ESG report outlines strategic framework and current initiatives for ensuring ethical management, promoting a diverse and equitable culture, and implementing sustainable operations
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 23andMe Holding Co. (Nasdaq: ME) ("23andMe"), a leading human genetics and biopharmaceutical company with a mission to help people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome, today published its inaugural environmental, social and governance (ESG) report. The report outlines the Company's strategy and initiatives to ensure ethical management, promote a diverse and equitable culture, and implement sustainable business operations. The full report is available to view at LINK.
"We are proud to put out our first environmental, social and governance report. We are committed to making our product, our community and our company diverse, inclusive and environmentally responsible," said Anne Wojcicki, CEO and Co-Founder, 23andMe. "We will continuously evaluate what we can and should be doing to improve, and we look forward to updating you on our journey."
In addition to its future vision for ESG, 23andMe highlights recognitions of Company leadership in the report, including:
- BioSpace – 2022 Best Places to Work
- Comparably – 2022 Best Places to Work in the Bay Area; 2022 Best CEO; 2022 Best CEOs for Women; 2022 Best Leadership Team; 2021 Best Company for Work-Life Balance
- Fast Company – 2021 Brands that Matter
- Inc. – Best-led Companies of 2021
Additional core elements of 23andMe's ESG efforts include:
Our Practices - Corporate Governance and Business Ethics
Integrity and maintaining high ethical standards is paramount at 23andMe. The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and Supplier Code of Conduct, covering several topics, including corruption, antitrust violations, insider trading, gifts and entertainment, conflicts of interest, and the validity of financial information. 23andMe has also established a Global Anti-Corruption Policy for our employees, and the Company's Audit Committee provides board-level oversight of ethics and compliance matters.
Our People – Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
23andMe is committed to maintaining a diverse, welcoming, supportive culture for all employees. Efforts since 2020 include:
- Development of a dedicated DEI website, which shares annual hiring and staff compensation data
- 23andMe CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki has signed the Disability:IN CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion
- 23andMe worked with StreetCode Academy to offer tailored "exposureships" for high school students in the Bay Area and donated more than 200 laptops to the Academy
Management provides regular updates to the Board of Directors regarding 23andMe's DEI initiatives. In the interest of transparency, since 2021, 23andMe has shared annual hiring and staff composition data on its website and highlighted areas of improvement.
Our Products – Advancing Product Inclusivity
23andMe strives to ensure that everyone who uses its product receives meaningful value, and has an inclusive and accessible experience. As of September 2021, 23andMe allows customers to distinguish between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity within relevant product features. 23andMe has also conducted several initiatives to advance genetic diversity in research, including the Global Genetics Project and the African Genetics Project. As a result, in January 2022, 23andMe added 25 African genetic groups to its ancestry product, benefitting more than 300,000 customers with African ancestry.
Our Planet - Environmental Management
23andMe plans to develop more robust systems to track energy, water, and waste data across the Company's portfolio of properties. The Company's primary non-laboratory space in Sunnyvale, California is LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified with a Platinum rating that features:
- 52 bicycle parking slots
- 102 electric vehicle charging stations
- 40KW solar panel system housed on the roof
23andMe also employs waste minimization and appropriate disposal strategies, and continues to look for ways to reduce the environmental footprint of its supply chain.
About 23andMe
23andMe is a genetics-led consumer healthcare and therapeutics company empowering a healthier future. For more information, please visit investors.23andme.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future performance of 23andMe's businesses in consumer genetics and therapeutics and the growth and potential of its proprietary research platform. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated in this press release, including statements regarding 23andMe's strategy, financial position, funding for continued operations, cash reserves, projected costs, plans, and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words "believes," "anticipates," "estimates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "may," "could," "should," "potential," "likely," "projects," "predicts," "continue," "will," "schedule," and "would" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements are predictions based on 23andMe's current expectations and projections about future events and various assumptions. 23andMe cannot guarantee that it will actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in its forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on 23andMe's forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (many of which are beyond the control of 23andMe), or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and as revised and updated by our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The statements made herein are made as of the date of this press release and, except as may be required by law, 23andMe undertakes no obligation to update them, whether as a result of new information, developments, or otherwise.
Contacts
Investor Relations Contact: investors@23andMe.com
Media Contact: press@23andMe.com
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SOURCE 23andMe Holding Co.
