ELC Earns Top Score in Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index

This year marks the 8th year in a row The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has received a perfect score on HRC’s CEI.

ELC has achieved a perfect score of 100 on the 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for the 8th year in a row. This index is a leading survey and report in the nation, evaluating corporate policies and practices pertaining to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. ELC joins the ranks of 545 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.

“The Estée Lauder Companies continues to lead in its efforts to embrace and support the LGBTQIA+ community at our company. We are proud to receive this award for the 8th consecutive year and the 14th year overall. Our wELCome employee resource group (ERG) is a beacon for our employee base, driving efforts in equity, business impact, mentorship, and philanthropy around the world. I’m proud to be one of the co-executive business sponsors of the ERG and lead our corporate efforts with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index,” said Doug Jensen, Senior Vice President, GTM Analytics & Activation and Learning COE, Enterprise Marketing & Data, and the executive co-sponsor of wELCome, ELC’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group.

“For well over 2 decades, businesses have played an important role in furthering LGBTQ+ equality by centering employee needs and voices when it comes to workplace inclusion. While there is much more work to be done, year-over-year growth in CEI participation is evidence of a business community that recognizes the responsibility and value in upholding equity and inclusion,” said RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, Human Rights Campaign Senior Director of Workplace Equality. “Our goal at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation is to work in a spirit of partnership with companies, providing educational resources and leading benchmarking and collaborating on ways for businesses to support the LGBTQ+ community at a time when we face unprecedented legislative attacks, heightened anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and physical violence. The CEI is an ever-evolving tool — a blueprint that companies can use to show up more effectively in supporting their LGBTQ+ employees and their families.” 

The results of the 2023-2024 CEI showcase how U.S.-based companies are promoting LGBTQ+ friendly workplace policies in the U.S. and abroad. The first year of the CEI included 319 participants, and the 2023-2024 CEI now includes 1,384 participants; in addition, a record-breaking 1,340 businesses have non-discrimination protections specific to gender identity, up from just 17 in 2002, which further demonstrates the tremendous trajectory of the CEI. These critical non-discrimination protections cover 21 million employees in the U.S. and around the globe. ELC's efforts in satisfying all the CEI’s criteria earned a score of 100 and the designation as recipient of the Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion.

The CEI rates employers providing crucial protections to more than 20 million U.S. workers and an additional 18 million outside of the U.S. Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms (AmLaw 200), and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.

The CEI rates companies within 4 central pillars:

• Non-discrimination policies across business entities
• Equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families
• Supporting an inclusive culture
• Corporate social responsibility

The full report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.

About The Estée Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products, and is a steward of luxury and prestige brands globally. The company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD, Smashbox, AERIN Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, and the DECIEM family of brands, including The Ordinary and NIOD.

About The Human Rights Campaign Foundation

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public’s understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and, with the firm belief that we are stronger working together, it forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase our impact and shape the future of our work.