Reckitt's Approach to Gender Equality in Supply Chain

Reckitt is a global company that exists to protect, heal, and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. They believe that access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness, and nourishment is a right, not a privilege. Reckitt is the company behind some of the world’s most recognizable and trusted consumer brands in hygiene, health, and nutrition, including Air Wick, Calgon, Cillit Bang, Clearasil, Dettol, Durex, Enfamil, Finish, Gaviscon, Harpic, Lysol, Mortein, Mucinex, Nurofen and more. They have over 43,500 employees of 120 different nationalities, operating in 60 countries, across six continents. They focus on diversity and inclusion because it’s the right thing to do – not just for their company, but for society. It makes them a stronger company and connects them to the diverse communities they service all over the world.

Reckitt, a global company with over 43,500 employees of 120 different nationalities, operating in 60 countries, is committed to diversity and inclusion. They believe it is their collective responsibility to build inclusion into everything they do, representing their people and the global community they serve. However, given the scale of their global supply chain and its structural gender inequalities, they faced a challenge. They wanted to identify and address the barriers to gender equality within their supply chain. The goal was to use the insights gained to drive change and promote gender equality within their supply chain.

To tackle the challenge, Reckitt approached the Oxfam Business Advisory Service, an organization that supports companies to improve their impact in global supply chains through positive business practices. They focused on collecting gender data to gain vital insights, using this data to draw conclusions, and take action with any suppliers that needed to make changes to their practices. As members of Sedex, Reckitt used the Sedex platform to access gender data from the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and Gender Data Report. This report helped Reckitt to assess, monitor, and understand where they needed to take action to tackle inequalities. Oxfam conducted an assessment providing recommendations for how Reckitt can embed data collection points into their supply chain activities. This allowed them to clearly view and analyze gender data and demonstrate how they are supporting women in supply chains. Oxfam also provided training to deepen Reckitt’s understanding of the underlying causes of gender inequality, the opportunities and barriers to women’s empowerment, and explore how data can be used to identify and increase awareness of gender issues within the supply chain.

• Reckitt's approach to addressing gender inequality in their supply chain has led to a more diverse and inclusive supply chain. This is not only the right thing to do, but it also creates a whole host of business and wider societal benefits. These include increased innovation, productivity, supply chain resilience, and reduced socio-economic inequality, creating more stable, cohesive communities. The company is now able to apply a gender lens to every policy area, driving equality and change within their supply chain. They are also engaging with and educating their suppliers so they understand the benefits of collecting data and aligning their activities.

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