Advancing Gender Equity in European Logistics: An Opportunity for Change
new joint taskforce on women in logistics
The World Economic Forum’s projection of 132 years to close the global gender gap serves as a wake-up call for action within the European logistics industry. While achieving a balance between men and women is crucial for organizational success, the logistics sector remains predominantly male-dominated.
Diverse Logistics, Enhanced Performance
The taskforce firmly believes that increasing diversity in logistics will not only enhance organizational culture and performance in the sector but also address specific industry challenges, including driver shortage, labor gaps, and the need for greater female representation in leadership.
Collaboration for Change
Dow and H.Essers have joined forces to accelerate change following Dow’s roll out of Supplier Diversity Strategy aimed at diverse spend growth. Dow and H.Essers (a certified female-owned company), have presented this initiative to industry associations such as ECTA and CEFIC within the chemical logistics sector believing that this is a sector wide opportunity.
Cross-Industrial Momentum
Since then, several major industry leaders from both the chemical and logistics sectors have volunteered to contribute actively. Together we are forming a cross industry platform that is a living example of Co-opetition (look at #2: 10 key takeaways from Davos 2024 (mckinsey.com), we recognize the urgency of creating a burning platform for change across the entire logistics industry. Our vision is to establish a consortium— a relevant platform that increases awareness, inspires others, and advocates for gender parity in the chemical logistics industry.
Male-Female Parity
The taskforce´s focus is on achieving male-female parity in European logistics. We start with small steps, ensuring gradual progress and sustainable change. To drive this transformation, we adopt a strategic approach: data-driven top-down awareness, followed by bottom-up action plans and a commitment to optimizing conditions that promote diversity while creating an inclusive and thriving logistics ecosystem!
