2020 Sustainability Report

Why Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Matters

Greif values the diversity of the people with whom we work and the contributions they make. We encourage and embrace our diversity of culture, language, location and thought. We have a long-standing commitment to equal opportunity and intolerance of harassment and discrimination in the workforce.

Governance

Building a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce and workplace is fundamental to Greif. In 2020, we have increased our focus on formalizing our diversity, equity and inclusion commitment and strategy. Our diversity, equity and inclusion framework is built upon a model of Listen, Engage, Act and Develop colleagues for the good of Greif and the communities where we operate. We also worked to expand our Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs). Colleague Resource Groups are comprised of colleagues who share a characteristic, whether it's gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, lifestyle, or interest. The groups exist to provide help and support in personal or career development to create a space where colleagues can bring their whole selves to the table in alignment with our organization’s objectives. Most importantly, a CRG is an inclusive network open to all Greif colleagues, and they are an excellent avenue within Greif to foster awareness, respect and inclusion within the workplace.

Our first CRG, the Greif’s Women Network (GWN) was formed to promote gender diversity in the organization and support progress towards our women in management goal. The organization was founded with the mission of creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive network working together to inspire, connect and develop women for the success of Greif and a vision to support and enhance the experience and contributions of women at Greif, and to elevate diverse perspectives across the organization through greater gender parity. GWN grew from 51 members in Fiscal 2019 to more than 245 members in 2020 and new chapters were launched in APAC, EMEA and our North America – Atlanta location. Throughout 2020, members of our executive leadership team participated in engagement sessions with our black colleagues across the globe. As a result of these conversations, our second CRG, Black Employees Engaging @ Greif (BEE@Greif) was also launched and is currently formalizing its mission and goals. Our CEO currently serves as Executive Sponsor of both CRGs and we will continue to expand our CRG program in 2021.

In 2020, Greif initiated a study of pay equity on the basis of gender to assess whether pay disparity gaps exist between men and women within the company globally. The study examines pay of colleagues performing substantially similar work, reviewing statistically significant differences in pay earned by men and women after controlling for factors such as job level, career stage and location. We identified opportunities in four groups where colleagues perform similar work and the company has already undertaken improvements. We continue to monitor gender diversity and pay equity across the organization with an ongoing commitment and recurring analyses to uphold our standards. Greif continues to educate and equip leaders to make objective pay decisions in line with Greif’s pay policies in order to sustain the gains in 2020 and prevent future pay inequities.

In the United States, we are partnering with universities and national institutions to attract a more diverse candidate pool. Throughout 2020, we attended virtual career fairs and other virtual platforms to increase our exposure in regions where we do not have a physical presence. As we roll out our global talent management platform, we are more readily able to monitor and improve the diversity of our talent pipeline during recruitment, performance development and succession planning.

In 2021, all colleagues at the manager level and above will be required to attend unconscious bias and inclusive leadership training through Greif University. Our inclusive leadership training has been developed by a global, third-party vendor and will be delivered by regional facilitators. This regional approach will tailor the program to how biases show up in each region and account for cultural demographics and other regional specifics.

Goals & Progress

Greif's current Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goal is: Using a fiscal year 2017 baseline, increase the proportion of women in management positions by 25 percent by the end of fiscal year 2025.

In 2020, 16 percent of our management level colleagues identified as women, down from 17 percent in 2019. We continue to leverage our Leadership Council and the GWN to reinforce the importance of creating a diverse pipeline of talent and ensuring we attract and retain female leaders across Greif. We are leveraging our CRGs to tap into professional networks and associations that can broaden our recruiting strategies and will continue to educate our leaders through our Inclusive Leadership Learning journey.