Better Health for All

Family Dollar received a $40 million fine from the US Justice Department in 2024 for distributing items from a rat-infested warehouse, indicating severe food safety violations.

The company also initiated recalls of over 300 over-the-counter health products in 2023 and over 40 in the previous year due to improper storage temperatures, though no illnesses were reported. The company's core product offerings include tobacco and a majority of food products that are higher in calories and lower in nutrients, raising public health concerns, with only limited fresh produce available. This contributes to major health-harming externalities, including addiction from tobacco sales and the exacerbation of food deserts with unhealthy options. Despite these issues, Family Dollar serves as a significant food source for low-income, rural, and disadvantaged populations, often filling voids left by traditional grocery stores. The company also partners with the CHPA Educational Foundation on an in-store program in 8,000 stores to improve health literacy and provide product information for OTC health products.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The company has faced significant labor-law issues, with OSHA issuing 403 violations at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores since 2017, resulting in over $13.1 million in fines.

A settlement agreement with the Department of Labor requires the company to address the root causes of safety violations within two years. As part of this, the company agreed to pay $1.4 million in penalties for existing contested and open inspections. Future violations related to blocked exits, fire extinguisher access, and material storage could lead to fines of up to $100,000 per day per store, capped at $500,000. The agreement covers 10,000 stores nationwide and includes commitments to form safety advisory groups with employee representation, implement an audit program, establish a 24-hour safety complaint hotline, and provide anti-retaliation protections for workers. Employee feedback indicates low satisfaction, with an average Glassdoor rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, and only 35% of employees would recommend working there. Ratings for compensation & benefits, work/life balance, and culture & values are also low, at 2.5, 2.5, and 2.6 out of 5 stars respectively.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

The provided articles detail Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations and a settlement related to worker safety within Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores, including issues like blocked exits and unsafe storage

. This information pertains to worker conditions within the company's own operations, not its supply chain or sourcing practices. The articles contain no evidence regarding fair trade certifications, supplier audit frequency, forced or child labor incidents in the supply chain, traceability, remediation speed for sourcing violations, ethical clauses in supplier contracts, high-risk materials, or supplier diversity spend. Consequently, no KPIs under the 'Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing' value can be scored based on the evidence provided.

Kind to Animals

The provided articles do not contain specific, concrete data points relevant to the defined KPIs for the 'Kind to Animals' ethical value. Information regarding cruelty-free certifications, alternative testing methods, humane certifications for operations, wildlife conservation impact, ethical input substitution, animal welfare supplier audits, cage-free sourcing percentages, animal testing policies or volumes, innovation investment in animal-free technologies, animal agriculture ethics, animal-free R&D collaboration, or public policy engagement on animal welfare is not present. While the company has made commitments regarding cage-free eggs

and conducted pilot programs , , no current percentage of cage-free sourcing is provided. The articles primarily detail a rodent and bird infestation in a distribution warehouse , , which led to product adulteration , and a significant fine , , , but this information does not align with the specific metrics defined in the 'Kind to Animals' KPIs.

Planet-Friendly Business

The company's waste diversion rate was 72% in 2023.

In 2023, 2.2% of operational energy consumption was sourced from renewables. The company initiated its first TCFD assessment in 2022–2023 and conducted a qualitative TCFD-aligned climate scenario analysis in 2022.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

A Family Dollar subsidiary faced a $41.475 million forfeiture and $200,000 fine in fiscal 2024 for a historical rodent issue.

The company also paid $307,000 in civil penalties in 2016 for improper handling and unlawful disposal of hazardous waste. Following the 2016 violation, the company implemented new policies and procedures, including deploying a Chemical and Electronics Recycling Program (CERP) to over 15,500 stores to handle retail hazardous waste, and prohibited intentional PFAS use in ten product categories. The company achieved a 63.4% waste diversion rate. They have implemented numerous waste reduction initiatives, including recycling Old Corrugated Cardboard (OCC) in 10,055 stores, backhauling OCC from 1,526 Family Dollar stores, and implementing single-stream recycling in its Store Support Center and stores in seven states. These efforts resulted in 410,652 tons of waste recycled in 2023, a 6% reduction in total generated waste, and an 11% increase in recycled waste. They also participate in Beyond the Bag Consortium pilots and are preparing for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations, having submitted their first EPR report in Oregon and identified packaging reduction opportunities. The company has a vague goal to "continue to improve upon zero waste to landfill ambition."