How the largest companies are disclosing racial equity
JUST Capital recently launched “Corporate Racial Equity Tracker,” which reports on whether and how the largest 100 US companies are disclosing policies, practices, initiatives, and data on these six aspects of racial equity:
- Anti-Discrimination Policies
- Pay Equity
- Racial/Ethnic Diversity Data
- Education and Training Programs
- Response to Mass Incarceration
- Community Investments
Corporates may find the database most useful for purposes of efficiently identifying examples of policies or practices they may be considering to advance racial equity within and outside of their organizations. The database is searchable by company, industry, and number of employees, and includes links to the original data sources (e.g., sustainability and DE&I reports, press releases, proxy statements, website disclosures).
Sidley just released this survey of how the 50 largest companies are referencing ESG in their SEC filings – here’s an excerpt related to DEI:
Human Capital. Most companies also made specific human capital disclosures. With respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics, the most discussed topic was community engagement and/or donations made (52%), followed closely by efforts to increase representation at the company (50%) (although only 26% committed to disclosing EEO-1 diversity statistics). Health and safety disclosures were relatively common, with 39% reporting on specific employee well-being and 37% on COVID-19 matters. Employee resource groups (26%) and educational efforts (26%) were also common topics for disclosure. Less common were racial justice issues (20%) and inclusion training (17%).
Board Diversity. Every Fortune 50 company disclosed board diversity statistics, with 96% reporting as to gender and 91% reporting as to race and ethnicity (three companies reported general diversity statistics that were not subdivided into distinct categories, and two companies reported specific diversity statistics only as to gender).