The EDGE Certified Foundation has introduced EquiNations, a traffic-light system of regulatory requirements and other indicators related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the 20 countries where most of the EDGE Certified organizations are located.
EquiNations highlights in a visual and impactful way the complexities of the DEI landscape; not a single country achieves a ‘green’ across the board and even within the European Union, there are varying levels of progress. There is clearly more work to be done. And yet there is a truth just as strong as the desire for forward movement: legislation, particularly the Equality and Diversity Law, is, in and of itself, a useful tool for DEI progress – for increased transparency and increased accountability.
Mandated DEI reporting and other DEI compliance requirements help to put DEI on the priority list for organizations. It is a topic that can no longer be ignored unless you want to be confronted with the fines associated with non-compliance as well as the negative impact on the reputational value of being the organization at the back of the crowd!
With the increasing regulatory pressure in the EU and heightened transparency regulations across the globe, DEI compliance is unavoidable. EDGE Certification®, powered by EDGE Empower®, can help your organization meet its legal obligations and demonstrate commitment to DEI to internal and external stakeholders.
With the increasing regulatory pressure in the EU, DEI compliance becomes top of mind for organizations and their leaders.”
Future-proof your organization from regulatory changes
Being EDGE Certified means effectively future-proofing your organization. It means having the support to remain compliant in a fast-changing regulatory landscape. Moreover, as EDGE Certification® is independently verified by third-party auditors, it means applying the same discipline and rigour to DEI compliance as you do to other business-critical requirements.
We know that companies have limited resources. We know that they must comply, get the job done and show progress. We also know how important it is for them to choose those instruments that allow them to fulfill all these objectives and navigate themselves through a minefield of changing regulations.
That is why we exist. EDGE Certification® is a voluntary marketplace mechanism – a critical instrument that EDGE Certified organizations can use to demonstrate both regulatory DEI compliance and their proactive commitment to DEI while credibly communicating their journey towards DEI maturity.
Leading the way for DEI compliance
EDGE Certification® is the leading global standard for DEI. This can be evidenced in many ways, not least in how it aligns with EU legislation such as mandated quotas and pay equity reporting. In fact, it was aligned with the EU directive around pay transparency – which requires organizations with a pay gap of more than 5% to conduct a joint pay assessment with workers’ representatives – even before it came into effect in April 2023.
EDGE Certification® is also already integrated into key indices and used by ESG and DEI think tanks and thought leaders across the world:
- EDGE Certification® enables compliance with 13 of the 17 ESRS S1 indicators of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
- EDGE Certification® ensures compliance with the EU Directive on Pay Transparency
- EDGE Certification® enables compliance with over 90% of the requirements of the Spanish Royal Decrees 6/2019, 901/2020, and 902/2020 on equal treatment and opportunities between women and men in employment and occupation
- EDGE Certification® enables compliance with over 80% of the requirements of the UNI/PdR 125:2022 on gender equality
- EDGE Certification® is an approved gender audit for the Equileap Gender Equality Scorecard™
- EDGE Certified Foundation methodology powers many of the questions in the annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) that forms the foundation for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI)
- The EDGE Unexplained Gender Pay Gap Analysis Method is a scientifically rigorous and legally compliant method for assessing pay equality in Switzerland, in accordance with the Swiss Gender Equality Act (GEA).
- See our full list of strategic partners
We’re also honoured that Billie Jean King, tennis legend and gender equality campaigner, is an EDGE Certification® ambassador – supporting EDGE to deliver lasting change in workplace and intersectional equity.
Join over 750 large organizations in 65 countries across 41 industry sectors that have achieved EDGE Certification® at one of the three levels. Our distinguished roster of clients includes IFF, L’Oréal, Chevron Corporation, Allianz SE, Moncler S.p.A., Lavazza S.p.A, the World Bank Group, and the International Monetary Fund. Interested?
Talk to an expert
Wherever you are in your DEI journey, whether at the very beginning or further along, EDGE Empower® helps accelerate your progress, and through EDGE Certification® visibly prove it – applying the same discipline and rigour that you would to other business-critical missions. Learn more by booking an introductory meeting today.
