Last week, news broke that suppliers to U.S. Embassies in the European Union are being asked to certify that their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives do not conflict with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump aimed at casting DEI efforts as legally risky.
EDGE Empower has published and article that provides six important principles and practical steps for EU businesses receiving such demands from the U.S. administration.
Read the article: The U.S. is Trying to Export – tariff-free – Its Anti-DEI Agenda
As we witness this over-reaching from the U.S. authorities, outside of its jurisdiction, on the topic of DE&I in the workplace we wanted to reassure EDGE-Certified and Certifying organizations that the EDGE Standards and Assessment Methodology provide organizations with an effective, and legally permissible (from a U.S. perspective) diagnostic to measure where they stand in terms of being fair, diverse and inclusive workplaces.
We have performed an independent review by a former EEOC Commissioner confirming that the Standards comply with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the U.S. That is, they do not make organizations take steps to inappropriately preference individuals based on protected characteristics. The three core components of EDGE and EDGEplus Standards – the Assessment, the Action Plan and setting Goals, are all legally permissible activities for U.S.-based organizations.
In addition, just last week, ten former officials of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published a letter that explores why DEI practices remain legal and necessary for advancing equal employment opportunity. The letter outlines examples of legally permissible actions that can support a comprehensive approach to promoting equal opportunity, making it a valuable resource for any organization currently evaluating its DEI programs and activities.
This moment of extraordinary overreach by the U.S. government calls not for retreat, but for a clear and principled response. EDGE Certification offers exactly that—a data-driven, globally recognized Standard grounded in objective measurement and aligned with best practices for voluntary sustainability standards.
