Empowering Women Across the Globe

From designers and engineers to supply chain experts and our manufacturers abroad, we believe in empowering each employee and partner to be their best selves. This is particularly important among women in communities where our products are produced.   

Women make up a majority of Nordstrom employees, our customers and the people working in our global supply chain. Because of this, we recognize that women's empowerment is not only the right thing to do, but it's also a business imperative. Our customers want to know the products they buy are responsibly sourced. Our employees want to know their work is meaningful and doing good in the world. And in the factories, we know that when people are happier and healthier, they have increased productivity, retention and loyalty.

Last year, we announced a goal in which by 2023, 70% of all our Nordstrom Made products will be produced in factories that support women's empowerment. We still felt like there was more we could do, so last week, we announced additional goals plus a new, larger goal of producing 90% of all Nordstrom Made products in factories that are investing in women's empowerment by 2025. While we are still committed to achieving our goal with the help of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) HERproject, we are excited to broaden our partnership to include CARE, the global nonprofit fighting poverty and social injustice by empowering women and girls. Both CARE and HERproject are key in carrying out the actual training taking place across the factories to educate women and allies.

But why focus on women's empowerment? According to CARE, there are around 2 billion poor people across the world — women and girls make up the majority. They are not just the faces of poverty — they are the key to overcoming it. When women are healthier, their children and families are healthier. For every year a girl spends in school, she raises her family income by up to 20%. And when women have an income, they invest in their children and families, creating benefits for generations to come.

To help address these needs, we're proud to offer a grant to CARE and will match $25,000 of additional donations made directly to the organization during women's history month. "Partnering with CARE International is an extension of our commitment to human rights and women's empowerment," says Gigi Ganatra, vice president of Public Relations and Corporate Affairs at Nordstrom. "We support women working in global fashion supply chains through our ongoing partnership with HERproject, and by working with CARE, we can help reach women and girls more broadly to find ways to break the cycle of poverty and create dignified work."