Better Health for All

Chipotle has a history of severe and recurrent food safety issues. Between 2015 and 2018, multiple foodborne illness outbreaks, including norovirus and Clostridium perfringens, affected over 1,100 individuals.

This led to a record $25 million fine in April 2020. A February 2020 study reported that management pressured employees to work while sick and bypass food safety procedures, such as serving undercooked chicken, indicating significant undisclosed risks. More recently, in April 2022, a location was fined for repeated high-risk safety violations, including unsafe food temperatures. In October 2023, another location was temporarily closed due to multiple health violations, including improper food storage and equipment issues. These incidents highlight ongoing challenges in maintaining safety standards.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is a fast-casual restaurant chain and does not offer lending, deposit, or other financial services to consumers. The KPIs for 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' are designed to assess financial institutions and their impact on external customers' financial well-being. While Chipotle provides financial well-being education

and student loan payment matching programs for its employees , and its Cultivate Foundation donates to non-profits , these activities do not fall under the scope of the financial services-focused KPIs for external customers or underserved communities.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Chipotle Mexican Grill's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 1,354:1 in 2023.

The company has faced multiple substantiated labor law violations. In August 2024, the National Labor Relations Board determined Chipotle violated labor laws by withholding wage increases from unionized employees in Lansing, Michigan. This follows a previous settlement in Maine for $240,000 regarding accusations of closing a restaurant due to union activities. In August 2022, Chipotle agreed to a $20 million settlement with New York City, compensating approximately 13,000 workers for violations of Fair Workweek and Paid Safe and Sick Leave laws, including failing to provide schedules 14 days in advance and not offering available shifts to current employees. Despite these issues, 90% of employees surveyed in 2022 reported liking their work and having confidence in Chipotle's future.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Chipotle's 2023 Sustainability Report indicates the purchase of over 40 million pounds of local produce

and 262 million pounds of certified meat . All beef, chicken, and pork meet 'No Antibiotics Ever' or 'No Sub-Therapeutic Antibiotics Ever' standards , with various suppliers holding third-party animal welfare certifications . The company utilizes advanced traceability systems, including GTINs and barcodes, to track ingredients from supplier to restaurant . Chipotle has invested in a local food sourcing platform and provided seed grants to young farmers to promote sustainable practices . However, the provided articles do not contain specific quantitative data for the percentage of spend covered by fair-trade certifications, average supplier audit frequency, multi-tier traceability coverage, median remediation speed for violations, percentage of contracts with ethical clauses, share of spend on high-risk materials, or percentage of procurement budget directed to diverse suppliers. While child labor violations from 2015-2019 resulted in fines in 2020 , no substantiated forced or child labor findings within the last three years (2022-2025) are reported .

Honest & Fair Business

Chipotle Mexican Grill has faced significant ethical and compliance challenges. In April 2020, the company agreed to a $25 million settlement for criminal charges related to foodborne illness outbreaks between 2015 and 2018, which was the largest fine ever in a food safety case.

Additionally, in January 2020, Massachusetts fined Chipotle $1.3 million for over 13,000 child labor violations across 50 locations. More recently, in November 2024, a class-action lawsuit was filed by shareholders alleging a failure to disclose customer dissatisfaction with inconsistent portion sizes. Federal prosecutors are also investigating the company for potential criminal securities law violations related to hiring practices and statements from 2010-2011. Chipotle maintains a formal whistleblower protection policy that prohibits retaliation for good-faith reporting, supported by a confidential hotline. The company also has policies against bribery, corruption, and money laundering, including specific prohibitions on gifts and entertainment. These policies reference compliance with international frameworks such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, UK Bribery Act, EU Anti-Corruption Framework, and Canadian Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act. While 100% of chicken suppliers and 32% of beef suppliers underwent third-party audits for animal welfare conditions in 2023, and limited assurance for Scope 1 and 2 emissions has been obtained since 2022, external assurance for the company's sustainability report is not currently sought.

Kind to Animals

Chipotle annually audits 100% of its meat and dairy suppliers for animal welfare compliance.

For animal agriculture ethics, 100% of pork is sourced from pigs raised outdoors or in deeply bedded barns without gestation or farrowing crates, and 100% of dairy cows have daily pasture access. All animals are fed a vegetarian diet, never given added hormones, and routine alterations are avoided. 100% of beef and chicken suppliers meet the 'No Antibiotics Ever' standard, and 70% of pork meets this standard. Pre-slaughter stunning is required for all animals, with a goal to achieve 100% controlled atmospheric stunning for chicken by 2026. Additionally, 100% of chicken purchased in the United States is American Humane, Certified Humane, or Global Animal Partnership certified. Chipotle lists animal welfare as a key advocacy area with policymakers in the United States and supports the industry-wide search for alternatives to high concentration carbon dioxide stunning. The company does not engage in animal testing and does not purchase eggs.

No War, No Weapons

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. operates in the restaurant industry and does not engage in arms manufacturing, military contracts, or conflict facilitation.

The company's core business is detached from military involvement, indicating zero revenue from arms or defense contracts and no exposure to any weapons.

Planet-Friendly Business

Chipotle has an SBTi-approved climate goal to reduce absolute Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.

The company purchases 61% of its electricity from renewable sources and diverts 50% of its waste from landfills. However, Chipotle has not completed or disclosed a TCFD-aligned climate scenario analysis.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

No specific, quantifiable evidence was found in the provided articles that precisely maps to the quantitative thresholds or specific descriptions of the scoring rubric for any of the Key Performance Indicators related to 'Respect for Cultures & Communities'. For several KPIs, some related data was present (e.g., community donations

, grants for cultural preservation , or reported incidents ), but the figures either fell outside the defined quantitative ranges of the rubric's tiers or the qualitative descriptions of the tiers could not be definitively met by the available information without inference. Therefore, all KPIs have been omitted.

Safe & Smart Tech

Chipotle experienced a data breach between March 24 and April 18, 2017,

affecting approximately 2,250 restaurant locations, where malware accessed payment card information . This incident led to a legal settlement . In response, the company hired cybersecurity firms, removed the malware, and has been actively improving its cybersecurity and privacy measures . The company updated its U.S. Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy in 2024 and 2025, and works with payment card networks to inform banks and enhance security . No further data breaches or unauthorized data use incidents have been documented in the provided articles since 2017.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Chipotle achieved a waste diversion rate of 48% in 2023.

The company has a target to reduce overall waste to landfill by 5% by 2025 from a 2020 baseline. Approximately 78% of guest-facing packaging is designed to be recyclable, reusable, or compostable. Waste reduction initiatives include a 'Glove to Bag' program, which recycles plastic gloves into trash bags and addresses over 8% of the company's waste. Other initiatives involve upcycling approximately 10,000 avocado pits for natural dyes, a Harvest Program for food donations exceeding 327,000 pounds in 2023, and composting programs established at 265 restaurant locations, with 36% of restaurants composting food waste. A strawless lid pilot program is also in place. No waste disposal violations or regulatory actions were mentioned in the provided reports.