Last Updated:
11/8/20 11:55 AM
overall rating:
keep going
Internal Representation & Support
81%
Public Commitment
53%
External Communication
60%
To evaluate this pillar, we take into consideration a range of factors, including but not limited to:
- Employee representation
- Diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI)
We weigh a company’s degree of public commitment primarily on their monetary contributions to DEI matters or organizations fighting racial injustice.
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Forms of monetary support we look for:
One-off donations
Recurring donations
Grant initiatives
Employee donation matching
Highlights
In August 2020, Pinterest hired a new Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity and appointed a Black woman to the Board of Directors. The following month, the company hired an Asian woman as the Head of Content and Editorial Partnerships, and the month after that, they appointed another Black woman to the Board of Directors. Pinterest has also improved its skin tone ranges to promote inclusion.
Lowlights
Two former Pinterest employees accused the company of racial discrimination. Pinterest's leadership eventually apologized, but only after their initial defensive response asserting that the employees were in fact treated fairly. In addition, while Pinterest now displays considerable Black representation in their social media feeds, this was not the case prior to June 2020.
We scour the company’s website and official social media channels to determine what message they are sending around racial injustice, how they are communicating it, and whether their communications are perceived as genuine or performative.
Public statement: We verify that companies have made a formal statement regarding racial injustice.
Social media: We consider how a company uses their platform(s) beyond performative allyship.
Representation: For companies that have the opportunity to showcase diversity in their feed, we consider whether they have adequate Black representation and BIPOC representation across their models.
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Deep Dive
I. Internal Representation & Support:
Board of Directors:
> 15% Black, 36% - 40% BIPOC, 36% - 40% Women
Executive Leadership:
8% - 9% Black, > 40% BIPOC, 41% - 45% Women
4% - 5% Black, > 40% BIPOC, 46% - 50% Women
Workforce:
An appointed DEI senior leader and/or a dedicated DEI organization
DEI Support:
II. Public Commitment
Pinterest has pledged a donation of 0.1% - 0.9% of annual revenue towards BIPOC communities as a whole (has not specified donations towards Black lives). Additionally, Pinterest has engaged in actions that advance racial justice and/or uplift BIPOC communities, such as sponsorship of individuals who use their platform to speak out on racial injustice. Pinterest is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, people living with disabilities, and Indigienous populations.
III. External Communications
Pinterest has issued a public statement, both on social media and in a public memo, addressing racial injustice that included specific calls to action, and explicitly stated "Black Lives Matter." Since June 2020, 0.1% - 9% of the brand's social media content has been centered around racial injustice with posts seeming performative in nature. While the brand has made an effort to include ethnic diversity, specifically increasing Black representation, aside from a post for Pride, there is little to no evidence on social media of inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community (beyond posting for Pride), people living with disabilities, or a wide range of models with varying body types.
