Diversity, equity and inclusion

As a proud Canadian company, we stand behind and celebrate the incredible diversity found across the country. We strive to ensure that all of our spaces feel welcoming and joyful for people from all walks of life. Through the amplification of diverse voices, and our zero-tolerance policy towards harassment, we support the growth and safety of all our employees and customers, including those who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour), 2SLGBTQI+, and Persons with Disabilities. We firmly stand against any and all types of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other bigoted rhetoric.

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Mission

To intentionally make diversity, equity and inclusion embedded in how we work every day. To create a culture in which every employee feels like they can be their full, authentic self at work, and where our communities feel represented and welcomed with joy.

Our Commitment

Diversity, equity and inclusion are more than words on a page. They are values core to our beliefs. We have made a promise to our communities, our customers and each other to increase our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Creating a culture of equity is not just the right thing to do, it is a non-negotiable priority. We know fostering diversity and inclusion empowers each of us to reach our full potential and creates a joyful and welcoming environment for everyone. We believe Indigo has a unique platform and responsibility to influence and enact positive change. We strive to use our platform for good – to intentionally amplify the voices and stories of our diverse communities.

Our Approach

Real systemic change in the workplace comes from looking inward first. We know that we must create a workplace that is a truly inclusive and safe space for all of our colleagues. Throughout our DE&I journey, we will continue to listen to our employees and customers and learn from experts and our communities to advance the work ahead. We are early in our journey and recognize there is much to be done.

Our Guiding Principles

A diverse, equitable and inclusive culture is good for people, communities, and business. We are on a journey of learning and unlearning. We believe that allyship is everyone’s responsibility. We will build trust with honest and transparent communication. We know that fostering a culture of connectedness and belonging creates community and enables everyone to unleash their potential.

At Indigo, we believe we can effect change and are committed to living with intention for our employees, customers, communities, and planet.

DE&I MEASUREMENT

  • We are proud to be included in the inaugural cohort of 80 organizations to receive our Diversio Certification. This means Indigo treats diversity and inclusion as a key performance driver and commits to regularly collect data on employee experience and representation and implement solutions that address bias and barriers while tracking our progress.
  • We measure our progress in Diversity and Inclusion annually, and work with our teams to enact needed changes. We are transparent with the results, and the overall takeaways.

Employee Training

  • We enhanced our Unconscious Bias offering for all employees. Additionally, all leaders completed Unconscious Bias training, and senior leaders and select teams completed foundational Diversity and Inclusion Learning and Anti-racism training through the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI).
  • We embed DE&I ideology into our training, and continue to update our employee’s learning paths to reflect the values of Canadians.

BENEFITS & FLEXIBILITY

As a key pillar in creating a workplace that’s reflective of Canadian communities, we focus on benefits and work culture that is:

  • Inclusive - We have restructured and broadened our family support options. We know that every family is different, and our benefits need to reflect that. Everyone’s personal journey and needs are different, which is represented in the flexibility of working environments, structures, and support options available.
  • Fulfilling - From impactful employee discounts to expanded days off, we aim to put as much value as possible in our teams’ hands.
  • Expansive - In addition to providing benefits and workplace flexibility that’s reflective of the needs of a diverse array of communities, we have also committed to reviewing and restructuring as these needs grow and change.

Our Culture

  • We are committed to ensuring that our culture is one where every employee feels they can bring their full, authentic self to work; that our workforce is representative of where we do business, including at leadership levels; and those leaders include, empower, and inspire their teams.
  • We are working to embed diversity awareness and inclusive practices into our work culture, ensuring consciously inclusive talent practices, including hiring, talent development, and measuring our progress.

Truth and Reconciliation

  • Indigo has engaged our first Knowledge Consultant to help us build a plan of action with culturally informed support and guidance, and ensure we take important steps of learning and understanding towards Truth and Reconciliation.

Amplifying Voices + Representation

We know that we have a responsibility to ensure our product assortment and marketing is representative of the population we serve.

Based on our commitments to broader representation, we are proud to be the first Canadian retailer to join the 15% Pledge. The 15% Pledge advocates for economic equity by urging major retailers to allocate 15% of their shelf space to BIPOC-owned businesses. For more information, visit 15percentpledge.ca.

As part of the pledge, we commit to take stock of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) authors and businesses we support; take ownership of our findings; and take action to define and publish a plan for growing the share of Black, Indigenous and POC authors and businesses we support to at least 15% over the next several years. We continue to amplify important cultural moments like Black History Month, Pan-Asian Heritage Month, Pride and Indigenous History Month and highlight books by BIPOC authors and other equity-seeking creators year-round. In addition: • 50% of Indigo’s 10 Best Books of 2022 are written by BIPOC authors • 33% of our Authors of the Month in 2022 are BIPOC authors • 42% of our Staff Picks of the Month in 2022 are books written by BIPOC authors To learn more about our 15% Pledge commitments and progress, see our 2022 Impact Report.

Planet

We know that the planet we live on is just as important as the people around us. As such, we’ve made the following commitments to sustainability:

  • To operate with full respect for the planet.
  • To leverage responsible sourcing and product development practices that prolong the life of our products while also minimizing the impacts from our waste.
  • To reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the business to arrive at net-zero by 2035.

Learn more

Community

Indigo Love of Reading Foundation

We believe in the power of education to help create change. For over 15 years, the indigo love of reading foundation has worked to enhance opportunities for students experiencing marginalization. Through their programs they provide schools with the chance to diversity the books in their libraries, enrich their curriculum, and put new books into the hands of children who may not otherwise have access. To date, the foundation has committed $35 million, benefitting over one million students and more than 3,500 high-needs elementary schools.

Since 2017 the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has contributed over $1m to promote literacy within Indigenous communities. Most recently, over $340k in funds from Community Response Fund went to support First Nations, Metis, Inuit families promote literacy while at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. You can help support the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation by donating here.

Additionally, Indigo pledged $100,000 to the Black Youth Helpline, with proceeds from our Antiracist Reading List. The helpline’s mission is to prevent social and psychological breakdown in communities by focusing on education, health, and community development.

We are dedicated to continuing this commitment to promoting equity within the Canadian education system.

For questions or comments, you can connect with the team leading Diversity and Inclusion at diversity@indigo.ca.

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