EMBRACE-ing employees – and the local community

Investing in People is one of Stepan's sustainability priorities and valuing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is a key part of that. At Stepan Company, we are committed to being responsible stewards of the environment and the health, wellbeing and sense of belonging of our employees. This includes supporting employee-created and led Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). This year, employees launched the Empowering Black Resources and Cultural Ethnicity (EMBRACE) ERG.

“We thought now was the right time to ensure there was a safe space for Black employees at Stepan to bring up issues unique to the community,” says Monica Brown, EMBRACE Community Outreach Chair. “EMBRACE is a space where Black employees can be their authentic selves at work. It’s also the literal idea of an embrace – it’s a warm hug that can wrap around you or the community when you need it.”

And it’s not just Stepan’s internal community EMBRACE is reaching. EMBRACE also engages with the local communities in which we operate. That’s why EMBRACE furthered Stepan’s commitment to supporting the Future of STEMS Scholars Initiative, or FOSSI. Participating companies from the chemical industry launched FOSSI in November 2020 to create an avenue for students to enter and succeed in education programs focused on chemistry at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The program also sets up students for success within the chemical industry by connecting students to internships, leadership development and mentoring opportunities at participating companies.  As a member of FOSSI, Stepan provides a first-year student with a four-year scholarship.

But this year, EMBRACE took their support one step further by holding a donation drive for gift cards to major grocery and restaurant chains. "We know that college can be financially hard," Brown explains. "This drive allows our scholars to purchase groceries or go out to dinner. They're busy studying to become the next leaders in the chemical industry. We wanted to make their lives a bit easier by simply stocking their fridge or giving them a few meals off campus."

EMBRACE provided these donations as part of a “Back-to-School” package for the scholars in September. And EMBRACE’s outreach doesn’t stop there – currently, the ERG is cosponsoring a canned food drive for a Chicagoland food depository to help families facing hunger.

Learn more about Stepan’s sustainability priorities, including how we are committed to investing in people. 

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