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:

• Engage Diverse Group to Excellence, “EDGE” (India), is focused on bringing harmony to Kontoor. The group encourages connections through social gatherings, team engagements, virtual yoga, community service and other fun activities.
• The Diversity Networking Association, “DNA” (United States), is focused on creating a culture that embraces our differences, nurtures and attracts a diverse employee base, and guides our brands to help meet the needs of all consumers. This year, the group has been instrumental in leading important conversations around Black History Month, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and other holidays, providing an opportunity for employees to share their personal stories and to hear from outside speakers.
• LGBTQ+ Inclusion for Everyone, “LIFE” (United States), is focused on celebrating, promoting and advocating for LGBTQ+ employees at Kontoor and within the communities in which we operate. In honor of PRIDE Month, the group hosted a T-shirt design contest. The winning designs were featured on shirts which were available for employees to purchase with all proceeds from the sales being donated to a local LGBTQ nonprofit organization.
• WeKare (Hong Kong) is focused on demonstrating our care to the community and the environment by providing Hong Kong employees with a platform to serve in a variety of causes that promote love, sharing and compassion. Through their community service efforts, the group of 60-plus volunteers has distributed more than 1,300 lunch box meals to the underprivileged and collected more than 6,000 masks to provide to those in need in the community.
• For a complete list of Kontoor’s ERGs, click here.