electricity demand, regulatory changes, and supply chain constraints. In 2023, Evergy allocated $750,000 to community environmental education initiatives, reaching over 85,000 students and community members.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Evergy has established formal partnerships with at least three local organizations, including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southcentral Kansas, and the Kansas City Royals.

These collaborations are noted to focus on preserving cultural heritage, promoting youth development, and integrating educational programs within the communities served.

Safe & Smart Tech

Evergy conducts mandatory annual information security awareness training for employees, covering IT, cybersecurity, and privacy topics, complemented by regular phishing simulations.

The company has implemented Forum Sentry as an API Security Gateway to secure over 20 million daily smart grid data transactions and uses it as a SAML 2.0 Identity Provider for secure single sign-on for customers. Evergy maintains a 24-hour Security Operations Center, engages third parties for network traffic analysis, and has comprehensive incident response plans. Its cybersecurity framework aligns with the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) and the Department of Energy's Cyber Capability Maturity Model (C2M2). In 2024, Evergy signed a multi-year agreement with OneLayer to manage and secure its private LTE network, covering thousands of IoT sensors and smart meters. The Board of Directors oversees cybersecurity risks with regular presentations. Evergy allocates an annual budget exceeding $20 million to strengthen its cybersecurity framework. The company utilizes AI for predictive maintenance, monitoring asset health, optimizing energy consumption, providing personalized energy-saving recommendations, and enhancing customer service through chatbots. Evergy maintains a comprehensive privacy policy and implements commercially reasonable physical, technical, and administrative security measures.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Evergy has implemented two waste reduction initiatives. The company's Hometown Grant program offers up to $10,000 to support community sustainability projects, including recycling stations

. Additionally, Evergy collaborated with the Kansas City Chiefs to build pollinator boxes from recycled materials , which were then donated to local non-profits .