The State of Responsibility 2023 | Must Read TABLE 8. How often do your employees participate in DEI training? Quarterly/ more Biannually/ more Yearly/ more Previously Never PPAI 100 Distributors 30% 9% 46% 3% 12% Distributors $250M+ 30% 20% 40% 10% 0% Distributors $50M-$250M+ 26% 5% 47% 5% 16% Distributors $5M-$50M 9% 9% 44% 9% 30% Distributors Under $5M 0% 21% 7% 7% 64% TABLE 10. What percentage of your company’s workforce is made up of women? PPAI 100 Distributors 64% Distributors $250M+ 60% Distributors $50M-$250M 64% Distributors $5M-$50M 70% Distributors Under $5M 82% Chris Huebner, president of Bethesda, Maryland-based Mac Mannes, was impressed that the majority of distributors in every category report that half or more of their workforce consists of women. “I’m pleasantly surprised that number is so high,” says Huebner, hopeful that the trend continues. When dealing with Fortune 500 clients with diversity departments and sustainability groups within their companies, Tate claims they rarely have passion for either effort. “As long as one gives them lip service, they tend to move on,” he says. “Many of our large clients give it lip service as well. Of course, one needs to check all the boxes for sourcing, RFPs, etc., but past that, we still don’t see much interest in the compliance factor. That said, even if we don’t have to comply nearly as much as indicated by clients, we still need to be doing it to be good citizens, stewards of the earth and for so many other altruistic reasons.” TABLE 9. Does your company employ a person or team dedicated to ensuring product responsibility (product safety and compliance such as California Prop 65, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, etc.)? Yes No PPAI 100 Distributors 85% 15% Distributors $250M+ 90% 10% Distributors $50M-$250M+ 74% 26% Distributors $5M-$50M 70% 30% Distributors Under $5M 33% 67% Distributors’ percentages across the board are much lower than suppliers’ percentages, which makes sense considering that the latter are more hands-on in the production process. However, in the promotional products industry, product safety is everyone’s responsibility. TABLE 11. What percentage of your company’s workforce is non-white? PPAI 100 Distributors 26% Distributors $250M+ 27% Distributors $50M-$250M 26% Distributors $5M-$50M 22% Distributors Under $5M 34% Conversely, there’s plenty of room for improvement when it comes to distributors having a diverse workforce. “Clearly, we have a ways to go in the ethnicity department,” Huebner says. Chris Huebner PPAI • NOVEMBER 2023 • 55
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