United States
Joining Forces for Collective Impact: ELC at UNGA and Climate Week NYC 2024
ELC was honored to convene and participate in several events alongside the 79th session of the UN General Assembly and during Climate Week NYC
Company Feature, Oct 4, 2024
As part of our dedication to advancing social impact through strategic, public-private partnerships, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) and our brands such as Estée Lauder, Jo Malone London, and Aveda were honored to convene and participate in several events alongside the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and during Climate Week NYC. We focused on key issues such as closing the gender digital divide, the importance of sustainable operations, mental health advocacy, and areas of collaborative action to help further the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At ELC, we recognize that progress toward a more equitable future for all requires concerted and collaborative action. We’re committed to continuing to listen and learn, leverage our resources, and partner to power new possibilities in our company and the communities we serve.
DESIGNING A TECH FUTURE WITH WOMEN AND GIRLS AT THE CENTER
In 2020, ELC was proud to be a founding partner of the UN Foundation’s Five for 5 Initiative - a convening of private sector leaders dedicated to supporting UN SDG 5 - to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Together, we focused on driving gender equity by advancing women within the workplace, combatting pay disparity, and increasing access to opportunity for women and girls at our company and beyond.
More than 65 cross-sector stakeholders attended ELC and the UN Foundation’s UNGA reception to discuss solutions for closing the global digital gender gap.
As rapid advancements in technology and the rise of AI continue to transform the ways in which we live and work, new challenges continue to emerge and impact the futures of women and girls globally.
According to the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2024, across industries globally, women represent only 28.2% of the STEM-focused workforce, compared with 47.3% of the workforce in non-STEM sectors.
To address this critical issue, ELC and the United Nations Foundation hosted a reception on September 22, convening leaders across sectors to discuss a fundamental question: How do we ensure that we’re designing a tech future where women and girls are at the center, and not on the margins?
Jane Lauder and Michelle Milford Morse
Michelle Milford Morse, Vice President for Girls and Women Strategy at the UN Foundation, kicked off the evening with a reflection on UNGA week and gender inequality in STEM fields.
On behalf of ELC, Jane Lauder, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Marketing & Chief Data Officer, spoke about the private sector’s role in helping catalyze a tech future with women at the center: “We are at an unprecedented moment where, with intentionality, inclusivity, and equity as guiding principles, we cannot only imagine but actively design a future where the list of possibilities for women and girls far outnumber the barriers.”
From hiring power and gender-inclusive workplace policies to platforms and partnerships, the private sector can help close existing divides for women in STEM in several ways. At ELC, we’re proud that 60% of our scientists, engineers, and tech professionals are women, and that women lead all 6 of our global R&D and Innovation centers.
Grounded in optimism, the evening was a reminder of the unparalleled power of collaboration and what we can achieve when we work together across industries to ignite change.
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE FOR A JUST AND RESILIENT CLIMATE FUTURE
Nancy Mahon took the stage during Climate Week NYC’s The Hub Live.
On September 23, ELC Chief Sustainability Officer Nancy Mahon joined the main stage at Climate Week NYC’s The Hub Live for a panel discussion centered on the bold and innovative leadership required to drive climate action in this critical year.
Nancy emphasized the essential role of partnerships with local governments and communities in advancing sustainability initiatives. She underscored the need for collaborative efforts to enhance recycling standards, reflecting our commitment to working together for a more resilient climate future. Nancy also highlighted that to achieve climate goals, it's crucial to facilitate conversations that create buy-in across the business, asking, "How do you double down and create allies within the organization?" Nancy also shared that the company has been focused on measuring and lowering scope 3 emissions, which is a pressing challenge facing organizations today.
Additionally, later that day at The Hub Live, ELC and Nancy hosted an Executive Series roundtable where executives from a range of industries shared their experiences and best practices for setting and achieving ambitious sustainability goals, engaging with suppliers to create meaningful change, and reducing scope 3 emissions.
Al Iannuzzi and Net Impact CEO Karen Johns during ELC's co-hosted event with Fordham's Responsible Business Center and Net Impact at The Nest.
On September 26, in partnership with Net Impact and Fordham University’s Responsible Business Center, ELC hosted a first-of-its-kind event at The Nest Climate Campus that focused on how young people are driving climate action through their careers. In a fireside chat, Al Iannuzzi, Vice President, Sustainability, shared advice on preparing for a career in climate action and emphasized the importance of being proactive and finding opportunities to contribute to sustainability, regardless of your initial job role: “You don’t necessarily have to get a job on the sustainability team. Take a job in supply chain, procurement, or any other department, and then find ways to integrate sustainability into your role. Make friends with the sustainability team and offer to help with projects. This way, you can learn and contribute to sustainability efforts from within any part of the organization.”
ELC was a Gold Sponsor of Climate Week NYC, which the company has proudly supported for 8 consecutive years. Throughout the week, ELC executives participated in several closed-door roundtables and conversations with other corporate leaders and sustainability experts exploring topics such as the opportunities and challenges of decarbonization, the actions corporations can take now to sustain future generations, and how the public and private sectors can work together to accelerate climate action.
DRIVING SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH BRAND ADVOCACY AND PARTNERSHIPS
ELC brands also activated on the sidelines of UNGA and Climate Week NYC, highlighting their commitments to various social causes.
The Estée Lauder brand partnered with Vital Voices to host a reception honoring the next generation of women leaders. The event, which celebrated the brand’s first-ever Beautiful Forces Grants, featured Estée Lauder Global Brand Ambassadors Karlie Kloss and Imaan Hammam.
Aveda President Shane Wolf and ELC leaders joined a closed-door roundtable, with longtime partners Chief Tashka and Laura Yawanawá, which convened cross-sector leaders to discuss the importance of increasing the visibility and amplifying the voices of Indigenous peoples during key global moments like UNGA and CWNYC, while looking at ways to strengthen more intentional resourcing for Indigenous-led projects.
As members of the UNICEF-led Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health – an alliance of private sector companies leveraging their unique strengths to secure investment and action to support the mental health of all children and youth – Jo Malone London participated in two UNICEF events during UNGA week; a roundtable meeting exploring how innovations, investments, and public-private partnerships can improve youth mental health and wellbeing worldwide as well as a panel event discussing the transformative power of creativity and innovation in advancing the mental health agenda.
At ELC, we recognize that public-private collaboration is a driving force behind shaping our collective futures and advancing gender equity and climate action. Moments like UNGA and Climate Week NYC not only create space to facilitate cross-sector partnerships and candidly share learnings and best practices, but also serve as a call to action to join forces and leverage our unique strengths and organizational influence for collective impact.
