Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Building a diverse workforce to serve our diverse global customers.

Highlights

  • Our culture is based on a people focus, enriched by the value we place on diversity, equity and inclusion. Through our strategic mission to create thriving communities, we are focused on creating a sense of community and belonging by welcoming diverse perspectives, ideas, skills, knowledge and cultures throughout our organization and into our communities.
  • In 2022, we expanded our Colleague Resource Groups (CRG) by adding two additional groups, EDGE and PRIDE, bringing our total to six. Approximately 1,000 colleagues participated in our CRGs in 2022.
  • Greif recognizes that attracting and recruiting diverse talent is not enough. Our efforts to grow, develop and engage diverse talent are vital to meeting our long-term diversity, equity and inclusion goals and executing our Build to Last strategy.

Why Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Matters

GRI 3-3 | 405-1 | 405-2
3-3
Management of material topics
 
405-1
Diversity of governance bodies and employees
 
405-2
Ratio of basic salary and remuneration

Greif values diversity, equity and inclusion and welcomes diverse perspectives, ideas, skills, knowledge and cultures throughout our organization. Integrating diversity into our core values and strategic mission fosters inclusive conversations, enabling us to treat our people the right way and expand our perspectives. We are committed to equal opportunity and do not tolerate harassment and discrimination in the workforce.

Greif Core Value: Strong through Diversity
We encourage and embrace our diversity of culture, language, location and thought. Our differences define but do not divide us; our common interests unite us. From the many, we are one: Greif.

Governance

Greif’s success hinges on building a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. With regular support from our Board and Executive Leadership, the Global Talent Center and Human Resources Team drive our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. We built our diversity, equity and inclusion framework using the LEAD model: Listen, Engage, Act and Develop colleagues for the good of Greif and the communities where we operate. That ability begins at the leadership level, which is why our Leadership Council’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team actively develops of our goals and Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs). Greif strongly believes fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace is a shared responsibility throughout the organization. For that reason, we do not have a Chief Diversity Officer or other centralized positions.

Playing a central role in our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are our CRGs. CRGs are composed of Greif colleagues who share or are an ally for people who identify with a defining characteristic, such as gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, generational or other common interests. The groups exist to provide personal or career development support and create a space where colleagues can bring their whole selves to the table in alignment with our organization’s objectives. In 2022, we expanded our CRGs by adding two groups, EDGE and PRIDE, bringing our total to six. Approximately 1,000 members comprise Greif’s CRGs, and all six groups regularly report to the Executive Leadership Team.

Greif’s 2022 Colleague Resource Groups

Group Description Number of Members Primary Activities in 2022
Greif's Women Network (GWN) Mission: A diverse and inclusive network working together to inspire, connect and develop women for the success of Greif.

Vision: To support enhance the experience and contributions of women at Greif, and to elevate diverse perspectives across the organization through gender parity.
316
  • Piloted a cross-company mentorship program for members
  • Launched “Leading Women” Speaker series – and invited three C-Suite level women to speak to members and employees
  • Partnered with other CRGs to offer impactful events and speakers aligned to diversity, personal development or networking
  • Local chapters (APAC, EMEA, LATAM) delivered impactful events and speakers aligned to specific needs of the region
  • Held 2nd Annual Event on gender equity focused on representation, engagement and pay within our organization
  • Donated proceeds from diversity t-shirt fundraiser to local organization whose mission is to empower women to achieve independence by providing support, professional attire and career development tools
  • Held monthly leadership meetings
  • Celebrated International Women’s Day
  • Selected new Executive Sponsor
Black Employees Engaging @ Greif (BEE@Greif) Mission: To strengthen a world-class, diverse, engaged and inclusive workforce to deliver on Greif's strategic priorities through a focus on recruitment, retention, learning and advancement of black colleagues at Greif.

Vision: To help shape a culture that empowers the voices and fosters engagement among black colleagues and their allies at Greif.
168
  • Elected new CRG board
  • Conducted monthly CRG leader meetings
  • Month long interviews of what black history means featuring Greif colleagues
  • Shared several testimonials via Greif News on why members joined BEE@Greif
  • Educational material shared for health-related issues for black colleagues
  • Juneteenth t-shirt contest resulting in Juneteenth t-shirt design, worn across the globe
¡HOLA! Mission: ¡HOLA! is a global community that aims to promote a deeper understanding of the Latino/Hispanic culture and its connection to our Greif family.

Vision: ¡HOLA!’s goal is to make a difference that inspires our colleagues to achieve collaboration and innovation, through promoting inclusion and diversity of Hispanic and Latino cultures throughout Greif. We strive to build an inclusive work environment, in which all colleagues feel proud, with a comprehensive collaborative environment to serve our customers.
169
  • Wellbeing awareness/partnership with Global Wellbeing Committee
  • Diversity weeks to provide awareness across production colleagues
    • Hosted different activities
    • Invited community guess speakers
  • Supported cancer awareness month with local talks and guess speakers and offered free mammograms in Mexico
NextGen Mission: To attract and retain our workforce of the future.

Vision: To develop a supportive network for young professionals and create a culture that embraces their opportunities and ensures that their voices are heard in shaping the future of Greif.
294
  • Hosted inaugural external speaker event, showcasing NextGen’s mission and vision and exploring ‘Gentelligence’ including a conversation with its founder, Dr. Megan Gerhardt
  • Established a CRG automated best practice, New Member Welcome Package. When a colleague joins, they are automatically added to the CRG roster, and they receive pertinent ‘new member’ information.
  • Subsequent to NextGen establishing a focus on sustainability, collaborated with Greif’s Leadership Council to hold a highly attended, actively engaged learning webinar.
  • Explored possibility to automate member reporting solution. This has potential to incorporate New Member Welcome Packages, too.
  • Distributed many promotional videos and communications, spotlighting the purpose of NextGen and providing helpful tips and guidance when holding an annual review for a millennial or gen Z.
  • Collaborated with Marketing department to have NextGen colleagues pilot the ‘Greif Ambassador Program.’
  • Collaborated with total rewards to do focus groups on benefit offerings.
  • Hosted meeting with FY 22 summer intern class to share more about CRGs and get their insight on what is important to them as they look or seek out full time positions.
  • A second subcommittee was created for Talent Attraction. Rather than focusing on organizing events, this subcommittee will focus on tools needed to empower Greif people leaders and individual contributors to better attract young talent and to promote Greif as an employer of choice for the next generation.
  • Connected with Greif HR’s Learning and Development Team to be included in a ‘Know & Grow’ session for Greif University to help further establish the mission and vision of the CRG for all Greif colleagues to view.
EDGE Mission: To build a confident and outspoken Asian community within Greif.

Vision: To provide a platform for members in Asia to achieve full potential and contribute by recognizing and overcoming challenges from globalization and cultural barriers.
93
  • Established CRG
  • Built board and held first meetings
  • Built awareness and recruited members through GREIF news and other events
  • Held launch/kick-off event
  • Had combined “The Culture Map” event with GWN EMEA
PRIDE To develop a supportive network for our LGBTQIA+ colleagues, to deepen our understanding of workplace challenges, and to strengthen a diverse, engaged and inclusive workforce to deliver on Build to Last missions. 55
  • Established CRG
  • Elected new CRG board
  • Held kick-off meeting for members

We are committed to pay equity and pay transparency, recognizing that fair compensation is critical to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. Following the completion of our study of pay equity based on gender, examining the pay of colleagues performing similar work, considering job level, career stage and location factors, we have continued to address pay inequities. We update the business on pay equity as we invest in measures to monitor and progress toward pay parity and reaching our 2030 goal of global gender pay parity. As of our annual compensation review in early 2023, Greif’s unadjusted pay gap is a mere 1 percent. Greif will continue to leverage our Job Catalog, Global Job Descriptions, and pay ranges in all countries and global grades to achieve pay parity.

Greif recognizes that achieving our diversity, equity and inclusion objectives requires attracting and recruiting diverse talent and ensuring we create a culture of community and belonging where all colleagues can learn, grow and develop. Retaining diverse talent is vital to executing our Build to Last strategy. In 2022, we began an analysis to identify challenges and pain points that may contribute to a colleague’s decision to leave the organization, particularly those that identify as women, and updated our succession planning for key positions to include diversity considerations. We are expanding our partnerships with universities and institutions globally as we strive to develop a more diverse talent pipeline. Additionally, Greif’s Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Policy applies to all individuals during the recruitment phase and professional development opportunities.

In 2022, colleagues at the manager level and above (including the Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team) completed unconscious bias and inclusive leadership training through Greif University. Regional facilitators delivered the training and tailored the program to how biases appear in each region while accounting for cultural demographics and other regional characteristics. In 2022, nearly 800 leaders participated in this program, a significant increase from 213 in 2021. In 2023, we plan to continue rolling out diversity, equity and inclusion training to all remaining managers. The training will address unconscious bias, inclusive leadership and our goals. Greif will also facilitate quarterly sessions to provide an open forum for managers to share best practices and their experiences in their day-to-day roles. All Greif colleagues have access to this training. To complement this training, we have also introduced a variety of diversity, equity and inclusion learning opportunities, including guest speaker events and focus groups. Additionally, diversity training is available in Skillport and the upgraded Greif University as of FY 2023.

Goals, Progress & Performance

2030 Goals:

  • Attain global gender pay parity1.
  • Increase the number of female colleagues in our workforce to 25%.
  • Be in the top 25 percent of manufacturing companies globally for female colleague engagement scores, as measured by the annual Gallup workforce survey.
1. We are on track to ensure colleagues receive equal pay for equal work by 2024 and are committed to maintaining gender pay parity.

In 2022, 18 percent of our management-level colleagues identified as women, compared to 16 percent in 2021. We continue to leverage our Leadership Council and the GWN to reinforce the importance of creating a diverse talent pipeline and ensuring we attract and retain female leaders across Greif. We are investing in and leveraging our CRGs to tap into professional networks and associations that can broaden our recruiting strategies and will continue to educate our leaders through our Inclusive Leadership Learning journey.

 

FY 2017

FY 2018
FY 2019
FY 2020
FY 2021
FY 2022
% Women in Management

17.0%

16%

16%

16%

16%

18%

% Women in Workforce*

25.0%

24%

23%

23%

23%

15%

*In April 2022, Greif finalized its divestment of the Flexible Packaging joint venture (FPS) to Gulf Refined Packaging. This divestment is the cause of the decline in % women in workforce from FY 2021 and FY 2022.
Highlight Stories

Inclusive Leadership Training

The Inclusive Leadership Journey teaches people managers and senior leaders at Greif about inclusive leadership. The program covers the foundations of inclusive leadership for global leaders to develop and exhibit inclusive behaviors in the workplace. The training goes in-depth about defining and discussing the impact of unconscious and implicit bias, best practices for inclusion and actionable steps and examining the impact of inclusion. The learning journey includes a confidential assessment of each participant's current level of inclusive behavior and a personalized action plan for implementing key topics. The first iteration of sessions began in October 2021 and continued through April 2022. Plans to resume these sessions and unconscious bias training in 2023 are in place.

Leadership Training
Highlight Stories

Global Diversity Awareness Month

The Greif Women’s Network (GWN) celebrated its ongoing commitment toward progressing our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Journey. The GWN reinforced its mission to foster DE&I by encouraging our colleagues to nominate coworkers as a Diversity Champion because they demonstrate an appreciation of DE&I. We featured each Diversity Champion winner in GreifNews and on the GWN InsideGreif page. Colleagues also participated by giving back through charitable donations. We sold diversity t-shirts through our online store and donated the proceeds to Dress for Success Columbus, a global non-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Through these efforts, the GWN progressed their mission by encouraging diversity in our community.

Diversity Awareness Month
Highlight Stories

Colleague Resource Group Expansion

Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs) are composed of Greif teammates who share characteristics or are an ally for people identifying with a defining characteristic, such as gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, generational or other common interests. In 2022, we expanded our CRGs by adding two additional groups, EDGE and PRIDE, bringing our total to six. EDGE is focused on building a confident and outspoken Asian community within Greif and aims to provide a platform for members in Asia to achieve their full potential. PRIDE provides a supportive network for our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and seeks to strengthen our diverse, engaged and inclusive workplace to deliver on Build to Last missions.

4 Diversity Equity Inclusion Target graphic
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