OSC2's latest industry initiative is the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Collaborative. A first step for the group includes a 5-minute benchmarking survey to get accurate benchmark data on the current diversity makeup in the natural products industry.

September 17, 2019

3 Min Read
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Natural products industry leaders are asked to participate in a Diversity Benchmarking Survey as part of the work of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Collaborative, a new industry initiative led by OSC 2 . Released during Natural Products Expo East, the short 10-minute survey developed with the help of New Hope Network and Informa Markets is designed for leaders of companies in an industry-wide commitment to the implementation of JEDI principles into our entire food and natural products ecosystem.

The JEDI principles are: Justice is dismantling barriers to resources and opportunities in society so that all individuals and communities can live a full and dignified life. Equity is allocating resources to ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities. Diversity is all the differences between us based on which we experience advantages or encounter barriers to opportunities. Inclusion is fostering a sense of belonging by centering, valuing, and amplifying the voices, perspectives and styles of those who experience more barriers based on their identities.

In a joint statement, “To continue to drive the kind of systemic change toward a vibrant regenerative economy, that you and your business have helped foster, we now turn to issues related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We call it our JEDI mission. But, to begin our work, we must first understand it. That’s why we’re asking for your help in filling out this survey to obtain some key benchmarks in order to understand where we are and where we need to go,” said Lara Dickinson,executive director and co-founder of OSC 2 , and Sheryl O’Loughlin, former ceo of Rebbl, co-founders of the OSC 2 JEDI Collaborative.

Related:Changing the face of natural products’ board rooms

The collaborative’s ongoing projects will include diversity training, webinars and additional resources to advance its industry-wide mission. JEDI Collaborative will launch to industry influencers at Natural Products Expo West 2020. The work is being done with the support of sponsors and an advisory group of peers and experts who believe that “as innovators and leaders in our food and agricultural systems, we have a vital business challenge facing us—a lack of diversity of human ingenuity, perspective and talent. Unless we work to overcome it, we will not be able to forge breakthroughs into new systems, products and services to best meet the demands of our customers in an increasingly multicultural America. With an industrywide commitment to justice, diversity, equity and inclusion (JEDI), we can and will attract the best people, the best ideas, and the best way forward toward a more just and prosperous future for all.”

Sponsors of the JEDI Collaborative include Nutiva, Sensiba San Filippo, Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP, Presence Marketing, Dr. Bronner’s, Rebbl, Force Brands, Kuli Kuli, Once Upon a Farm, and Guayaki.

“At Nutiva, we believe that inclusion is a state of being valued, respected and supported and we're proud to focus on the needs of every member of our extensive community—from our staff, to our farmers & processors—to ensure we don’t disregard or ignore differences, but promote individual awareness for fair practices. We strive to embed these key beliefs at every level of our company to ensure that we remain committed to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion,” said Steven Naccarato, CEO
of Nutiva.

Take part in the Diversity Benchmarking Survey here.

Source: OSC2

 

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