Champion Better Lives
Shaping a business that is timeless means building relationships that stand the test of time and focusing on causes and actions that simultaneously benefit our communities, our teams and our Company.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Our Purpose – to inspire the dream of a better life – drives us to create a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging inside our Company and throughout our communities. Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) strategy is designed to create a culture of belonging, attract and retain diverse talent and offer opportunities that enable all people to thrive.
Employee Well-Being
Our people drive our success, and we are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial needs of our employees and their families to help them thrive. We focus on employee wellness, engagement, learning and development and compensation and benefits.
Community Engagement & Philanthropy
Through our Company and The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation (the Foundation), we seek to make the dream of a better life a reality in communities across the globe through contributions and actions that create positive social and environmental impact. We invest in communities via financial and product donations, partnerships and through our employees — empowering them to volunteer with nonprofits that align with causes they are passionate about.
The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation
The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation (the Foundation) works to make the dream of a better life a reality by championing equity and empowering underserved communities around the world.
Rights and Empowerment in the Supply Chain
We are committed to conducting our global operations ethically with respect for the dignity of all people who make our products. Our approach aims to create a positive impact in the lives of factory workers and their families through risk assessment, monitoring, remediation, capability-building, stakeholder engagement, life skills programs and empowerment opportunities.
CASE STUDY
Pink Pony
Inspired by a friend’s battle with cancer more than 30 years ago, Ralph Lauren made a personal commitment to do all that he could to contribute to the fight against cancer. Mr. Lauren’s dedication inspired The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation to create the Pink Pony Fund, which aims to reduce disparities in cancer care and prevention to help underserved communities across the United States access quality treatment at an earlier, more curable stage.
As the Company’s worldwide initiative, Pink Pony supports the fight against cancer, focused on programs for research, screenings, early diagnosis, treatment, education and patient navigation through the Foundation grants in the U.S. and Company donations around the world.
In FY24, the Pink Pony employee fundraising campaign raised over $250,000. There were 80 events held globally, including 25 of our Pink Pony walks, which provide an opportunity for Ralph Lauren team members to come together to honor and celebrate those impacted by cancer. Each year, we walk through parks, shopping centers, distribution centers and other spaces in our local communities.
CASE STUDY
U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund
Through a grant from the Foundation, in 2021, the Soil Health Institute (SHI) created the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF), a farmer-facing, science-based initiative that supports long-term, sustainable cotton production in the U.S., with the goal of eliminating one million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere by 2026. The USRCF works to empower growers and their trusted advisors with the education, tools, information and networks they need to successfully adopt regenerative soil health systems.
The USRCF is focused on five key initiatives:
- Standardizing soil measurement and goal-setting through the development of soil health targets
- Establishing the business case through analysis of soil health economics
- Empowering farmer education through soil health training
- Building the regenerative movement through impact assessment and communication
- Creating a resilient future through diversity, equity and inclusion programs
USRCF impact:
- 5.7M acres had soil health benchmarks established
- 108K acres represented in USRCF economic analysis
- 1,116 growers and advisors engaged through training and events
- 410 locations collecting soil samples in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia
- 300+ soil health reports being created
- 7 states where USRCF soil health education programs are active
© RISE/BSR
CASE STUDY
Reimagining Industry to Support Equality (RISE)
© RISE/BSR
In 2023, HERproject™ — a collaborative initiative to empower women working in global supply chains through workplace-based interventions and key partner to Ralph Lauren — became part of a new initiative called Reimagining Industry to Support Equality (RISE). RISE brought together the largest women’s empowerment programs in the apparel industry to scale impact and accelerate equality for female workers in the global garment, footwear and home furnishings supply chains.
© RISE/BSR
In FY24, our partnership with RISE included
- Working Groups: Participated in three working groups, Financial Health, Respect (tackling gender-based violence and harassment) and Women’s Advancement.
- Peer Learning: Nominated two suppliers (one in Indonesia and one in Vietnam) to join the Gender Equity Network (GEN), a social and peer group to explore gender equity issues in factories and the community.
© RISE/BSR
Programming: Launched two RISE programs to build capability and train workers, including
- RISE Digital in Cambodia: an app-based program that helps improve digital literacy and provides tools to improve health, financial, relationship and stress management
- RISE Respect in India: a comprehensive approach for preventing and remediating gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in the garment industry
© RISE/BSR
Ralph Lauren also cosponsored the pilot of RISE Digital in Guatemala, which was a collaboration across three brands and included three participating factories, including one nominated by Ralph Lauren. Using a peer education model, RISE and its local partner, CARE, directly supported 100 workers from our nominated factory to become peer educators. The nominated peer educators then helped train additional workers. Between direct and indirect reach, 520 workers were impacted at the nominated factory, 56% of whom were women.
Read our 2024 Global Citizenship &
Sustainability Report and
ESG Supplement
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