At Kontoor Brands, our purpose is to be the common thread that inspires people to live with passion and confidence. To be the common thread, we all must come together – one stitch at a time…just like the products we make.
No matter who you are, where you’re from, who you love, or how you identify, we’re all cross-stitched together at Kontoor.
"The natural connection between Inclusion & Diversity and our business strategy is a powerful one. We’re determined to strengthen that connection, from the way we recruit and develop talent, to the way we show up in the marketplace and in our communities as inclusive brands. Each one of us is accountable to strive to achieve our strategy, measured on our ability to create a growth culture that is worthy of our greatest aspirations."
- Scott Baxter
President, CEO and Chair of the Board
Standing for Inclusion & Diversity isn’t enough. We must take action. In August 2020, we announced our first global Inclusion & Diversity strategy, identifying our areas of focus, setting measurable goals for how we will drive change and detailing actionable plans for how we will get there.
Foster a culture of inclusion and respect that encourages collaboration, flexibility and equity to ensure all employees feel heard, valued and empowered to reach their full potential.
Launch inclusivity training for all global employees in 2020, with 100 percent of senior leadership completing an intensive training program in 2021.
By end of 2020, launch an engagement survey to establish a baseline for culture, sentiment and inclusion measures and areas of improvement.
Recruit, retain and promote from a diverse group of candidates to increase diversity of thinking and perspective.
Reach gender parity at Director level and above by 2030.
Increase U.S. BIPOC1 representation from 38%2 to 50% by 2030.
Increase U.S. Black representation from 11%2 to 16% by 2030.
Increase U.S. BIPOC representation at Director level and above from 15%3 to 25% by 2030.
Drive Inclusion & Diversity through brand marketing, images and messaging.
By end of 2020, conduct a marketing audit of brand content, including online and in-store collateral, and other marketing/ advertising initiatives to establish a baseline of inclusion measures and areas of improvement.
Identify and break down systematic barriers to full inclusion and equity by constantly evaluating and improving our policies, practices and processes.
Commit to annually sharing our progress toward our Inclusion & Diversity objectives.
Driving change starts with providing transparency in where we are in our Inclusion & Diversity journey today. We commit to sharing annual updates with our progress toward our strategic priorities and objectives.
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Category Added in 2021 and baseline data is as of July 2021 (n=2,799)
At the center of our commitment to evolve and grow our company and workplace culture are our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). ERGs at Kontoor are voluntary, employee-led groups that foster diversity of thought, build community, and provide support for professional and personal development. These communities drive initiatives that employees identify, own and execute with peers across the global Kontoor network.
When launching our Inclusion & Diversity strategy last year, we committed to expanding and globalizing our ERG network. To date, we have 15 ERGs across 9 countries. Here are a few activities our ERGs have led over the last year:
