NEW YORK CITY, NY – According to a new report released today by Out Leadership during Return on Equality™, an LGBTQ+ inclusive ESG summit hosted by Nasdaq, nearly all Fortune 100 companies report on their LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts through their ESG and DEI reports.
Among the key findings in the new Return on Equality™ ESG Report, designed and led by Ken Janssens, a former J.P. Morgan Chief Data Officer and Out Leadership Senior Advisor, include:
- 91% of Fortune 100 companies report on their LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts through their ESG and DEI reports.
- 14% of Fortune 100 companies share the size of their LGBTQ+ workforce through their ESG and DEI reports. A tenfold increase over the last 5 years.
- 45% of Fortune 100 companies call out LGBTQ+-owned businesses as part of the scope of their supplier diversity programs.
- The report outlines six leading reporting practices and four next-level reporting practices leading to LGBTQ+ inclusiveness in ESG reporting.
You can read the full report here.
“LGBTQ+ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) in the workplace has come leaps and bounds over the last two decades,” writes Ken Janssens, a former J.P. Morgan Chief Data Officer and Out Leadership Senior Advisor, in today’s report. “But our analysis of the diversity and ESG reports by the 220 of largest American and British companies reveals that in the absence of guidance by the ESG standard setters for LGBTQ+ inclusive reporting, many companies are unsure what to report and there is a need for a clear set of reporting best practices.”
The report was released today during Out Leadership’s Return on Equality™ ESG Summit hosted by Nasdaq, convening leaders from across industries to share new ESG research and thought leadership, implement best practices for inclusion, governance, and sustainability, and help companies embed LGBTQ+ inclusion into every pillar of a company’s ESG practices.
“Unfortunately, in today’s political climate, the value of ESG is being overshadowed by a strategic campaign designed to manufacture a cultural crisis, confuse the consumer, and shift the narrative in order to win votes, influence regulation, and – dismayingly – pass anti-equality legislation,” writes Todd Sears, Founder and CEO of Out Leadership in today’s report. “Fortunately, sometimes where there’s smoke, there actually isn’t fire. Which is why attacks on ESG are missing the mark. The proof is in the fact that despite all of the noise businesses around the world continue to actively engage and invest in ESG initiatives.”
Out Leadership research demonstrates that companies and individuals are making concrete commitments toward full LGBTQ+ inclusion. Out Leadership’s annual OutQUORUM board diversity report showed that between 2022 and 2023, the number of companies on the Nasdaq with LGBTQ+ inclusive board diversity policies increased to 1,871 from 113 – a 1,556% increase. Out to Succeed 2.0, the largest global survey of LGBTQ+ talent to date, demonstrated that 92% of LGBTQ+ employees consider a company’s reputation around LGBTQ+ inclusion when job seeking.
The Return on Equality™ ESG Summit is the culmination of over 18 months of development by a working group including representatives from 46 companies in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Sydney, globally sponsored by Ropes & Gray and MSCI and including Salons hosted by Hogan Lovells and Millennium.
Media interested in interviews regarding findings in the new report, please contact: Kristofer Eisenla at kristofer@lunaeisenla.com.