The Estée Lauder Companies Stands in Solidarity for the Long-Term

 This letter was shared with Estée Lauder Companies global employees on June 1, 2020.

Dear Colleagues,

This is a devastating moment that speaks to all of us. The outrageous acts of racism, bigotry and violence that we are seeing in our communities have affected us deeply. Black communities in the United States in particular, are experiencing deep pain and emotional exhaustion on top of feeling the disparities caused by the global pandemic. Our call to action is clear. What will define us as individuals and as a company, is how we will listen and then how we will act for the long-term.

Speaking up and speaking out against racial injustice, bigotry and hatred is the first step. Supporting organizations working toward systemic change and justice is another. We will do both, and we will do more.

As a diverse organization we often speak to our values of respect, equality, and inclusion. In this moment, we acknowledge that if we truly want to lead toward a more just and inclusive world, we must do so together through continual outreach and connectivity, sustained dialogue and support. The types of injustices we see highly publicized today, have happened before, and many without the public attention and focus. To prevent them from happening again, we need to listen, hear and understand what our colleagues, our neighbors and our global community are telling us, and join in the movements that aim to stop the repeat of this brutal history.

As a company, we have always focused on the long-term, and we, along with our leadership team, our Board and the Lauder family, commit to you that we will continue to speak up, support and advocate for change and compassion beyond the immediacy of these recent events:

• We will continue to work with our Inclusion and Diversity leadership to ensure broader access to trainings, such as Unconscious Bias. We will also launch a series of open invitation, interactive, virtual conversations to engage our employees on topics of discrimination.
• We will actively fund organizations that are currently helping to bridge community divides and will share specific details of this support as plans take shape in the coming days. 
• Long-term, we will assemble a team of internal and external partners, thought leaders and community representatives to help us stay vigilant, and hold us accountable to building and maintaining a long-term, sustainable plan for change.

This moment requires all of us to reflect and act on how we can do better. To our employees who are in deep pain, we stand in solidarity with you. Know that our solidarity is not fleeting, it is steadfast. We are here with you to listen, to speak up and to act. Our hearts are with every single one of you as we plan for a better future, together.

Sincerely,

William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman and Fabrizio Freda, President and Chief Executive Officer