Our involvement in the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Ambition Accelerator Programs is informing and advancing our ESG initiatives.
What is the Ambition Accelerator Program?
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Ambition Accelerator Program empowers and equips United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) participating companies to develop and implement innovative business strategies that significantly increase positive impacts on the SDGs. The SDG Ambition Accelerator program is a six-month guided workshop-style program which brings businesses together from around the world in an array of sectors to work on setting ambitious targets and accelerating the integration of the United Nations’s 17 SDGs into core business practices.
Upcoming Participation in the UNGC’s Climate Ambition Accelerator Program
Scientists are observing unprecedented changes in the earth’s climate across the world and estimate that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would reduce the odds of initiating the most dangerous and irreversible effects of climate change. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) asserts immediate, bold, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will limit the severity of global climate impacts.
In recognition that this is a global challenge that requires worldwide public and private sector climate action, the UNGC established the Climate Ambition Accelerator program to equip companies with the knowledge and skills needed to accelerate progress towards setting science-based emissions reduction targets aligned with the 1.5 pathway, and a pathway towards net-zero emissions by 2050.
ASGN is rising to the challenge. We are enthusiastically continuing our active participation in the UNGC through the six-month Climate Ambition Accelerator Program, which started in June of 2022. ASGN understands that engaging in climate action is the best way to build a more resilient business, and healthier communities. Our overarching goal is to contribute to a better and more sustainable future for all.
Results of ASGN's Recent Participation in the UNGC’s SDG Ambition Program
ASGN’s recent Materiality Assessment revealed gender equality and pay equity as our Company’s top workforce concerns. As of December 2021, women make up approximately 43 percent of ASGN’s total workforce and 31 percent of Company-wide senior leadership, while 7 percent of senior executives self-identify as non-white males. In acknowledgement of the need to improve gender balance and reduce inequalities within ASGN, our recent participation in the UNGC SDG Ambition Program (October 2021 – March 2022) focused on Gender Equality (UN SDG #5) and Reduced Inequalities (UN SDG #10). This focused effort led to establishing our Company-wide commitment to increase diversity at the executive levels. ASGN has committed to achieving 40% diversity (including in race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and physical abilities) of senior executives by 2025.
In 2021, ASGN’s recent achievements related to our workforce included
- Increasing the number of women on our newly expanded eleven-member Board of Directors from one to three
- Adopted a Board Diversity Policy
- Actively working on increasing diversity among senior executives, including in race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation and physical abilities
- Stepping up Company-wide support of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). ERGs currently in place or development include those focused on black women, environmental sustainability, experienced professionals (50+), inclusive cultures, interfaith, LGBTQ+, parents and caregivers, military families, women, and young professionals
To further advance our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) progress, ASGN has committed to
- achieving 40% women and diverse people in senior executive positions by 2025
- becoming a signatory to the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) to help guide us toward a more gender equal workplace
- establishing a Company-wide Vendor Diversity Policy to encourage more participation from and support of diverse business (e.g. minority, women and veteran-owned businesses) in our supply chain
For more on ASGN’s UNGC Progress
- See our 2021 ESG Report which, in addition to being an interactive ESG reporting platform, includes our efforts indexed according to standardized frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). We also illustrate how ASGN aligns with the Ten Principles of the UNGC and the UNSDGs.
- In May 2022 ASGN submitted our first annual UNGC Communication on Progress (COP).
- Any questions related to ASGN's ESG reporting or initiatives should be directed to esg@asgn.com