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Blog | Thursday August 10, 2023

Implementing a Long-Term DEI Approach: Lessons from the Asia-Pacific Region

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Since 2020, BSR has worked closely with our APAC member companies by tailoring existing approaches to identify goals, build strategies, and assess progress using metrics as part of a wide range of DEI consulting projects. Through our partnership approach, BSR works with APAC companies, mostly at the nascent stage of their journeys, to embed DEI across their businesses and corporate culture, as well as global member companies by applying local and context-specific approaches to DEI in their operations throughout the region. 

As social norms, cultural nuances, and evolving legal and regulatory frameworks shape DEI priorities in APAC, companies operating in this region can take several key steps to successfully implement a long-term strategy for DEI. Based on our experience, we recommend a combination of the below: 

DEI Assessments 

Before setting an ambitious long-term vision and mission, a company can undertake a DEI assessment to understand and evaluate its current efforts to promote DEI internally, while identifying opportunities for further engagement. An assessment may include a review of the level of DEI initiatives already in place, corporate commitments from the top, current policies and practices, and stakeholder and employee engagement. An assessment of the external landscape, current trends, and peer practices is also useful as a benchmark to shape the company’s understanding of how employees and other stakeholders comprehend DEI.

Putting it into practice: Using BSR’s methodology, we conducted a DEI assessment for an APAC company who wished to evaluate the effectiveness of its DEI efforts and assess where it stood on the maturity curve, a framework that determines a company's level of maturity or the ability of a company to continuously improve in DEI. Furthermore, the assessment gauged the company’s high-level progress on DEI, i.e., determining what strategy, policies, and procedures it had in place; internal DEI governance; and the level of external reporting on DEI topics. The assessment determined that the company was at a nascent stage on the DEI maturity curve and resulted in recommendations to not only address identified gaps but also steps that they needed to take to build an established DEI program. 

Landscape Analysis and Research on DEI Themes

Given the ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity of the APAC region, it is important to see how DEI varies in companies across different countries. Understanding regional context, as well as socioeconomic, political, and cultural nuances, can help companies better identify priorities and respond sensitively to the needs of their workforce and other stakeholders.

Putting it into practice: BSR conducted DEI landscape analyses for APAC member companies seeking to understand the DEI context of the region in which they operate. The research provided an overview of the legal and regulatory frameworks and identified priority areas of focus where they could dedicate their attention and resources. 

DEI Awareness Raising and Capacity Building

As companies demonstrate their commitment to DEI by establishing and implementing relevant policies, they may wish to socialize these among their workforce and build awareness and internal capacity within their own operations and subsidiaries on an ongoing basis. Training need not only cover company policies and commitments—it can also address issues such as institutional and structural discrimination, as well as unconscious bias. 

Putting it into practice: BSR developed a DEI Handbook for a global private equity firm, and in the following year, BSR updated the Handbook to provide APAC-specific context, including emerging legislative developments and cultural and social nuances, to support the firm’s portfolio companies in the region. BSR also co-led a series of webinars for APAC portfolio companies on sharing and leveraging the Handbook as a guiding resource. 

Setting DEI Goals and KPIs 

To support the development of a DEI strategy, it is crucial that companies set goals and targets informed by high-level aspirational visions, followed by key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress. A high-level vision and ambition can drive a company’s DEI efforts from the top while communicating progress internally and externally.

Putting it into practice: BSR helped APAC companies to set and refine DEI goals, followed by targets and KPIs, to monitor progress and benchmark against leading companies’ practices. BSR also supported APAC companies in developing DEI action plans as part of materiality and human rights assessments. 

Our Takeaways

In our experience of working with companies in APAC, whether they are taking the first step in their DEI journey, localizing a global DEI policy, or already mature in their DEI approach, there are a few key commonalities that these companies share that have helped to pave the way for successful work.

1. Buy-in from senior leadership is key to driving DEI efforts. Companies are securing senior leadership support and buy-in as this is key to demonstrating company commitment and critical for the success of internal DEI efforts. Setting the tone from the top increases accountability while embedding nuanced DEI strategies across business departments. This also enables companies to go beyond the “ad hoc” or “nascent” stage of the DEI maturity curve toward being more established and transformational in the long term. 

2. Meaningful employee engagement informs DEI priorities. DEI priorities are becoming increasingly reflective of the needs of the workforce, including the most underrepresented groups. Fostering safe dialogue with employees through regular focus group discussions and employee perception surveys can offer insights into what employees need and how companies can proactively support them.

3. Companies are seeking to take a more multi-dimensional approach to DEI. While gender equality has been a common theme for many companies in APAC, companies are beginning to include additional material topics. Where gender is concerned, companies are moving away from just increasing the number of women in senior leadership to also focusing on equity by addressing the gender pay gap.

As the momentum on DEI picks up in APAC, BSR will continue to engage companies and support ambitious targets as they mature in their DEI journey.

For more information on how BSR works with companies in APAC on DEI, please get in touch. 

Blog | Wednesday January 25, 2017

Advancing Women's Empowerment, at Work and Home, through the Technology Sector

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For working women everywhere—whether on an assembly line or in front of a computer—the question “how does she do it all?” can easily trigger eye rolls. Working women continue to carry a disproportionate burden in comparison to men because, more often, they are responsible for both their jobs and being the primary family caregivers. However, the technology sector can play a significant role in empowering women both in the workplace and at home—and businesses stand to benefit if these efforts are pursued strategically.

Last year, BSR published a report, “Building Effective Women’s Economic Empowerment Strategies,” encouraging companies to apply a holistic and integrated approach in empowering women. While the report highlights eight building blocks for such an approach, ICT companies can focus on two areas to support both women climbing the corporate ladder in Silicon Valley or in an electronics factory in Bangalore, as well as female consumers of ICT products and services.

1. Transparent Reporting and Commitments Across the Value Chain

As in other sectors, women in the technology field are paid less than men and have lower representation in senior roles. Men in U.S. tech companies typically make 10 percent more than their female counterparts—a smaller gap compared to other industries but still far from equal. Because of employment discrimination in terms of both compensation and employment opportunities, women are some of the lowest-paid workers in the electronics manufacturing supply chain and often work in difficult conditions, including long hours, potential exposure to health hazards, limited professional development opportunities, and vulnerability to human rights abuses.

In regard to senior leadership, women make up 10 percent of executives within the Silicon Valley 150 (the Bay Area's top tech companies), compared to 20 percent of leaders for companies in the S&P 150. With talent pipeline shortages in the tech industry expected to reach an estimated 1.4 million by 2020, women are essential to ensuring the industry continues to meet rising demands for its services.

Strengthening transparency in reporting on pay equity and gender diversity in leadership roles is an important step toward improving equitable employment opportunities at ICT companies. For example:

• Salesforce conducted a salary review of its 17,000 employees, making subsequent pay adjustments where deemed appropriate, and has invested nearly US$3 million to eliminate statistically significant differences in pay.
• Intel has publicly disclosed diversity numbers for more than a decade, and Google, Microsoft, Apple, Symantec, and several other leading ICT companies have begun doing so as well, helping companies set and publicly work toward leadership diversity goals.
• Jabil has seen improved productivity in its supply chain after implementing HERproject, BSR’s onsite training program that empowers female factory workers through health and financial training. Benefits to the business include increased operational efficiency, higher retention, and improved worker-management relations.
• ICT companies have made public commitments to gender equality by signing the President’s Equal Pay Pledge, and nearly 90 of the 1,368 CEO signatories to the Women’s Empowerment Principles belong to those in the technology sector.

2. Innovative Products and Services for All

ICT companies can offer products and services that all industries and consumers can use to support women’s empowerment efforts and the work-life challenges that women disproportionately face. For example:

• ICT platforms can support employee engagement through interactive training programs and services related to gender equality or discrimination. When these platforms are publicized, like Google did with its unconscious-bias materials, non-tech companies can utilize the material for their own purposes.
• LinkedIn is drawing on user data to provide insight into gender equality across every industry and is researching gender differences in how users promote themselves in personal profiles.
• ICT products can increase access to health and finance. Electronic or mobile healthcare can empower women worldwide to take charge of their health and wellness, learn important health knowledge, and access health services—notably, for reproductive health. In China, BSR’s HERhealth mobile app provides workers with convenient access to educational materials so that they can learn about general and sexual health and share this knowledge with their friends and family members.
• Online outsourcing, the business practice of contracting third-party providers (often overseas) to supply products or services that are delivered over the internet, allows women around the world access to digital jobs and more opportunities to earn a living. Through this model, Samasource has employed more than 8,000 people in Haiti, India, Kenya, and Uganda.
• Improved conference-call software and internet access can enable flexible work schedules. The Women and the Web Alliance (which grew out of Intel’s She Will Connect program) seeks to address the internet gender gap by bringing more than 600,000 young women online in Nigeria and Kenya in the next three years.

There is more work to be done within the ICT industry to advance gender equality, but also many avenues that ICT companies can explore to help other sectors and their consumers use digital resources to advance women as skilled professionals and empowered individuals. Companies can start by making public disclosures and commitments, then assess how their practices and business strategy can improve women’s empowerment efforts for both their female workforce and consumer base.

Learn more about making and putting gender equity commitments into action through BSR’s women’s empowerment practice, which includes a new working group, the Business Action for Women coalition, and our flagship training program, HERproject. 

Blog | Monday July 16, 2018

Global Climate Action Summit Update—Will We See You There?

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With the Global Climate Action Summit coming up this September 12-14 in San Francisco, California, businesses, cities, states, investors, and citizens all have the opportunity to showcase extraordinary climate action commitments that will give world leaders the confidence to continue their support of the Paris Agreement and prevent the worst effects of climate change.

Earlier this month, BSR was pleased to issue Summit invitations on behalf of the Summit Co-Chairs to those of our members who have already demonstrated robust climate commitments through the We Mean Business Take Action Platform. We are encouraging companies to join us in supporting the Summit by making a new commitment, participating directly, or attending a side event. There are many ways businesses can engage.

The main Summit program is focused around five headline challenges:

1. Healthy Energy Systems;
2. Inclusive Economic Growth;
3. Sustainable Communities;
4. Land and Ocean Stewardship; and
5. Transformative Climate Investments.

BSR is working closely to develop compelling content and feature bold commitments from business around Challenge 2 on Inclusive Economic Growth—specifically showcasing how business leadership on climate can generate good jobs, broad-based economic opportunity, and inclusive, resilient growth. This issue includes the following sub-challenges:

• Science-Based Targets Challenge: Encouraged by Summit Co-Chair Anand Mahindra at Davos in January and through the more recent launch of the Oslo Climate Leadership Declaration, businesses around the world are being challenged to set science-based emissions reduction targets (SBTs) ahead of the Summit, thereby aligning with the Paris Agreement and the level of decarbonization required to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees C. Companies that are ready to commit to an SBT can reach out directly to CDP to do so.
• Resilience Challenge: Resilience is defined as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.” In the context of climate change, resilience is the ability of a system or community to rebound following a shock, such as a natural disaster. Companies are encouraged to make large-scale supply chain climate resilience commitments that will enable their suppliers to implement resilience strategies—protecting workers, communities, and the natural environment from climate change impacts. For business, building climate-resilient supply chains will enable impact at scale and deliver substantial benefits.
• Just Transition Challenge: Businesses, governments, and labor organizations can share success stories on and make commitments to both a) manage impacts on workers and communities transitioning away from high-carbon sectors and b) promote broad-based economic opportunity through the creation of good jobs in newly emerging sectors. Specifically, companies that procure renewable energy can pledge to integrate just transition and human rights principles into their procurement standards for renewable energy purchases.

In addition to securing commitments related to the above-mentioned Summit challenges, BSR will co-host an event on Tuesday, September 11 focused on various climate resilience efforts.

This side event will explore a number of approaches to help the public and private sectors establish more resilient communities, ecosystems, and supply chains, which can enable people, businesses, and institutions to thrive in a world of increasing climate risks. It will be open to Summit registrants and non-registrants alike, with advance registration required. Please save the date, and check back on the BSR events and Summit affiliate events pages for more details. 

For more information about the Summit, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page. If you have any questions about how to work with BSR to make sure your climate commitments are included in the business contribution to climate action, please contact us.

We hope you join us in San Francisco this September, as our collective efforts must lead to a turning point by 2020 in order to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

Blog | Wednesday March 15, 2017

A New Tool to Help Companies Close the Gender Gap

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At the current rate of change, it will take more than 100 years to achieve full gender equality. The UN’s High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, which includes leaders from business, the UN, government, and women’s organizations, reported last autumn that progress has been “far too slow.” And a recent McKinsey study highlights the fact that while many companies are making top-level commitments to women’s empowerment and gender equality, few companies have matched commitments with concrete plans integrated throughout the business. As a result, companies are missing out on tremendous potential gains across their business—from improved performance and retention of employees, to innovation, to expansion to new markets.

With so much clear evidence of the social, moral, and business case for promoting gender equality, what is needed to accelerate the pace of change and for companies to take intentional, ambitious action? One challenge we’ve heard from companies is identifying the right entry point for their company—essentially: “Where do I start?”

A new tool released today is intended to begin answering that question. The WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool helps the global business community identify gaps in its performance on gender equality and enables companies to make informed decisions on setting goals and strategies. Inspired by the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) initiative, the tool is a joint project of the UN Global Compact, UN Women, the Multilateral Investment Fund of the IDB, and the Inter-American Investment Corporation, and is supported by the Governments of Japan and Germany, The Coca-Cola Company, BSR, Itaipu, and KPMG.

The tool is grounded in the WEPs global framework, which helps companies empower women in the workplace, marketplace, and community. BSR signed the WEPs in 2015 to uphold best practices in our own organization, as well as to work with our member companies to promote, share, and scale best practices on women’s empowerment. Since we signed the WEPs, we joined its Leadership Group to contribute to the promotion and uptake of the WEPs by our network of member companies. We’re pleased to be among 38 of our BSR members in joining the WEPs initiative—and more than 1,400 companies globally.

As many of our members know, women’s empowerment is a central focus for BSR, and through our women’s empowerment practice, we work with companies to catalyze effective and ambitious action. Our women’s empowerment practice draws on more than 10 years of experience working on global women’s issues. Developing practical strategies, tools, and solutions with companies is one prong of our strategy.

Through our work on the WEPs tool, we are adding another resource to assist companies to take action on women’s empowerment. BSR and our partners designed the tool to translate the WEPs from principles into action through two key features.

First, the tool provides a broad overview of areas in which companies affect women. The tool asks a number of questions, including around companies’ leadership commitment and workplace policies and programs to support women, as well as a companies’ approach to supply chain, product development, CSR, and more. Companies and gender equality experts identified these areas during 12 global consultations with more than 170 companies.

Second, the tool helps companies understand how far they’ve gone in each area. Have companies made a formal commitment in a particular area, such as business relationships with women-owned businesses? Are they implementing practices to improve their performance? Are they measuring impact and ultimately sharing results with their board or external stakeholders? The tool provides a checklist for companies to see what action looks like across commitment, implementation, measurement, and transparency.

Initial feedback on the tool has been positive. Through the consultation phase, as well as a pilot with an additional 20 companies, we’ve worked to make the tool reflect real-world business practices. During the pilot phase, companies liked that the tool covers broad points of analysis of how a company takes action on gender equality. The tool also inspired internal conversations across the business about “what good looks like.”

By applying the tool, companies will not only have a better understanding of their own status, they will also be equipped to take the next step. BSR now offers additional services to help companies understand the tool’s results, identify priority investments, design and implement a women’s empowerment strategy, and measure impact.

Although much work remains to achieve gender equality, the launch of the new WEPs tool is one resource to make progress. We look forward to supporting companies to take stock of their current performance, and we hope that, in a few years, the tool will evolve to reflect emerging, leading examples of corporate practice. 

Blog | Thursday August 17, 2017

Next Steps for the (Former) Members of the Business Advisory Councils

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In the wake of yesterday’s collapse of the advisory councils assembled by Donald Trump, the question of which CEOs will stay and which will go is now moot. The core issues, however, remain, and the need for business leadership is stronger now than ever.

While the impact of these councils was questionable even before they imploded in the aftermath of the President’s response to the tragic events in Charlottesville, their members have perspectives—and voices—that are sorely needed to shape an economy that works for everyone.  

Specifically, here are five key principles that the business leaders who were on the councils can rally around to make good on their original intent in joining the councils—that is, to help define and promote a thriving economy, both here in the United States and abroad.

Prioritize Climate Action: The business community has overwhelmingly expressed its desire to see the U.S. stay actively engaged in the Paris Agreement. Despite the Trump Administration’s wrong-headed decision to withdraw from the agreement, international momentum toward long-term decarbonization is strong. American businesses, like their peers globally, are making commitments and generating innovation to make the vision of Paris a reality. It remains crucial for business leaders to focus the public, as well as policymakers, on the imperative need—and the economic benefit—of remaining committed to decisive climate action.

Ensure Support for Diversity and Inclusion: The majority of the American public was appalled by the hate expressed last week on the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, and this sentiment has spread beyond the borders of the U.S., with the Prime Minister of Great Britain, amongst others, expressing her revulsion at the events and the response from the White House. Businesses know that our economy—and our societies—thrive when diversity is respected. The time is right for business leaders to reinforce their commitments to diversity and respect for everyone, to reassure a nation that is uncertain whether these core principles are being upheld.

Provide Good Jobs in an Era of Automation: It is widely understood that profound technological and demographic changes are reshaping manufacturing, the nature of work, and the social contract. Businesses are driving many of these innovations, some of which are decoupling productivity from employment. Business leaders should be promoting this kind of progress; they should also be playing a key role in ensuring that people who are displaced by these changes are able to participate fully in the economy and secure stable livelihoods. The former members of the councils are uniquely well placed to catalyze and shape a national dialogue on what the future of employment will look like: Washington is hardly driving that debate today.

Promote Human Rights in Global Trade: While this issue has not gotten as much attention as some others, such as the U-turn on climate change, support for human rights in global trade is clearly being de-prioritized, if not undermined, by the administration. Business leaders understand that global trade—and yes, global trade agreements—that integrates respect for human rights and rule of law not only protects individuals, but provides a more stable basis for a thriving economy. Businesses that have embraced the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights should remind Washington that trade based on human rights rewards companies that do things the right way and enhances American competitiveness.

Support Multilateral Solutions: Finally, it is essential the business community raise its voice in support of collaborative, multilateral solutions to our shared challenges. The history of the 21st century will depend on how well we all join together to shape our future. Business thrives on competition, but companies also know that their success depends on stable frameworks founded upon respect. We all have a stake in ensuring that a retreat into xenophobic mindsets does not throw the global economy into reverse. And business leaders can be a powerful voice promoting the notion that interdependence and collaboration are key to unlocking human progress and prosperity.

The ending of the two councils established in January was the latest chapter in the tragicomedy that is our current reality. Nonetheless, it remains possible for this shambolic and unfortunate process to lead to something positive. The CEOs that were on the councils (and others) have an opportunity to demonstrate leadership at a time when it is sorely needed. These five steps would go a long way to restoring faith in the direction of the American economy—and our institutions.

Audio | Wednesday May 15, 2024

Is the U.S. Ceding its Position as a Leader in Sustainability?

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Aron Cramer, BSR President and CEO, chats with David Stearns about why the United States is at risk of marginalizing itself and its influence over the pace and trajectory of progress on sustainability, and what this means for business.

Blog | Tuesday February 23, 2021

Accelerating Progress for Gender Equality through the Generation Equality Forum

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“Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights,” Hillary Clinton boldly declared at the UN Fourth World Congress on Women. In 1995, this was a landmark statement.  

The same event would go on to produce the most ambitious and inclusive agenda for global women’s rights: the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Twenty-five years later, the world is grappling with a global pandemic that has deeply exacerbated gender inequality. At the same time, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive progress for gender equality: the Generation Equality Forum is a global gathering that will establish a roadmap for how to scale up and mobilize urgent action—in order to achieve gender equality within a generation.

BSR is partnering with the B Team and Women Win/Win-Win Strategies to engage the private sector—mobilizing both companies with established women’s empowerment programs and those looking to get involved in the movement—toward making meaningful commitments to promote gender equality through the Forum and across six key themes, or Action Coalitions:

• Gender-based violence
• Economic justice and rights
• Bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Feminist action for climate justice
• Technology and innovation for gender equality
• Feminist movements and leadership

The Forum is organized through a multi-stakeholder and multigenerational campaign, including the private sector, governments, foundations, and civil society organizations. Active participation of business leaders and the collective expertise of the private sector will be an essential component to the success of the Forum—and ultimately, our ability to achieve the goal of gender equality.

Women intersect with business throughout the value chain, providing multiple entry points to promote gender equality. The Forum offers an opportunity to leverage these entry points across the workplace, marketplace and community. Through collective action and partnerships with governments and civil society, business can help to catalyze meaningful change for women across value chains, industries, and regions.

Corporate action for gender equality is not new: more than 3,000 companies have signed on to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). And many companies are taking steps specifically to address gender equality in their supply chain. For example, Kering partnered with BSR to review the workplace gender equality policies and practices of 189 suppliers and the perceptions and experiences of 880 workers in their Italian luxury supply chain. The research highlighted significant challenges for women workers and identified clear opportunities for the luxury sector to lead efforts toward more gender-inclusive supply chains in Italy.

We have seen mounting evidence that prioritizing gender equality creates strategic advantages for companies. Gender-diverse workforces help to attract talent, reduce turnover, and can contribute to building trust with clients and consumers. Companies with women in leadership outperform their competitors, with a McKinsey study finding a 55 percent increase in average company earnings before interest and tax. On a macro level, achieving gender equality could add upwards of US$12 trillion to the world’s economy. 

Despite the momentum from the Beijing commitments and the Sustainable Development Goals (where Goal 5 is Gender Equality), gender equality remains an elusive goal. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly exacerbated social and economic inequalities, and it is estimated that it could wipe out 25 years of global progress toward gender equality.

At the same time, the current crisis has shed light on the essential role women play as leaders, caregivers, frontline workers, and activists. New research across 17 countries highlights the growing consensus on gender equality: 80 percent of respondents believe gender equality is an important cause to work toward, and 60 percent feel gender equality is essential to end poverty in all countries.

Now is the time to join this critical movement as Generation Equality Commitment Makers, encouraging your company to make a bold and transformative commitment to one or several Action Coalitions to define and drive catalytic change for gender equality. Companies like Kering, Microsoft, and PayPal have already joined as Action Coalition Leaders.

We invite all companies to join BSR, the B Team, and Women Win/Win-Win Strategies for a webinar on March 2, 2021 to explore the types of engagement opportunities that companies can expect at the Generation Equality Forum and why you should get involved.

Audio | Monday June 17, 2024

What the SBTi Battle Portends: The Decisive Decade Becomes the Dilemma Decade

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Aron Cramer, BSR President and CEO, chats with David Stearns following his latest blog about the public battle over the direction of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the fundamental question behind this debate, and the tradeoffs companies face at a time when rapid progress on climate action is really needed.

Blog | Tuesday August 10, 2021

The Urgency of Private-Sector Action on Gender-Based Violence

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Gender equality can only be achieved when women and girls live free of violence. And as of now, they do not.

Violence against women remains a globally pervasive human rights violation. One in three women worldwide will experience physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of men at some point in their lives. Women experience violence in homes, public places, and the workplace, including factory environments in global supply chains. In India and Bangladesh, for example, around 60 percent of garment workers have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these high levels of violence, with lockdowns trapping women in violent relationships. What’s more, women have also lost their jobs and livelihoods at a far higher rate than men.

An effective response to this crisis means widespread change in social norms to prevent it from happening in the first place. Public and civil society efforts and investments are not enough—the private sector must play its part.

In June 2021, BSR, in partnership with the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) and global mining company Anglo American, hosted a panel at the Generation Equality Forum on how the private sector can prevent and address gender-based violence. Here are our key takeaways.

The Critical Role of the Private Sector

While governments invest heavily in vital response programs—such as providing critical services like health care, psychosocial support, shelters, and medico-legal services—the private sector can use its reach and influence to focus on prevention.

Prevention programs intervene early. They can include parenting interventions that address violence against both women and girls, school-based programs that address gender equality and violence, and those that aim to shift community-based social norms.

The private sector also has considerable power to change mindsets through large-scale communications campaigns, educating audiences about these prevention programs, why they are important, and the impact they create.

Case Studies in Successful Gender-Based Violence Prevention

Gender-based violence is still a pervasive issue, but several programs demonstrate that, through concerted action, significant progress is possible.

Global mining company Anglo American’s Living with Dignity initiative aims to confront gender-based violence in its host communities and operations and focuses on internal advocacy, evidence-surfacing, and strategic partnerships. It can serve as a best practice example for companies looking to implement similar programs.

Living with Dignity has produced wide-ranging changes in Anglo American’s South African workplaces, which are underpinned by vocal commitment and model behavior from leadership teams. For example, leaders across the business have received coaching on gender-based violence and harassment. And sexual harassment is seeing an increased prominence in meetings across the business and features regularly on leadership calls and town hall agendas.

Cross-sector collaborations also can help take solutions to scale. BSR’s HERrespect program, a HERproject initiative, seeks to encourage gender-equitable attitudes and relationships between women and men in global supply chain workplaces. And its impact has been palpable.

Throughout implementation of the program, HERrespect has driven lower acceptance of violence against women, increased awareness on what constitutes sexual harassment, less acceptance of gender-unequal statements, a greater sense of empowerment in stopping violence, and more awareness on internal support mechanisms for affected women.

For example, at the start of the program, 34 percent of participants believed that there are times a woman deserves to be beaten. At the end, only 15 percent agreed.

Our experience has shown us that gender-based violence is preventable. But to successfully achieve that, a multi-stakeholder approach is necessary—one that includes community-based organizations, researchers, consumers, donors, and, indeed, the private sector.

The socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on the lives of women has created a sense of urgency for the private sector to mobilize and act. Whether it’s responding to the needs of workers in the workplace or partnering with organizations that conduct research and implement community-based programs, the opportunity for companies to address and prevent gender-based violence is massive. To learn about how your company can get involved in this work and hear from the experiences of this group, reach out to HERproject, SVRI, or Anglo American.

Blog | Wednesday April 19, 2023

Nine Ways to Activate Your Board on Climate

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Recent years have seen an astonishing uptake of ambitious corporate climate goals. And recent weeks have seen an even more dramatic rise in activist action to boards and leadership on the very climate goals set by organizations.

Many companies have adopted climate change as a topic for board oversight—either directly or via climate commitments and reporting. As of early 2023, 2489 companies set Science-Based Targets, and 1748 made net-zero commitments through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). These commitments represent prudent business and vital ambition. They also entail a level of corporate disclosure, risk management, and business transformation that should put net zero-aligned transformation squarely on the agenda for the Board of Directors. 

The major challenge for today’s boards and the companies they oversee is how to fulfill these commitments.

Climate Transformation on the Agenda

Boards are facing increased liabilities, lawsuits, resolutions, and elections on all aspects of sustainability, especially climate. This is driven by various increasingly well-known factors, including:

• Rising investor interest, especially institutional investors who expect board oversight and fluency on climate.
• Growing regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the upcoming requirements from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the release of sustainability-related standards by the International Sustainability Standards Board, which include disclosures related to board oversight, expertise, and sign-off on targets and performance.
• Increased scrutiny on “greenwashing,” with a recent wave of rules across various jurisdictions, including Australia, the US SEC, the EU, and the UK Competition Markets Authority bringing about a zero tolerance on net-zero greenwashing.

These factors combined are rallying for a changed mindset by boards to act on climate-related risks and opportunities, as part of the company’s transformation strategy and growth over the short, medium, and long term.

Lessons Learned from Board Engagement

BSR has worked closely with corporate boards on climate topics. In doing so, three lessons stand out.

First, make climate relevant for the individual business, not just generic training on keywords. We recently conducted a training for a global beverage and agriculture company. After highlighting systemic climate and nature-related risks, BSR led a discussion on how they are relevant to the individual company and its board. The company could then meaningfully consider board oversight of risk management, strategy, and assurance of financial statements.

Second, respect the role of the board vs. management. For instance, BSR recently conducted a training for directors on the boards of private equity-owned companies regarding board oversight of management-led materiality process. It was essential to delineate respective roles, as well as to equip boards with enough knowledge to provide effective oversight.

Third, create shared leadership. In another example, we conducted a joint climate scenario exercise with the executive team and board of a European healthcare company. The exercise demonstrated the importance of getting key parties around the table to build a baseline understanding of climate issues, identify the relevance of climate for business, and agree on a coordinated plan for executive action and board oversight.

Climate Transformation is Not a One-Shot Effort

In March 2023, BSR engaged a small group of cross-industry members from our Transform to Net Zero (TONZ) collaborative initiative who are committed to enabling the business transformation needed to achieve net zero. 

We explored the following questions and challenges:

• How are you engaging with your board on climate transformation?
• What steps has your board taken to create support for managing a net-zero transformation?
• Does it engage in related scenario exercises?
• How does your board sign off on climate targets?
• How does it monitor progress?

Member companies shared strategic insights on how they engaged their boards on climate:

• Transformation must be driven by the CEO and board with “tone at the top.”
• ESG and sustainability teams are the fastest growing internally, impelling more cross-company collaboration, continuous training, and upskilling, including for executives and boards.
• Board committee structure is important, with cross-committee terms of reference and focus. For some members, a dedicated sustainability committee provides oversight across the strategy and programs, with continuous reviews from audit and risk committees.
• Scenario analysis is a key tool to test the resilience of business strategy, and it’s important to tailor the conversation to a board audience.

Climate oversight is a continuous leadership journey for chief sustainability officers (CSOs), executives, and boards alike. Some company leaders are engaging in fireside chats with employees and stakeholders to inspire transformative change. It takes heart and humanity, as well as continuous direction.

Nine Key Steps to Building a Climate-Competent Board

From experience with member company executive teams, BSR has identified three strategies to activate boards:

1. Competencies and structure:

• Build capacity through tailored training and education for the company’s specific circumstances.
• Incorporate climate competencies into the board skills matrix.
• Understand which board committees are charged with climate oversight and adapt messaging to their respective purviews.

2. Strategy and risk:

• Emphasize company risks associated with climate change and with failure to meet climate commitments (e.g., litigation risk, public relations risk, regulatory risk).
• Use scenario analysis to build shared understanding of material climate issues, identify business implications and foster joint problem solving.
• Elevate expert/stakeholder perspectives and impacts through briefings, direct engagement, advisory councils, etc.

3. Oversight:

• Anticipate governance risks related to climate oversight (including board elections, proxy votes, shareholder resolutions).
• Encourage rigorous audit committee oversight and verification in disclosures.
• Evaluate executive remunerations tied to climate and integrate with sustainability across social, human rights, and governance.

Since companies have disclosed and committed to board oversight of climate-related risk and targets, now they are on the hook to live up to those commitments.

Moreover, the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) synthesis report shows that we must speed up the scale and pace of climate action commensurate to the latest science. Business can take effective, credible action to meet the moment. And this includes an important active role for boards on climate and sustainability at large, in a continuously uncertain world where climate-related risks, opportunities, and the associated net-zero aligned business transformation need urgent attention by all, including from the top.