Month: June 2023

Advocating for LGBTQ+ Rights

For years, McDonald’s PRIDE Network has been instrumental in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights inside and outside of the workplace. McDonald’s first expanded its benefits to include domestic partners in 2005. In 2015, days before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled all same-sex couples in the U.S. have the right to marry, McDonald’s decided to provide tax equalization for same-sex couples who participated in McDonald’s insurance. Still, the PRIDE Network realized there was more that could be done.

McDonald’s current LGBTQ-focused health care benefits are far-reaching, due in no small part to the efforts of those in the network. These include a $100,000 lifetime limit toward gender reassignment surgery; prescription coverage for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention and a variety of gender reassignment medications; adoption leave for the primary adoptive parent, regardless of gender; and fertility treatment benefits.

Recently, several McDonald’s employees have taken advantage of these benefits to affirm their gender, protect their physical health and grow their families.

McDonald’s PRIDE Network’s Positive Impact

The positive impact of McDonald’s PRIDE Network extends far beyond employee health and wellness benefits, according to longtime member Bill Russell.

Bill joined the McDonald’s PRIDE Network as an ally in 2017. Soon, he became a reliable presence at all sorts of PRIDE Network events, including that year’s AIDS Run & Walk Chicago.

By 2020, Bill had taken on the role of Project Manager and Strategy Chair for the network. He’s managed McDonald’s presence in the Chicago Pride Parade, run webcasts and much more. As an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, his membership in the PRIDE Network has been rewarding, revealing and a “no brainer.”

“The people in the network have taught me so much, including the importance of being resilient and accepting things I don’t understand,” Bill says. Because of what he’s learned, he’s also become a trusted resource to others at McDonald’s.

“I have a colleague who has a trans son,” Bill says. “When he found out I was a member of the PRIDE Network, he felt comfortable coming to me and sharing more about his family.”

Overall, McDonald’s PRIDE Network “pulls the best from everybody,” he adds. “It’s humbling and empowering to learn from the people in the network every day.”

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Capturing the attention of 7-9th grade students and inspiring them to consider careers in STEM can be accomplished through role modeling, representation, and realistic experiences, according to Dr. Kelly Lane-deGraaf, associate professor of biology at Fontbonne University and creator of its Girls* in Science Program.

Role-modeling STEM is important to future innovation

STEM workers play a vital role in America’s innovative and global competitiveness, and the need to cultivate a talented STEM workforce has never been greater. One area ripe for growth is women in STEM. Although women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, they are still vastly underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. 

“As we celebrate International Women’s Day in March, it’s a great time to recognize organizations that promote the advancement of women into STEM roles,” says Al Mitchell, President of Bayer Fund. “Bayer Fund is proud to support Fontbonne University’s Girls in Science program. Starting early is one of the keys of this program, which seeks to pique the interest of middle school girls in science and technology.”

Role-modeling, Representation, and Realistic Experiences

Capturing the attention of 7-9th grade students and inspiring them to consider careers in STEM can be accomplished through role modeling, representation, and realistic experiences, according to Dr. Kelly Lane-deGraaf, associate professor of biology at Fontbonne University and creator of its Girls* in Science Program. 

“Research shows that middle school girls lack real-life mentors in the sciences, reducing the likelihood of careers in science,” Dr. Lane-deGraaf says. “By enabling middle school students from historically excluded identities to come to a university, interact with women and other minority scientists, learn the practices of science, see experiments fail and have the opportunity to learn from those experiments, the Girls in Science program facilitates learning science in a real laboratory.”

The Girls in Science program hosts multiple 2-week residential summer camps on Fontbonne University’s campus. There are also academic-year programs, with both face-to-face and remote options for participation.

“The program is developed entirely by women scientists in their respective fields to emphasize experimental design, critical thinking, and research skills, including troubleshooting, all while experiencing a taste of college life while meeting and making friends from across the St. Louis area,” Dr. Lane-deGraaf says. 

Programs in the summer of 2023 and 2023-2024 academic year will focus on Biology/Ecology (including genetics, parasitology, animal behavior, and modeling and data analysis with R); Chemistry & Physics (spectroscopy and chromatography, water chemistry, and electrochemistry); and Exercise Science (including kinesiology, sports nutrition, and analyses of fitness).

Growing STEM Participation

Dr. Lane-deGraaf launched Girls in Science in 2015 with 5 girls and no funding. Since that time, thanks to annual grants from Bayer Fund, the program has grown tremendously – expanding its reach to approximately 500 girls in 2020/2021. 

Pre- and post-surveys from the program consistently demonstrate that girls show:

Increased interest in careers in science (5-year average: from 35% to 92%)Increased thinking of science as fun (5-year average: from 48% to 100%)Increased thinking of science as accessible (5-year average: from 46% to 100%)Increased comfort with making ‘mistakes’ (5-year average: from 18% to 83%).

“In 2020, our first cohort of Girls in Science participants entered college, and follow-up surveys show that they are actively pursuing careers in science – 2 reporting interest in attending medical school; 2 in attending schools of veterinary medicine; 1 in civil engineering; and 1 in attending graduate school in genetics!” says Dr. Lane-deGraaf. 

As the world becomes increasingly technical, investing in STEM experiences for young women pays big dividends for their futures, and for our future too.

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Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) today published its 2023 Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report, emphasizing the Company’s ongoing commitment to creating timeless products that are made to live on responsibly, using materials in ways that reduce its products’ environmental impact, and supporting people within its workforce, supply chain and communities. The 2023 report outlines progress across the Company’s Citizenship & Sustainability approach, Timeless by Design, which ensures timelessness is embedded from inspiration through to products’ every use and reuse across generations.

“Ralph’s vision of timelessness is apparent in the beautiful products we create, and it’s our commitment to ensure this vision is carried into how we create and address our impact on the world,” said Katie Ioanilli, Chief Global Impact & Communications Officer, Ralph Lauren Corporation. “Our approach is rooted in science, ambitious goals, collaboration and innovation that, together, will enable us to continue to inspire people to live the life of their dreams.”

As part of its Timeless by Design strategy, the Company continued over the past year to advance on its commitments across three pillars: Create with Intent, Protect the Environment and Champion Better Lives. Highlights include:

Continuing to support the circular economy with the introduction of Ralph Lauren’s Cradle to Cradle Certified® Gold Luxury Cashmere Sweater, the first luxury cashmere C2C Certified® product and the first of five iconic products that the Company committed to make C2C Certified® by 2025;Expanding its efforts to create innovative products with sustainable attributes, including the POLO® MIRUM® sneaker and crossbody pouch, featuring Natural Fiber Welding’s MIRUM® components that are 100% plastic-free and made from plants and minerals;Establishing a roadmap to eliminate coal in its supply chain;Meeting its zero waste goal by diverting 92% of waste from landfill and incineration across its distribution centers;Achieving its goal to increase the number of women in factory leadership by at least 25% two years ahead of schedule, making progress on the path to gender parity in the supply chain; andThe Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation announcing a $25 million commitment to expand or establish five cancer centers in the U.S. aimed at reducing cancer care inequity in underserved communities and celebrating the opening of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center as a part of this commitment.

The full 2023 Ralph Lauren Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report and ESG Supplement are available for download on the Company’s website.

ABOUT RALPH LAUREN CORPORATION
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of luxury lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, footwear & accessories, home, fragrances and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren has sought to inspire the dream of a better life through authenticity and timeless style. Its reputation and distinctive image have been developed across a wide range of products, brands, distribution channels and international markets. The Company’s brand names — which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children and Chaps, among others — constitute one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands. For more information, visit https://corporate.ralphlauren.com.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release and the Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report contain goals, initiatives and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the Company’s citizenship and sustainability goals and environmental, social and governance goals. Forward-looking statements are indicated by words or phrases such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “outlook,” “estimate,” “ensure,” “commit,” “expect,” “project,” “believe,” “envision,” “seek,” “goal,” “target,” “can,” “will,” and similar words or phrases. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the future results, performance or achievements expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based largely on the Company’s expectations and judgments and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond Company control. The factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to materially differ from forward-looking statements include, among others, the risk factors identified in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Contact
Corporate Communications
RL-Press@RalphLauren.com

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June 20, 2023 /3BL Media/ – The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has welcomed the launch by the European Commission of a consultation on a Delegated Act that includes the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), open until 7 July. This signals that the ESRS are on track to be available for use by companies from 2024, as set out in the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

While DG-FISMA have proposed adjustments to the ESRS, importantly, the Delegated Act continues to require disclosure on the full range of sustainability topics – as needed to address all impacts companies have on the environment and society. As previously confirmed by EFRAG (who were mandated to develop the ESRS), the impact disclosure requirements in the ESRS are aligned as closely as possible with GRI and other global reporting standards.

Eelco van der Enden, CEO of GRI, said:

“The publication of the ESRS for consultation is a key moment towards the realization of the ambitions in the CSRD to significantly expand mandatory sustainability reporting by companies operating in the EU. Notably, it reflects the European Commission’s stated aim of a high degree of interoperability with existing, widely-used reporting frameworks.

What this means is that complying with ESRS impact reporting requirements will be much easier for those companies that already use GRI, and they can then focus on adding financially material information and possible ESRS specific disclosures. Furthermore, in cases where the ESRS does not provide standards deemed material for corporate reporting, it is reassuring that ESRS-1 states companies can utilize the GRI Standards for disclosure on these topics.

GRI provided wide-ranging technical input during the development phase of the ESRS. We will, of course, further engage through the public consultation to support efforts to create decision-useful EU standards that are interoperable with our global standards. Not only will this reduce the reporting burden, it will also support globally comparable disclosure that meets the needs of all stakeholders, including investors.”

GRI has collaborated on the development of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) to ensure the highest possible degree of commonality between the respective standards. Under the EFRAG-GRI cooperation agreement, signed in July 2021, the two organizations joined each other’s technical expert groups and committed to share information, and for standard setting activities and timelines to be aligned as much as possible.

In December 2022, GRI published detailed FAQs guidance to explain to reporting organizations how the GRI Standards and ESRS interconnect.

The KPMG Survey of Sustainability Reporting (October 2022), which included the top 100 companies in 17 EU countries, found that 68% of companies in Europe voluntarily report with GRI.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the independent, international organization that helps businesses and other organizations take responsibility for their impacts, by providing the global common language to report those impacts. The GRI Standards are the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting standards, which are developed through a multi-stakeholder process and provided as a free public good.