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Equity & Inclusion
We are committed to building an inclusive C&A where everyone can become their best self.
We believe that equity and inclusion are essential for a fair and future proof business.
As a global brand with fashion for everyone, we celebrate diversity and welcome people of all ages and abilities, all genders and sexual orientations, all ethnicities, and from all walks of life.
We are working to create a workplace where all co-workers are heard and valued for their contributions and unique perspectives, whatever their identities and intersections among them. We want C&A to become the employer of choice for equity, and stand for allyship in both the workplace and society.
To date, we have made good progress in advancing women in leadership. Our executive board (EMT) is now led by a gender balanced team. In other senior roles, we are at a tipping point: we have between 36% to 48% representation of women in different parts of C&A business.
However, in reaching intersectional equity and inclusion, we are still at the beginning of our journey. Guided by our 2022-2028 Equity, Inclusion & Human Rights Strategy, we will aim to identify and close representation, pay and inclusion gaps across all genders and other interdependent aspects of diversity.
Our Strategy has five calls to action:
- create diverse teams & representative leadership;
- build up equitable rewards;
- embrace active inclusion;
- promote better opportunity;
- uphold human rights.
We know we are a fair reflection of our diverse society when 55% of our senior leaders are women and non-binary people, and 45% are men, of which in each group at least 55% from underrepresented identities. The latter includes people of African, Asian and South American descent in Europe, people with disabilities, gay, bisexual and trans people and older adults. We know we have made an impact when 100% of our co-workers of all identities feel included at C&A.
Alongside our internal ambitions, we also see a role for our business in helping to uproot inequality in society. Over the next years, our focus across C&A markets will be on improving social mobility. We will support women and youths of diverse origins that face multiple disadvantages. An important part of this is our charitable giving approach, which is embedded in our broader Strategy.
We are passionate about getting better every day. For collaboration and dialogue, please contact us at: equity(at)canda.com.
Together we can create a future where everyone wins.
What is equity?
Equity is when we aim for fairness and justice, in both process and results. We realise that people need different things to succeed. While equality focuses on the sameness of treatment, equity goes further. It recognises that some of us might be at a disadvantage, or face barriers in access to opportunities and resources.
So, with equity, we mitigate social disparities by removing barriers to equal opportunity. An equitable workplace provides fair opportunities based on different co-worker needs, backgrounds and circumstances, so that everyone can reach their full potential.
Why is equity so important for C&A?
We don’t all have the same social or economic advantages in life. For example, where we come from, how our parents lived, or what our social position is; these things affect our access to resources such as education, jobs or housing. Any advantages, or lack thereof, often get passed from one generation to the next.
Moreover, we can face pre-existing barriers. These can also play out in the workplace. For example, some of us are impacted by unconscious biases in hiring and promotions, or lack access to information and professional networks, despite our talent and skills. This affects people belonging to underrepresented and historically marginalised groups.
An approach based on equity is beneficial to all individuals, but it also aims to solve structural imbalances. With our 2028 Strategy, we have started the work at C&A to embed equity in all people and business processes, promoting positive change internally, and within broader society.
What is inclusion?
Inclusion is when everyone can be their authentic self and feel like they belong.
Inclusion means that we create an environment where every person feels valued for their unique qualities and contribution. It means we invite and encourage different ideas and opinions, and we embrace diversity. We make conscious efforts to take everyone into account, and include everyone in our conversations and decisions.
Inclusion is what allows us to leverage our differences, creating a supportive climate where we can thrive – as individuals, as teams, and as a company.
Why is inclusion so important for C&A?
All human beings share a social need to feel included – regardless of how we identify, or whether we belong to a majority or to a minoritised group.
Each one of us has probably experienced exclusion at some point in our life – being left out or not appreciated for who we are. At work, it can show up in different ways. Perhaps we are not made part an important conversation or process, to the same extent as our peers. Or we are given less space to talk in meetings. Some of us are ignored, unfairly rejected or subjected to constant scrutiny.
These experiences undermine co-worker well-being, engagement and motivation. Besides being harmful to the individual, exclusion negatively affects the wider surroundings as well. A team that is not inclusive is more prone to costly errors; it is less creative and innovative, and less productive.
With our 2028 Strategy, we are strengthening a corporate culture where everyone feels included.
