Laudes Foundation statement on Gender, Equity and Inclusion

Laudes Foundation is responding to the convergence of two global crises – inequality and climate breakdown. Our vision is for markets that value all people and respect nature and our mission is to support brave action that inspires and challenges industry to harness its power for good.

To achieve a more just and equitable society we must challenge power dynamics, mindsets and the rules within these systems. This forces us to ask: who holds the power and why, who wrote the rules and for whom, and who are we failing to see while carrying out our philanthropic work? 

What do we mean by gender, equity and inclusion?  


Reducing inequality has two components: increasing equality of opportunity so everyone has a common starting place in life, and reducing disparity in life outcomes.  

We must eliminate structural discrimination so that factors like gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, race, nationality, class or family background do not limit people’s life prospects. And we must work toward equality of  outcomes, so everyone enjoys the same benefits and protections. 

Our commitment 

We work with our partners to ensure that Gender, Equity and Inclusion (GEI) are integrated into everything we do together. We aim to address the enduring effects of discrimination by promoting equity and inclusion and applying a gender lens across our work in fashion, finance and the built environment.  

Importantly, we look to strengthen GEI not just in our initiatives with partners and their organisations, but also embed GEI internally throughout our structure, policies and operations. 

 

In 2020, we commit to: 

  • Expand our Gender Justice and Social Inclusion Learning Partnerships, launched in Brazil and Mexico in 2018/19. In 2020, we will launch new partnerships in Asia and in Europe to ensure all our staff are equipped with the knowledge and resources to apply a gender and social inclusion lens to all our work. 

  • Implement a new anti-discrimination and harassment policy covering all staff and new diversity guidance for hiring and onboarding employees. We will continue to work through an internal GEI Learning Circle aimed at strengthening our capacities to understand and act on these complex issues.  

  • Work to adapt our grant-making in ways that ensure greater inclusiveness, including by learning from the different entities we collaborate with, ensuring we are able to work with a wide range of organisations, and establishing procedures for inclusive grant-making.