community

Diversity, Equality, Equity & Inclusion begins with acknowledging that disparities do exist. We acknowledge this reality and want to be a part of the solution.

What is our aspiration?

Community, integrity, freedom, and being genuine are the values of our business and the compass that guides what we do every day. With these values in mind, we are committed to doing our part to help create a world that embraces individuality through respect, acceptance, representation, and empowerment. It is not just about doing the right thing. This commitment is fundamental to who we are and is integral to who we want to be in the future. We believe celebrating diversity leads to more imaginative design as well as more inclusive and innovative business practices. Most importantly, inclusion leads to more authentic relationships with our team, partners and customers.

Our ultimate ambition is to be, a preferred place to work for all, regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or ability, and an ally for social change and representation within the local and global communities in which we operate.

Where are we on our journey?

We are moving forward with a pledge to drive impactful and lasting change. We recognize that we still have a lot of work to do, but we are committed to the journey.

Below Are Some Of Our Early Efforts:

Learning and Dialogue

We acknowledge that becoming a true ally and supportive voice for Diversity, Equality, Equity and Inclusion (DEEI) requires us to continue to build from the inside out.

Across our senior management team, 60% self-identify as female, including a female CEO and CFO. Two members self-identify as a member of visible minorities, and another self-identifies as a member of the LGBTQ2S+ Community. In addition, we have a Board Diversity Policy in place. Currently, 22% of our Board of Directors is female, and 11% self-identify as a member of visible minorities or a member of other designated groups.

As further steps, we have implemented mandatory baseline educational tools across our organization. We are also an Employer Partner with Canada’s leading diversity and inclusion organization, the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI). This partnership provides us with several benefits that will support us on our DEEI journey, including information, resources, toolkits and educational webinars and support all of which are available to the entire Roots team across North America.

We have also established a cross-functional Diversity, Equality, Equity and Inclusion Council, a broad employee-driven Diversity, Equality, Equity and Inclusion Committee and created a new DEEI Specialist role to progress our initiatives and commitments and facilitate listening and learning within our employee base.

Commitments

We believe taking concrete action is essential to driving change, and as a longstanding brand with nearly five decades of history, we are taking our responsibility of leading by example very seriously.

We have recently signed two extremely important commitments

The Dear Everybody Agreement with the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Centre in support of taking more purposeful steps toward greater inclusivity of individuals with disabilities in traditional media.

The Black North Initiative Pledge in commitment to actively working toward the removal of anti-Black systemic barriers that are negatively affecting the lives of Black Canadians in Corporate Canada.

Charitable Partnerships

We know that the true work in any underserved community is done by passionate community groups with feet on the ground, and we recognize the importance of supporting those who do.

Over the last two years, through a combination of product donations and funds raised through the sale of our made-in-Canada, non-medical face masks, we have donated more than $2 million to many well-deserving organizations. We are proud to be able to play a role in progressing the life-changing work they do.

New Initiatives

New Initiatives

We are excited to be launching the Roots Emerging Creators Project. the Roots Emerging Creators Project is a community-focused designer mentorship program that nurtures and gives exposure to emerging brands led by underrepresented creators. We will be sharing more information about the project and the application process in the coming months.