Macy’s Commits $ 5 Billion to Socially Responsible Purposes
● Macy’s Inc.’s chief executive officer says how the company is run is just as important as what it sells.
Macy’s Inc. will spend $5 billion through 2025 to support products, programs and individuals working toward sustainability and equality.
The retailer’s new social purpose platform, called Mission Every One, extends “enterprise-wide.”
“Macy’s Inc. has long been a strong partner to the local communities in which we operate. But today, as all stakeholders expect more of corporations — and of us — we are taking steps to strengthen how our work contributes to the common good,” Jeff Gennette, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s Inc., said Tuesday, in announcing the program.
“We are transforming our business from a position of legacy to one of leadership” Gennette said. “In this evolution, how we run the business is as important as what we sell... Mission Every One will be an essential part of how we operate and the decisions that we make. We believe when our business enables everyone to stand in their truth and have a seat at the table, they realize their full potential, which unlocks innovation and progress for all.”
The program calls for increased investment in underrepresented designers, brands and business partners, products, and service providers at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s “to amplify diverse voices, create more choices and expand opportunities for our colleagues, partners and communities.” Brands benefiting from the Macy’s increased investments include Buttah, Oma the Label, The Harlem Candle Co., Alex Woo, Parisian
Pet and Brandon Blackwood, according to a Macy’s official.
A portion of the $5 billion commitment will support retail and non-retail businesses owned by people of color, including “The Workshop at Macy’s,” and will expand the offer of certified sustainable products. The Workshop at Macy’s supports underrepresented suppliers and since 2011 has help grow more than 175 businesses. A new cohort of participants joins the program in April
Macy’s also said that since joining the 15 Percent Pledge in 2020, the corporation carries five times the number of Blackowned brands.
On the sustainability front, the Macy’s sustainability site let is being expanded by 5,000 product pages to widen the assortment across all product categories. The expansion of certified sustainable products will also go beyond third-party certification to include sustainable innovations, specifically in the area of circular solutions that extend the life of a product, and the company is developing “science-based targets” to reduce its emissions and align with climate science guidelines. The company will also conduct worker well-being via social and environmental audits of facilities of “Strategic Tier 1” private brands suppliers, which are those suppliers providing Macy’s with fully made products.
Macy’s has a goal of achieving 100 percent preferred materials in private brands by 2030, which means increasing the use of sustainably sourced raw materials and fibers in its private brand products — including cotton, synthetic and all wood-based materials.
Executives said corporate grant funding has been refocused toward organizations advancing human rights, racial justice, workforce development and economic opportunity, including the Human Rights Campaign, National Urban League, Hispanic Federation and the Asian American Business Development Center. Macy’s previously announced initiatives to become more equitable, including resetting its leadership at the director level and above to comprise 30 percent people of color by 2025, and raising the minimum pay for colleagues at all Macy’s Inc. businesses to $15 per hour by May 1, 2022. The minimum pay rate varies depending on the state.
The company’s recently announced education benefit programs for its employees began this month, whereby Macy’s is investing approximately $35 million over the next four years for high school completion, college prep, English language learning, associate and bachelor’s degrees, bootcamps and professional certificates from a variety of higher learning institutions.
Macy’s will also donate more than $100 million by 2025 to nonprofit organizations that support the emotional well-being and education of underrepresented youth, as well as environmental stewardship, including Girls Inc., The Trust for Public Land, APIA Scholars and The Trevor Project. Donations will be funded through donations and round-up campaigns in addition to corporate grants. Last year, Macy’s donated more than $34 million and volunteered 45,000 hours for community partners.
Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s campaigns for February’s Black History Month raised a combined total of more than $1.4 million for youth education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities partnering with UNCF and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
For Women’s History Month in March, Macy’s customers can support Girls Inc., which provides mentorship to young women, by donating online at macys. com or by rounding up their in-store purchase, up to $0.99. Macy’s also said it’s committed to providing $2 million by 2025 to support programs and scholarships for underrepresented youth in fashion, design and sustainability, and offering mentorship and employment opportunities throughout the business.
Macy’s is investing $500,000 in nonprofits that seek to advance worker’s rights, women’s equality, and conditions at Macy’s Strategic Tier 1 private brands supplier facilities. Among the beneficiaries, the Fashion Makes Change organization, which supports women’s empowerment.