Better Health for All

Harley-Davidson's core business of manufacturing motorcycles inherently carries significant negative health consequences due to the risk of severe injury or fatality in accidents, with no health-positive offerings, accounting for the primary revenue. The company has had at least two significant safety recalls in the past three years, including over 82,100 Softail motorcycles in 2025 due to a potential tire pressure loss issue that could increase crash risk.

This issue led to 11 warranty claims/field reports, equating to an adverse event rate of approximately 74 per million based on 2024 shipments. However, no crashes or injuries have been reported for the 2025 recall. Harley-Davidson demonstrated transparency by filing a recall report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and proactively notifying owners via mail, offering free repairs for the affected parts.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

No specific, concrete data points were found in the provided articles to assess Harley-Davidson against any of the KPIs for Fair Money & Economic Opportunity. While the company has a financial services segment, the articles do not provide quantitative evidence regarding underserved client share, pricing fairness (relative to market median), exploitative fee exposure, inclusion initiatives (as a share of loan book), data accessibility, fair lending compliance (proactive practices or specific findings), wealth building outcomes, profit reinvestment percentages in community finance, financial literacy initiatives (reach or impact), debt burden ratios, geographic inclusion of financial service access points, or product simplicity (readability standards). Harley-Davidson has donated land to the Harley-Davidson Foundation for a community park, and has donated $30 million to the Foundation since 2020.

The park is located in the Near West Side of Milwaukee, a community Harley-Davidson is committed to.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

In 2023, Harley-Davidson's CEO compensation was $11,953,280

, with a median employee pay of $76,286 , resulting in a CEO pay ratio of 157:1 . The company has ratified collective bargaining agreements with unions at its Menomonee Falls, Tomahawk, and York facilities . Recent agreements include a 25% average wage increase , a $4,000 ratification bonus , improved vacation time , additional paid breaks , increased paid personal time , and Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday . However, the percentage of the total workforce covered by these agreements is not specified. The company has faced workplace safety or health violations, with OSHA citing incidents in 2018 , 2012 , and 2011 . Employee reviews on Glassdoor indicate an overall rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars and 42% would recommend the company , with compensation and benefits rated 2.9 out of 5 stars .

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Harley-Davidson ended its supplier diversity spending goals in August 2024, as part of a broader termination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives

. The company's DEI function ceased operations in April 2024 . In 2022, the company reported 9% diverse spend with Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, totaling over $265 million . A supplier diversity policy stating an objective to be an industry leader in global diversity and inclusion remains published on the supplier network website .

Kind to Animals

No specific, quantifiable data related to animal welfare, cruelty-free certifications, animal testing, humane operations, ethical input substitution percentages, or supplier audits for animal welfare was found in the provided articles. While Harley-Davidson is investing in and exploring alternative materials like plant-based leathers for seat covers

, no percentage of animal-derived inputs replaced has been reported. Information on the percentage of R&D budget invested in animal-free technologies, measurable biodiversity impact from conservation initiatives, or public policy engagement specifically on animal welfare is not available. Statements about future plans or general ethical conduct without specific animal welfare metrics are not considered evidence for scoring.

No War, No Weapons

The provided articles do not contain sufficient specific, quantifiable, or current information to assess Harley-Davidson against the defined KPIs for the 'No War, No Weapons' ethical value. While historical articles from 1988-1989 mention a $9.8 million contract for 500-pound practice bomb casings, this information is too old to be considered current evidence for any of the KPIs, which require present-day data, percentages of current revenue, or current policy implementations.

No data is available regarding the percentage of company revenue derived from defense contracts, current defense-related activities, dual-use technology R&D, sales to embargoed regimes, peacebuilding investments, or any other relevant metrics.

Planet-Friendly Business

Harley-Davidson agreed to a $12 million civil fine for selling approximately 340,000 illegal "super tuners" from 2008 onwards, which increased motorcycle emissions beyond EPA certifications

. The company also allegedly sold over 12,600 motorcycles without proper EPA certification . Additionally, a federal judge ruled in 2022 that claims could proceed to trial against four Harley-Davidson dealerships in Utah for allegedly violating federal air pollution standards by selling motorcycles without catalytic converters .

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The company has no reported cultural appropriation incidents. While a 2011 report mentioned ties between the broader biker subculture and white supremacist movements

, this does not constitute an incident directly attributed to Harley-Davidson. The company explicitly states it does not track the proportion of spending on local suppliers , and information on the proportion of senior management hired from local communities is unavailable and not tracked . Although the Harley-Davidson Foundation invested $350,000 in a local park in Milwaukee and contributed $30 million to the foundation since 2020 , the percentage of company revenue reinvested in local community development is not provided. No specific, quantitative evidence is available for formal partnerships with indigenous or local community groups, cultural impact assessment protocols, local employment ratios, community-specific grievance mechanisms, average complaint resolution times for community concerns, FPIC participation rates, community governance inclusion, cultural preservation investment, indigenous supplier count, cultural site protection, social license to operate, charitable giving specifically to cultural heritage organizations, community fund allocation, language inclusivity scores, cultural incident response frameworks, or cultural sensitivity training completion rates.

Safe & Smart Tech

Harley-Davidson collects an extensive list of personal information categories

and retains order history for up to 10 years, indicating limited data minimization practices. The company provides users with rights to access, correct, delete, and opt out of sales, targeted advertising, and profiling, and recognizes Global Privacy Control signals; however, postal mail data requests can take 6-8 weeks to process, introducing friction. The company states that information security attacks have not materially compromised its computing environment or resulted in a material release of confidential information. All employees are required to complete annual cybersecurity training focused on recognizing and reporting threats. Harley-Davidson contractually restricts third parties from using its data for purposes other than providing services. The company performs penetration testing and vulnerability scanning as part of its cybersecurity program. Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS) operations are subject to federal and state regulations, including the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act and Dodd-Frank Act, and the company monitors emerging laws and regulations related to information security.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Harley-Davidson achieved a 91% waste diversion rate for all facilities in 2023.

Their vehicles are estimated to be over 70% recyclable, based on industry data. The company has implemented multiple waste reduction initiatives, including new recycle and reuse streams, a new container system, and composting cafeteria waste, which contributed to a 24% reduction in trash sent to landfill at their Powertrain plant. Additionally, one plant achieved zero manufacturing waste to landfill in September 2016. Harley-Davidson reports hazardous waste generation data, maintains a Restricted Substances List, and had no material environmental non-compliance or fines in FY23. The company also had no waste disposal violations in FY23. They have a target to achieve virtually 0% waste to landfill for all plants and offices by 2027. Furthermore, Harley-Davidson surveys key suppliers (representing ~80% of suppliers) annually on environmental sustainability, collects environmental data from primary OE suppliers, and updated their Supplier Scorecard in late 2022 to include more robust engagement on sustainable sourcing practices.