Shopify Inc – Lobbying Governance & Transparency

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Lobbying Governance

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Moderate	Shopify discloses a defined, though fairly high-level, mechanism for keeping its policy advocacy aligned with its climate ambitions, stating that “the Director of our Sustainability Fund was responsible for our climate strategy and any policy-related influences to ensure they were consistent with our climate strategy” and that this individual “was also responsible for overseeing any engagements with our government affairs team.” This indicates that Shopify has assigned clear oversight to a named position and that a review step exists whereby the Director checks lobbying activities for consistency with the company’s climate strategy, demonstrating a structured internal process rather than a mere policy statement. However, the company does not disclose how that Director conducts the review (e.g., frequency, criteria, escalation procedures), nor does it describe any approach to managing indirect lobbying through trade associations or industry groups, so the breadth and depth of the governance process remain limited. View Sources	C

Overall Assessment

Analysis

Score

Moderate

Shopify discloses a defined, though fairly high-level, mechanism for keeping its policy advocacy aligned with its climate ambitions, stating that “the Director of our Sustainability Fund was responsible for our climate strategy and any policy-related influences to ensure they were consistent with our climate strategy” and that this individual “was also responsible for overseeing any engagements with our government affairs team.” This indicates that Shopify has assigned clear oversight to a named position and that a review step exists whereby the Director checks lobbying activities for consistency with the company’s climate strategy, demonstrating a structured internal process rather than a mere policy statement. However, the company does not disclose how that Director conducts the review (e.g., frequency, criteria, escalation procedures), nor does it describe any approach to managing indirect lobbying through trade associations or industry groups, so the breadth and depth of the governance process remain limited.

View Sources

Lobbying Transparency

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Limited	Shopify provides only limited insight into its climate-policy lobbying. The company discusses its interest in expanding the carbon-removal market, referencing general areas such as an EU certification framework, but it does not identify any specific bills, regulations or jurisdictions it has tried to influence. Likewise, it discloses no direct or indirect lobbying methods—there are no references to meetings, submissions, industry-association activity or other engagements with policymakers. The only indication of intent is an aspirational statement that "we want to see more players stepping up to the table to fund carbon removal projects," which expresses a broad preference rather than a clear legislative objective. Because concrete policy targets, lobbying channels and desired regulatory outcomes are absent, the company’s transparency on climate-related lobbying remains minimal.	D