Tag: 3BL

Mondelēz 2022 Snacking Made Right Report

Climate Risks 

We know how important it is to identify and assess our climate risks. This informs our strategy and actions to support the resilience of the business.

We take a rigorous approach to identifying and managing our climate risks, in line with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD). This enables us to expand and deepen our understanding of our impact on the planet, and to sharpen and enhance how we can mitigate climate risks.

TCFD provides voluntary climate-related financial disclosure recommendations designed to help companies support informed capital allocation decisions and provide better and consistent information to stakeholders. This includes a framework for companies to assess climate-related risks and opportunities through the use of climate scenario analysis and guidance on reporting strategies and actions to mitigate risks. The disclosure recommendations are structured around four thematic areas: Governance, Strategy, Risk Management, and Metrics and Targets.

We strive to provide our stakeholders with relevant information on climate-related issues following the TCFD recommendations. See our TCFD index for references to our CDP response and portions of this report on how we address the eleven recommendations of TCFD.

Identifying and Assessing Climate Risk 

Climate risk management is driven by our Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) process for identifying, assessing, managing, and monitoring risks. We have a Risk and Compliance Committee (MRCC), co-led by our SVP & Chief Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer (Chief Compliance Officer) and SVP, Chief Audit & Controls Officer (Chief Audit & Controls Officer) and composed of leaders from the Finance, Accounting, Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit and People functions. The MRCC provides broad oversight of our enterprise risks and ERM process. The MRCC meets regularly and, through consultation with senior leaders and other managers with subject matter expertise, periodically assesses the key risks facing the Company, works with those risk owners responsible for managing each specific risk, and reviews mitigation actions and the status of the annual enterprise risk assessment. Our Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Audit & Controls Officer regularly report to the Audit Committee to provide updates on the status of the ERM process, which the Audit Committee Chair reports to the full Board. Similar risk and compliance committees exist on regional and local levels.

The identification of emerging climate risks is informed by external scans of megatrends, consultancy and industry reports, peer CDP disclosures, TCFD reports, annual reports and 10-Ks. For new and emerging climate risks, relevant internal stakeholders are engaged to review and rank the identified risks based on magnitude of potential impact and Mondelēz International strategic priorities.

Annually, we use tools and third-party consultants to assess the potential financial impact of climate risk in the short-term, medium-term and long-term horizons. We also conduct frequent quantitative scenario analysis to understand the future-scenario based financial impact of climate risk. We supplement the analysis with ongoing site-level engineering assessments to consider plant-level exposures, taking into consideration risk mitigation measures already in place.

The MRCC assigns ownership of specific risks to the Mondelēz Leadership Team. As owners of each specific risk, Mondelēz Leadership Team members are responsible for overseeing that appropriate mitigation controls, monitoring and response systems are in place. With support from the global ERM team, Mondelēz International develops a robust risk assessment, prioritization, and mitigation plan. This plan is based on our ERM risk rating criteria which includes risk impact, velocity, likelihood and management preparedness. The risks are then added to a global risk register, which is used to monitor all enterprise risks.

Managing, Mitigating and Monitoring Risk 

The management and monitoring of risks, including climate risks, is reviewed annually by the global ERM team, while the implementation of mitigation plans and the monitoring of risk KPIs are ongoing at the global, regional or business level, where required. Based on the specific risk drivers and prioritization, we develop and implement our risk response strategies, which can be either mitigation (action plans), transfer (insurance), avoidance, or acceptance. We monitor performance against our risk response strategies using risk KPIs that are tracked by the respective risk owner and reported to the global ERM team.

The global ERM team is enhancing the integration of climate risk management into the overall ERM strategy and process.

Action Toward Net Zero 

We are taking concerted, coordinated action to play our part in combating climate change – working toward our long-term ambition of net zero carbon and resilient landscapes. In doing so, we’re transforming how we do business across our supply chain – from farmer’s field to shop shelf.

OUR GOAL

10% reduction

We are in the process of adjusting our path towards our long-term goal of net zero, which is subject to verification by the SBTi (submission expected in 2023). In the meantime, we will continue to work towards our 2025 public goals, including reducing our absolute end-to-end GHG emissions by 10% by 2025 vs. a 2018 baseline.1

Working Toward Net Zero 

For the past few years we have been on a path to reduce our carbon emissions and in 2021 we took an important step forward – aiming toward a long-term goal of net zero GHG emissions across our full value chain by 2050.1 

As part of the goal, we have signed the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi’s) Business Ambition for 1.5°C, aligning our long-term emissions mitigation targets with the aim of limiting temperature rise in accordance with the Paris Agreement. We’ve also joined the United Nations Race to Zero Campaign to help build momentum towards a decarbonized economy.

A CLEAR WAY FORWARD

Achieving net zero is no easy task, and we are setting a path so we know what we have to do to steer toward our long-term goal.

Our principles for transition: 

1. Transform the way we do business

2. Build on our existing efforts, scaling proven models for wider impact

3. Collaborate across the industry & sector and engage suppliers

4. Invest in bold innovation to drive technological evolution

5. Be transparent in progress, setting interim targets and communicating regular updates

WE’RE READY. WE’RE IN. 

Mondelēz International is joining the race to net zero and setting a goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

1 In the reporting year 2022, we have recalculated our base year, 2021 and 2022 inventory following the GHG Protocol Corporate Standards. For more details, please see the Carbon Accounting Manual. In 2021, Mondelēz International announced its goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050 as part of the SBTi’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign. In 2023, we plan on submitting our new emission reduction targets to the SBTi for independent validation. As part of the recent re-baseline event as well as new SBTi guidelines, we are in the process of updating our goal boundaries.

Read more in the Mondelēz 2022 Snacking Made Right Report

CNH Industrial, a global leader in agricultural and construction equipment, reaffirms its commitment to prioritize skill development and education as key drivers for sustainable growth on Youth Skills Day.

Kavita Sah, CSR Lead at CNH Industrial, said, “Our commitment lies in driving productivity, innovation, and sustainability across industries through our skills development initiatives. By empowering individuals and communities with training and education, we positively impact both industry and society as a whole. In addition to providing training, we actively collaborate with dealers, industry players, and suppliers to facilitate employment opportunities. Our initiatives have already impacted over 15,000 families in India, and we remain dedicated to furthering the development of rural India through our existing and upcoming endeavors.”

Recently, CNH Industrial’s agriculture brands, New Holland and Case IH, introduced successful training programs targeting both farmers and equipment operators across India. New Holland Agriculture has launched an innovative initiative to equip individuals with the essential skills and technical expertise necessary for mechanized farming practices. Similarly, Case IH introduced the “Unnat Kaushal-Sugarcane Harvester Operator Training” program designed for operators working in sugarcane harvesting.

The company’s financial services division, CNH Industrial Capital, has also trained farmers in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on financial literacy, farm mechanization, biomass management, and state agricultural subsidies.

August 8, 2023 /3BL/ – Today Bath & Body Works announces its inclusion on Newsweek’s list of America’s Greatest Workplaces.

In collaboration with data firm partner Plant-A Insights Group, the publication determined the results through a large-scale survey of over 389,000 company reviews completed by employees working for U.S. companies with a workforce of at least 1,000 or more.

Participants were asked to anonymously rank companies based on criteria such as corporate culture, work/life balance, training and career progression, compensation and benefits and proactive management of a diverse workforce.

“We’re honored to be recognized as one of America’s greatest workplaces,” says Deon Riley, Bath & Body Works’ Chief Human Resources Officer. “We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone belongs, supporting our associates in growing their careers and recognizing them for their contributions and performance. When our associates feel connected, valued and at their best, we’re able to deliver the very best customer experience in retail.”

In addition to making Newsweek’s list of America’s Greatest Workplaces, Bath & Body Works recently has been recognized in several other ways including:

America’s Best Workplaces for Women by NewsweekAmerica’s Greatest Workplaces for LGBTQ+ individuals by NewsweekMost Trustworthy Companies in America by NewsweekDiversity in Business Award by Columbus Business FirstForbes List of America’s Best Large EmployersForbes List of America’s Best Employers for WomenA Diversity First Top 50 Company by the Diversity Research Institute

For more information about Bath & Body Works’ people and work culture, visit bbwinc.com.

ABOUT BATH & BODY WORKS

Home of America’s Favorite Fragrances®, Bath & Body Works is a global leader in personal care and home fragrance, including top-selling collections for fine fragrance mist, body lotion and body cream, 3-wick candles, home fragrance diffusers and liquid hand soap. Powered by agility and innovation, the company’s predominantly U.S.-based supply chain enables the company to deliver quality, on-trend luxuries at affordable prices. Bath & Body Works serves and delights customers however and wherever they want to shop, from welcoming, in-store experiences at more than 1,800 company-operated Bath & Body Works locations in the U.S. and Canada and more than 435 international franchised locations to an online storefront at BathandBodyWorks.com.

For more information, please contact:

Bath & Body Works, Inc.: 
Media Relations 
Emmy Beach 
Communications@bbw.com

Originally published in Owens Corning’s 2022 Sustainability Report

As Owens Corning has worked to reduce our environmental impact at our plant in Tlaxcala, Mexico, Isabel Fernandez has played an essential role. She has been with Owens Corning for eight years, serving first as an environmental engineer and then as an EHS leader. With a background in chemical engineering, Isabel is deeply committed to issues of sustainability, both at work and in her home life. In addition to ensuring that her facility complies environmental requirements and maintains a sustainable work environment, Isabel works to spread the word about the importance of recycling, the circular economy, and other sustainability topics throughout her community.

”Sustainability needs to be part of our culture at all levels. It has to be part of our education in our schools and at home.“

On the benefits of overseeing a multidisciplinary team

As an EHS leader, I’m responsible for ensuring that we achieve all our environmental goals — in this case, water recirculation and recycling projects. A multidisciplinary team gives us more opportunities to figure out some issues. We need the input from the maintenance team, the focused improvement team, and the production team, because they know the processes. They know what is needed, the opportunities, and the gaps. If we work together, we can develop specific actions and implement improvements to decrease that the environmental footprint in that area. In 2022, our multidisciplinary team developed a water reuse project, using treated water in the spraying system to clean the vents in the chopped strand mat line. We are decreasing the well water consumption between 120 and 150 cubic meters per day. We have had very good results as we have increased performance without deviations and without impacting the quality.

On the value that Owens Corning places on water conservation

I’m very passionate about sustainability issues. I really appreciate all the efforts of our people to reduce our environmental impact. Owens Corning has done very well identifying its environmental impacts. They have defined clear objectives that allow the facilities to manage those impacts, and they have provided us with the resources to address them. This year we had the opportunity to improve our wastewater treatment plant, which will allow us to recycle more water into our processes. This is very important because in many places in the world, water is a limited resource. Water is one of the most important and indispensable resources for people and industries, so we need to develop objectives that focus on water reduction or water recycling. The efficient use of water tells us that this is a good organization with a strong culture.

On the positive impact that manufacturing can have 

When industries or companies put their efforts into identifying the environmental impacts of their processes, and they implement countermeasures and technologies and specific projects, they can change the world. Industries generate a big impact on the environment. We need more awareness, we need more education on this topic, and we need to develop good strategies to achieve at all levels.

Read more

Grants will support organizations and projects designed to attract businesses and enhance the quality of life for Floridians

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., August 8, 2023 /3BL/ – Duke Energy and the Duke Energy Foundation are investing $682,000 in grants to support 35 local economic development agencies and businesses dedicated to bringing new jobs and investment in Florida.

“By investing in the people, places and businesses that strengthen and uplift our communities, we are creating opportunities for years to come,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “Together with our state, regional and local economic development agencies, we will continue to power lives and fuel Florida’s growth.”

The economic development grants are designed to help local organizations increase awareness of a community or region’s economic development strategies and product availability.

This year’s funding will allow the University of Florida (UF Innovate|Accelerate) to identify and vet promising biotechnology businesses seeking to scale, with potential to relocate in the city of Gainesville and city of Alachua area.

“UF Innovate and Duke Energy have a shared commitment to the communities we serve,” said Karl LaPan, director of UF Innovate|Accelerate. “Duke Energy’s support will allow us to provide access to the tools, expertise and resources necessary for high-performance companies to reach their goals, create jobs and build a more thriving entrepreneurial community.”

Another Duke Energy grant will allow the Florida Economic Development Council Foundation to formulate curriculum and program delivery for a year-round professional development program for individuals and organizations.

“Florida’s economy continues to grow and expand,” said Beth Cicchetti, executive director of the Florida Economic Development Council Foundation. “We are grateful for Duke Energy’s continued support in helping the Florida Economic Development Council continue its strong support of business and economic development professionals throughout the state and improve the economic well-being for all Floridians.”

A complete list of grant recipients and program details can be found here.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko 
Media line: 800.559.3853 
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

View original content here.

Originally published in Dow’s 2022 Progress Report

At Dow, our ambition is clear – to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world. Guided by that ambition, we are using our expertise, products, technologies and partnerships to meet the evolving demands of our customers while also leading the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive future.

ADVANCING OUR DECARBONIZE AND GROW STRATEGY

To help us achieve our target to be carbon neutral1 by 2050, we are making clear progress on our Decarbonize and Grow strategy.

We achieved additional milestones in our plan to build the world’s first net-zero2 carbon emissions integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives site at our Fort Saskatchewan site in Alberta, Canada. We contracted Fluor to provide front-end engineering and design, procurement and construction management services and selected Linde as the industrial gas partner to supply clean hydrogen and nitrogen. When complete, the project will decarbonize 20% of our global ethylene capacity and grow our global polyethylene capacity by 15%.In Louisiana, we commissioned our UNIFINITYTM fluidized catalytic dehydrogenation (FCDh) pilot plant, which will produce propylene for our coatings, electronics and durables end markets while also lowering greenhouse gas emissions up to 20% compared to conventional propane dehydrogenation units.We announced a joint development agreement with X-energy to install the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor for an industrial site on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The project, to be located at our Seadrift, Texas, site, is expected to provide the site with safe, reliable low-carbon power and steam.

INVESTING IN CIRCULAR ECOSYSTEMS

This past year we made significant progress – and investments – to help develop a more circular economy.

We expanded our “Stop the Waste” sustainability target to “Transform the Waste,” with a new commitment to commercialize 3 million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions annually by 2030. Through this target, we are collaborating to build materials ecosystems that increase recycling rates and enable us to scale our production of high-quality recycled and renewable materials to meet growing demand.We partnered with Mura Technology to construct multiple world-scale advanced recycling facilities in the United States and Europe – with the goal of collectively adding as much as 600 kilotons of annual recycling capacity by 2030. We also signed an agreement with Valoregen to build the largest combined advanced and mechanical recycling site in France.We announced a new collaboration with WM to address hard-to-recycle plastic films by enabling them to be placed directly into residential curbside recycling.

ELEVATING OUR FOCUS ON INCLUSION, DIVERSITY & EQUITY

Our commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity continues to play a critical role in enhancing our competitiveness and innovation.

In 2022, 57.3% of employees participated in at least one of our 10 employee resource groups (ERGs). Our annual employee survey data showed that ERG participants have 13 percentage points higher overall satisfaction than non- ERG participants.Through Dow ACTs, our strategic framework designed to address systemic racism and inequality, we provided scholarships to 20 students at historically Black colleges and universities through the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative and hired 250 people and promoted 60 individuals into family-sustaining jobs through our partnership with OneTen.Dow ranked 15th on the 2022 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

CONTRIBUTING TO RESILIENT COMMUNITIES AND WORKPLACES

In 2022, we continued to leverage our talent, business models and resources to create positive impact for our communities and Team Dow.

We contributed a total of $37.3 million in Corporate, Dow Foundation and in-kind investments aligned to our global citizenship strategic priorities.We introduced a Well-Being Portal to our employees in 2022. More than 25,000 employees used the portal in 2022, with more than two-thirds of users reporting exercising more and one-third reporting improved productivity.

CEO Statement on U.N. Global Compact

Our company reaffirms our commitment to the Ten Principles of the U.N. Global Compact on human rights, labor standards, protection of the environment and anti-corruption. The U.N. Global Compact and its principles are reflected in our strategy, culture and day-to-day operations, and we welcome opportunities to participate in collaborative projects that advance these broader development goals.

We also believe strong corporate governance creates long- term value by strengthening oversight and accountability. In 2022, we continued our focus on Board succession planning and refreshment – electing one new Director and continuing to outpace the S&P 500 for board diversity. We also added oversight of our environmental, social and governance goals within our Board Committee charters.

While investing in low-carbon and circular solutions, we continue to outpace our peers3 in key indicators of financial performance, due to our differentiated portfolio, leading feedstock and derivative flexibility, and low-cost positions. As of year-end 2022, Dow’s three-year average operating EBITDA4 margins and return on invested capital were above the peer median. In addition, our free cash flow yield4,5 averaged approximately 15% over the past three years, and was best- in-class at nearly two times our peer average and three times our sector and market average. We also continued to deliver attractive shareholder remuneration with a three-year average dividend yield of 5.2% that was well-covered by free cash flow.

I am proud of the progress Team Dow made in 2022 and the value we are creating for our stakeholders. We are advancing our ambition and becoming a stronger, more competitive and future-ready company.

Sincerely,

Jim Fitterling

Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Dow

Read more

Our commitment to addressing climate change is reflected in our environmental responsibility efforts and our Goals that Inspire. While we have been monitoring and collecting our Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data at our mining and processing facilities for several years, in 2022, we took steps to enhance our data collection processes to measure our emissions reduction progress more accurately.

Goals that Inspire Environmental Stewardship 

Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 
We continue to further our commitments to address climate change in alignment with UN SDG 13: Climate Action.

TARGET: Reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 20% on a per-ton basis by 2030 (compared with a 2021 baseline). 

2022 Progress: During the year, we had our GHG emissions calculation methodology third-party verified in compliance with the GHG Protocol, which provides globally accepted GHG accounting standards. Through this process, we improved the accuracy of our measurements, promoting enhanced reliability and transparency in our GHG reporting. As such, we identified slight discrepancies in our 2021 metrics, which led to an approximate 10% increase to our baseline, and are reflected in the data below. To ensure continued focus on this important goal, in 2022 we created a dedicated, cross-functional Steering Team to oversee our emissions reduction efforts in pursuit of our 2030 goal. To see our energy consumption by type, please see page 75 of the report.

Executing Our Climate Strategy

In addition to improving our data collection methods, we closely monitor our year-over-year emissions to guide resource allocation, take corrective action as needed, and ensure we are making progress against our 2030 goal. Our 2022 performance, which represented an overall increase in emissions, was impacted by several factors, including planned higher production, increased energy usage due to colder than expected temperatures at some of our U.S. sites, and increased material handling at one of our largest mines.

However, reducing our emissions and increasing our energy efficiency remain central to our climate strategy, and we continue to monitor our performance and assess our biggest climate-related opportunities and risks to identify areas for improvement. This includes investing in solutions that we believe will enable us to achieve our GHG emissions reduction goal by 2030, such as:

Increasing our reliance on renewable energy and lower carbon-footprint fuel sources, such as propane and natural gas;Improving transportation efficiencies for raw materials and finished goods;Installing more efficient, lower-emissions technologies to offset our energy-intensive operations; andParticipating in power purchase agreements, which support the overall development of solar power infrastructure, and the purchase of carbon offsets to further our positive impacts.

In 2022, we completed several site-specific projects to support energy efficiency improvements, including:

Moving an air compressor to a heated area at our Black Lab Serena, Illinois, facility to limit fuel usage;Upgrading exterior lighting at our Black Lab Chardon, Ohio, facility to high-efficiency LED bulbs that can now run on a timer;Replacing aging and inefficient air compressors at our Hephzibah, Georgia, and Lampazos, Nuevo León, plants with new, energy-efficient compressors; andInsulating the maintenance building at our Troy Grove, Illinois, facility to reduce the amount of energy required for heating and cooling.

Additionally, we continue to look for validated ways to automate data collection, reducing the risk of human error in our reporting and promoting data-driven decisions with the highest degree of reliability possible.

View the full Covia 2022 ESG Report here. 

Part of the DNA of the WELL Summit is bringing our community closer, and one way to do that is getting to know more about our speakers and what personally drives their commitment to the movement. In putting people first, we want to highlight their perspectives on place and space, as well as the role of well-being in their everyday life.

In today’s post, we are featuring three amazing leaders who are doing heroic work to help support people-first places.

Featured in: The Heroic WELL AP: Learn what it takes to lead clients through an impactful process, from vision setting to health and well-being achievement

Meet Annalise Dum, Vice President, Sustainability (Chicago, USA), JLL

What is the one thing you do every day that helps protect your health and well-being?
Get enough sleep.

What’s your favorite place—to work, relax, stay or be—and why?
My sunroom. It’s surrounded by windows and views and allows me to immerse in nature while feeling calm and relaxed.

What is the most pressing issue regarding your session today?
WELL at scale provides a tangible solution to apply health and wellbeing principles across an organization – both equitably and impactfully. WELL provides more than just a “check the box” certification; instead, it supports an organization in implementing key strategies and policies that ultimately benefit their most important assets – their people.

Meet Lisa Hinde, Head of Sustainability, Precinct Properties

What is the one thing you do every day that helps protect your health and well-being?
Walk my dog while listening to my favorite daily podcast.

What’s your favorite place—to work, relax, stay or be—and why?
I’ve traveled to many beautiful and exotic places around the world and love the experience of new and exciting destinations, however my favorite place that makes me feel complete is being in my Mum’s kitchen.

What is the most pressing issue regarding your session today?
Why health and well-being initiatives shouldn’t be an either / or for environmental performance.

Meet Deepa Sathiaram, Executive Director, India, En3 Sustainability Solutions
WELL AP of the year 2022

What is the one thing you do every day that helps protect your health and well-being?
Provide some time for myself to relax, meditate and re-energize.

What’s your favorite place—to work, relax, stay or be—and why?
The deck in my house – connected to nature, under the shade of our 70-year-old mango tree with sunlight falling on the deck.

What is the most pressing issue regarding your session today?
Translating ambition to action. Many clients and projects want to pursue WELL but have many questions and apprehensions, which prevent them from actually pursuing it. The key issue is to see how to get clients to move from wanting to pursue WELL to actually implementing it.

I feel the most pressing issue is to get people to start acting on wellness.

Learn more and register for the WELL Summit today.

View original content here.

New tactile signage will help people with visual disabilities better identify row numbers, seat assignments and lavatory locations independently

First Braille-equipped aircraft now flying and the airline expects to outfit entire mainline fleet by 2026

CHICAGO, August 8, 2023 /3BL/ — United recently became the first U.S. airline to add Braille to aircraft interiors, helping millions of travelers with visual disabilities more easily navigate the cabin independently. According to the Department of Transportation, about 27 million people with disabilities traveled by air in 2019.

The airline currently has equipped about a dozen aircraft with Braille markings for individual rows and seat numbers as well as inside and outside the lavatories. United expects to outfit its entire mainline fleet with Braille by the end of 2026.

“Finding your seat on a plane or getting to the restroom is something most of us take for granted, but for millions of our customers, it can be a challenge to do independently,” said Linda Jojo, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer for United. “By adding more tactile signage throughout our interiors, we’re making the flying experience more inclusive and accessible, and that’s good for everyone.”

In addition to adding Braille, United is working with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and other disability advocacy groups to explore the use of other tactile navigational aids throughout the cabin such as raised letters, numbers and arrows.

“We applaud United for taking an important step toward making its aircraft more accessible to blind passengers,” said NFB President Mark Riccobono. “The flight experience is often frustrating for a number of reasons, one of which is the amount of information that is available exclusively through printed signs and other visual indicators. We hope to continue working with United to explore additional ways to make flying more accessible and less stressful for blind passengers.”

For the eighth-straight year, United was recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion and earned a top score on the Disability Equality Index benchmarking tool, a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN, to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities.

“United is taking additional steps to create an accessible airline passenger experience through braille signage,” said ACB Interim Executive Director Dan Spoone. “We appreciate the airline’s continued exploration of additional in-flight navigational aids like large print and tactile indicators, and we encourage all airlines to follow United’s lead in making air travel more inclusive for the blind and low vision community.”

The rollout of Braille to mainline aircraft over the next few years is the latest way United has worked to create accessible solutions for its customers and employees:

The United mobile app was recently redesigned to make it easier to use for people with visual disabilities with increased color contrast, more space between graphics and reordering how information is displayed and announced to better integrate with the screen reader technologies like VoiceOver and TalkBack. 
 United’s Inflight Seatback Entertainment screens offer a wide range of accessible features such as closed captioning, text-to-speech controls, magnification, explore-by-touch capabilities, audio-described movies, and adjustable and high-contrast text and color correction. As part of United Next, the airline’s historic growth plan, the carrier expects to take delivery of about 700 new narrow and widebody aircraft by the end of 2032, all of which will include the latest in seatback screen entertainment options. 
 Through Bridge, United’s Business Resource Group for people of all abilities, employees help create a workplace environment where all can strive to achieve their maximum potential and support our commitment to being an ally for customers with disabilities. 
 United’s long-standing partnership with Special Olympics provides employment opportunities to athletes through the Special Olympics Service Ambassador program, a workforce development initiative that provides a forum to work alongside Airport Operations and Customer Service teams to assist customers. The airline also supports Special Olympics through volunteerism, fundraising and travel support to attend national and international competitions.

About United

At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.

Originally published in FedEx’s 2023 ESG Report

As a global business, we value the diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences of our people and recognize DEI is essential to our success and the communities we serve. DEI fosters collaboration, enables us to recruit, retain, and develop a talented workforce, and underpins our business performance and sustainability. The continued integration of DEI into our business strategies and progress towards our DEI objectives supported our ability to respond to the challenging labor market our industry faced in recent years. We are proud of the work our people accomplished over the past year but understand there is always more to be done.

FedEx has a long-standing commitment to fully embrace DEI throughout our organization, from the Board of Directors to every employee. This commitment is communicated through our DEI framework and our four strategic pillars: Our People; Our Education and Engagement; Our Communities, Customers, and Suppliers; and Our Story. We use this framework to influence and inform our business strategy as we invest in our workforce, culture, and communities.

Our people 

We understand the importance of actively recruiting, developing, and retaining our diverse talent. One of the most important outcomes of our DEI efforts is to grow and advance the gifted group of individuals that comprise FedEx.

Over the past year, we continued to roll out programs to ensure our people are engaged and can develop at FedEx. The FedEx Ground workforce career track program, Purple Pathways, directly targets our most diverse population, frontline managers and package handlers, to support their career growth. FedEx Ground won the American Transportation Association DEI Change Leader Award in 2022 for Purple Pathways. We are inspired to see over 33,000 team members registered in the program, with more than 1,700 Purple Pathways mentors. The OnDeck program, launched by FedEx Express, provides our front-line workers with the training and skills they need to grow into managerial roles.

In FY22, FedEx participated in a variety of employment events, including partnering with the Society of Women Engineers, the National Black MBA Association, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to expand our talent pool, increase hires from diverse populations, and establish FedEx as a positive ambassador for DEI. At FedEx Express AMEA, we set a DEI objective to increase the number of team members with disabilities by 5%. FedEx is part of the Tent Coalition for Refugees in the U.S. and has set goals for hiring refugees for roles with the company nationwide.

See the Data appendix and our EEO-1 Reports for statistics on workplace gender, race/ethnicity, and generational diversity.

Our education and engagement 

We foster ongoing employee engagement and provide educational opportunities to build an inclusive working environment and help our people succeed. We strive to promote DEI and maintain open dialogue across all levels of the company.

We work to expand our team members’ DEI knowledge through various learning opportunities. We recently introduced a DEI competency program for all our officers and directors. Through this program, enabled by the FedEx Learning Center, more than 87% of our FedEx Logistics managers, directors, and officers completed four DEI courses. In 2022, all FedEx Office leaders and key HR employees completed a year-long Inclusive Leadership program to address critical DEI topics. FedEx Express continued the Convene program, a virtual mentorship program between four vice president-level diversity sponsors and other team members. Across our operating companies, we offer a micro-learning platform to deliver digestible DEI content for all career levels.

Team members can participate in business resource teams, employee networks, and affinity groups to enhance DEI, build community, and inspire conversations across our operating companies. These groups include: Women in Leadership, Black Professionals Network, Hispanic Action Network, AllGenerations, Multi-Ethnic Leadership Community, Asian Network, Women Leading Change, LGBT & Friends, U.S. Military Veterans, Growing Professionals, Parents Working Together, EnABLE Network, Men Leading Inclusively, and Multi-Faith Network, among others. In FY22, FedEx Logistics launched its first business resource team, Women in Logistics, with plans to launch additional resource groups next year.

We include DEI-related questions in our FedEx Services, FedEx Ground, and FedEx Freight engagement surveys, allowing us to accurately capture employee perspectives on DEI within the FedEx workforce. The results from these surveys show that open dialogue regarding diversity and inclusion has improved since 2021. DEI metrics were added to FedEx Ground’s performance management system to ensure intentional focus and engagement on DEI for all team members.

Our communities, customers, and suppliers 

DEI must extend further than our people and our business. We are committed to investing in the communities, customers, and suppliers we serve. In FY22, we contributed $5.7 million to various non-profits aligned with our DEI commitment to increase equity in the communities we serve. We work with community partners, including the National Action Network, and sponsor events, such as the Rise Up and Memphis Proud Exhibits at the Memphis Museum of Science and History, to strengthen our position as a positive community ambassador.

In FY22, we provided over $800,000 for leadership development programs in the U.S., mainly through our seven scholarship funds. We also support endowed scholarships at eight HBCUs where we are expanding opportunities for students through a $5 million multi-year contribution to prepare students for the workforce. In FY22 we launched the FedEx-HBCU Student Ambassador Program, which provides empowerment, engagement, and education for students, and access to resources that will help them prepare to enter the workforce after college. Additionally, FedEx Ground launched the College Pathways Career Expose with seven HBCUs in February 2022. The College Pathways program exposes students to career opportunities in specific fields that align with their studies and provides students insights on real career experiences.

We work to recruit diverse candidates and develop a talent pipeline to build a workforce reflective of the communities we serve. We work to improve the inclusivity of our recruitment process by offering materials in Spanish and English. FedEx Logistics hosts the FedEx Logistics Academy, a program designed to introduce high school students to a variety of career paths as well as provide interactive lessons on teamwork and workplace culture. FedEx Freight expanded “The Boardroom Experience” program, which introduces students of color to career possibilities at FedEx through a simulated Board meeting. FedEx Express AMEA partnered with the Asian University for Women to provide mentorship for female students from various countries in Asia and the Middle East. FedEx Services implements the College Connections program to improve recruiting efforts with colleges near main FedEx Services hubs. FedEx Ground proactively recruits from its High School Pathways program, which teaches students about different roles within FedEx Ground, including tips on networking, interviewing, and mentoring. The FedEx Express HBCU Student Co-op Program is designed to attract, develop, and retain diverse talent. Students focus on project-based assignments directly related to their academic degree and gain mentoring and networking opportunities with FedEx staff, including executive management.

As a global business, we have the power to support a diverse supplier base. See the Our supply chain section for information on our Supplier Diversity program.

Our story 

Throughout FedEx, we encourage team members to share their stories, celebrate their differences, and foster collaboration. We provide team members with DEI-related resources, events, and employee stories through our enterprisewide online platform, the DEI Depot. In FY22, FedEx Logistics circulated communications for 15 significant cultural moments and FedEx Ground launched the Story Depot to collect and share a variety of employee success stories. Across FedEx Corporate, FedEx Logistics, FedEx Express, FedEx Freight, FedEx Ground, and FedEx Services, we circulate a quarterly DEI newsletter, which provides managers and officers with resources, information, and best practices to ensure they effectively promote DEI throughout their teams.

Key links 

FedEx Cares 

DEI | FedEx Cares 

EEO-1 Reports

Compensation and Human Resources Committee Charter

Read more