MASHINIi

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc..

NWE.US | Electric power generation, transmission and distribution

NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. is a public utility company that provides electricity and natural gas services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company generates, transmits, and distributes electricity through a diverse portfolio of resources, including coal, natural gas, hy...Show More

Ethical Profile

Mixed.

NorthWestern Energy Group (NWE.US) presents a mixed ethical profile, particularly concerning its environmental impact. Critics point to its business model's heavy reliance on fossil fuels, which reportedly conflicts with planet-friendly practices. In 2022, the company was penalized $2.5 million for allegedly violating state law regarding community renewable energy projects. Despite this, NWE generated 58% of its electricity from carbon-free sources in 2024, with its generation portfolio being 55% carbon-free, exceeding the electric industry average of 40%. The company aims for net-zero by 2050, though specific Scope 3 emissions targets are reportedly absent. For other ethical areas like fair pay, honest business, or community respect, there is insufficient public information to determine a comprehensive ethical stance.

Value Scores

Better Health for All0
-100100
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity0
-100100
Fair Pay & Worker Respect0
-100100
Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing-50
-100100
Honest & Fair Business0
-100100
Kind to Animals0
-100100
No War, No Weapons0
-100100
Planet-Friendly Business-70
-100100
Respect for Cultures & Communities0
-100100
Safe & Smart Tech-20
-100100
Zero Waste & Sustainable Products0
-100100

Better Health for All

0

No evidence available to assess NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. on Better Health for All.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

0

No evidence available to assess NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. on Fair Money & Economic Opportunity.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

0

No evidence available to assess NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. on Fair Pay & Worker Respect.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

-50

NorthWestern Energy does not conduct supply-chain audits, as 0% of its suppliers are audited for compliance with its Code of Conduct.

1
The company reported no awareness of non-compliance instances with its supplier code of conduct for Calendar Year 2022 regarding forced or child labor.
2
Social standards are included in legally binding agreements with suppliers, which covers 75% of supplier contracts.
3
However, the company does not disclose the percentage of its procurement budget directed to indigenous, minority, or local community suppliers, despite encouraging their use and recognizing several small business categories for supplier diversity.
4

Honest & Fair Business

0

No evidence available to assess NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. on Honest & Fair Business.

Kind to Animals

0

No evidence available to assess NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. on Kind to Animals.

No War, No Weapons

0

NorthWestern Energy's human rights policy, last revised in January 2025, outlines the company's commitment to human rights, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

1
However, the policy does not provide details on the implementation or external verification of this alignment, nor does it explicitly mention an ethics office monitoring adherence. As a public utility, there is no evidence of involvement in arms manufacturing, military contracts, or conflict facilitation, making most related KPIs not applicable. The company's lobbying efforts against a bill expanding gun rights are noted, but no specific percentage of lobbying expenditure supporting arms control legislation is provided.
2

Planet-Friendly Business

-70

NorthWestern Energy generated 58% of its electricity from carbon-free sources in 2024.

1
The company has a net-zero emissions target set for 2050.
2
It has published a TCFD disclosure report, but the evidence indicates only partial alignment, lacking specific details on scenario analysis or integration into planning. The company reports on climate-related risks like wildfires and has made investments in fire mitigation.
3
However, there is minimal disclosure of climate-related stranded asset risks, with generic statements and no quantification. NorthWestern Energy has been repeatedly found in violation of Montana state law for failing to purchase electricity from small, community-based renewable energy projects for multiple years, including 2015 and 2016, and for five consecutive years.
4
A $2.5 million penalty was ordered in 2022 for 2015 non-compliance.
5

Respect for Cultures & Communities

0

No specific, quantitative data points relevant to the 'Respect for Cultures & Communities' ethical value were found across the provided articles. The articles discuss general company information, sustainability metrics unrelated to this value, or explicitly state the absence of data for relevant metrics, such as indigenous supplier count.

1

Safe & Smart Tech

-20

NorthWestern Energy Group reported no material cybersecurity incidents impacting business strategy, operations, or financial condition for 2024.

1
The company uses industry-standard encryption technologies and requires third-party service providers to adhere to data encryption requirements.
2
Two-factor authentication is implemented, and multi-factor authentication is required.
3
The company conducts ongoing vulnerability testing, compares practices to industry standards, and has a patching strategy in place.
4
It states compliance with applicable federal and state laws and requires third-party providers to comply with security incident and data breach notification protocols.
5
Users can access and update their account information online.
6

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

0

No evidence available to assess NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. on Zero Waste & Sustainable Products.

Own NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc.?

Upload your portfolio and see how all your holdings score across 11 ethical dimensions.

Audit My Portfolio

AI-generated analysis based on publicly available data. Not financial advice. Ratings are expressions of opinion derived from automated models and may contain inaccuracies. See our Risk Disclosure for full details.