ESG AND DISABILITY DATA WHITE PAPER LAUNCHED BY THE VALUABLE 500 AT WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

• 22% of Valuable 500 companies publicly disclosed workforce representation of disability (self-ID) percentages in FY 2020-21 Annual Reports and Accounts (ARAs), ESG and Sustainability Reports.
• Low levels of disability disclosure and lack of standardised reporting criteria make comparisons between organisations incredibly challenging. Valuable 500 has identified three key levers of change to address these barriers: ARAs & sustainability reports, investor dialogue, and materiality assessments.

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At the World Economic Forum, the Valuable 500 launches white paper entitled 'ESG and disability data: a call for inclusive reporting'. Their work on inclusive reporting has been co-funded and developed with 2 of the Iconic members of the Valuable 500, Allianz, and London Stock Exchange Group, in partnership with Tortoise Media.

Disability inclusion is strikingly absent from standardised key performance indicators through which organisations measure their impact and the value they bring to society.  The exclusion of disability and accessibility from investor-grade environmental, social and governance (ESG) data has far-reaching implications across the landscape of global business because of the size and scale of the population with disabilities.

Oliver Bäte, CEO of Allianz commented; "Traditionally, financial KPIs have dominated corporate reports. More recently, we observe rising interest from customers and investors in a more holistic view of companies' health, including customer satisfaction, stakeholder trust and workforce-metrics. Increased disclosure of non-financial indicators – like the Valuable 500 Disability Inclusion KPIs – drives important corporate change and translates reliably into competitive and financial advantage."

David Schwimmer, Chief Executive Officer at London Stock Exchange Group commented; "With more than 22 million employees represented in 41 countries across 64 sectors, the reach of the Valuable 500 companies is substantial. By adopting and disclosing against the five KPIs proposed in the white paper, the Valuable 500 companies can provide leadership on disability disclosure, acting as a catalyst for the corporate change we need.".

Rhiannon Parker, Chief Innovation Officer at the Valuable 500 commented; "Recognising that disability performance is topical in ARAs & sustainability reports, investor dialogue, and materiality assessments is central to the role the Valuable 500 plays in setting a precedent for disability inclusion in business." 

This report encourages leaders of the Valuable 500 companies to adopt and disclose against 5 KPIs to create a comparable baseline that measures progress on disability inclusion.

Valuable 500 Disability Inclusion KPIs are:

• Workforce Representation
• Goals
• Training
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• Digital Accessibility

The white paper – here

To access the press conference – it's here

Teresa Hutson, VP of Technology and Corporate Responsibility at Microsoft commented, "Microsoft is committed to ongoing and transparent public reporting of disability performance which is a necessary step to addressing the disability divide."

The vision set forth in the white paper can help guide companies on their journey towards more inclusive reporting and is supported by Iconic members of the Valuable 500 including EY, Microsoft, Mahindra, and Sky.

About the Valuable 500 here