Air Products Receives Highest Rating Possible for 5th Year in a Row on 2021 Corporate Equality Index

For the fifth consecutive year, Air Products (NYSE:APD) has earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. 

The results of the 2021 CEI showcase released today show how U.S.-based companies are not only promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies in the U.S., but the 57% of CEI-rated companies with global operations are also helping advance the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces abroad. Air Products’ efforts in satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria earned a 100 percent ranking and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.

“Every day we strive to build a more welcoming and inclusive workplace. We are pleased to have again achieved a perfect score from CEI, but know there will always be more work to be done,” said Victoria Brifo, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Air Products. “As a company that operates in more than 50 countries, our employees come from all walks of life and nationalities, creating an inclusive environment where feeling that they belong and matter is part of our higher purpose.”

The CEI rates employers providing crucial protections to over 18 million U.S. workers and an additional 17 million abroad. Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly-traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms (AmLaw 200), and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.

The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:

• Non-discrimination policies across business entities; 
• Equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families; 
• Support of an inclusive culture; and,
• Corporate social responsibility. 

To continue its efforts to build a more inclusive workplace, in 2020 Air Products announced a new goal to further increase the percentage of women and U.S. minorities in professional and managerial roles. By 2025, Air Products aims to achieve at least 28 percent female representation in the professional and managerial population globally and at least 20 percent minority representation in the same population in the United States. The measures are increases from 25 and 17 percent (2020 baseline), respectively.

Air Products plans to share progress towards these goals both internally and externally. In its 2020 Sustainability Report, for the first time, Air Products published 2019 metrics on the representation of U.S. minorities and added an additional level of metrics for women in executive roles.  

Air Products’ inclusion on HRC’s “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality” list is the latest recognition for the Company’s efforts to continue to build the most diverse industrial gas workforce in the world. Air Products was also included in Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s (CR Magazine) 100 Best Corporate Citizens List for the ninth consecutive year in 2020.

Additional details on Air Products’ diversity and inclusion efforts can be found at https://www.airproducts.com/company/diversity. 

“From the previously unimaginable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to a long overdue reckoning with racial injustice, 2020 was an unprecedented year. Yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritize and champion LGBTQ equality,” said Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign President. “This year has shown us that tools like the CEI are crucial in the work to increase equity and inclusion in the workplace, but also that companies must breathe life into these policies and practices in real and tangible ways. Thank you to the companies that understand protecting their LGBTQ employees and consumers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do—but the best business decision.” 

The full report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.