Global architecture, design, and planning firm HLW has become a twice-recognized recipient of The International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Just 2.0 Label. Developed as a way for organizations to evaluate themselves through a social justice and equity lens for the betterment and sustainability of people, products, and the planet, the certification and its renewal recognizes HLW's continued dedication to cultivating a people-first work environment that celebrates diversity, champions equity, and promotes inclusivity. 

HLW's renewal of the Just 2.0 Label represents an important milestone for the firm and its journey toward continued meaningful impact, and its achievement affirms HLW's commitment to transparency and responsibility at all scales of the practice. 

 “Achieving the renewal of the Just label has been a truly collaborative effort that required extensive teamwork, data gathering, and thoughtful policy implementation. This process has given us the opportunity to continue reflecting on our practices, form meaningful partnerships, and experiment with new approaches. It’s a challenging yet rewarding journey, and one that continues to drive us to improve the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of what we do,” said Anjali Mathai, who helped spearhead the recertification process alongside Lisa Calick, Stephanie Haedrich, and Cristen Colantoni. "As an organization, we want to do our part to create equitable opportunities and contribute positively to our people, the communities in which we live and work, and the world at large.”

In awarding the Just 2.0 Label, ILFI evaluates 22 performance indicators across six categories: Diversity & Inclusion, Equity, Employee Health, Employee Benefits, Stewardship, and Purchasing & Supply Chain. Each indicator is scored on a four-tier scale, which reflects an organization's performance once meeting the baseline threshold. HLW's renewal saw improvements to categories such as Well-Being, Health Care, Gender Pay Equity, and Family/Medical Leave, on top of areas where the firm already achieved the highest score –– including Gender Diversity, Engagement, Pay-Scale Equity, Physical Health, Training/Education, and Charitable Giving.

As HLW looks to the future, the firm remains dedicated to continued assessment and improvement across all the label's performance indicators, in keeping with Just's requirement of recertification every two years.

"Leveraging the Just framework, a key part of improving our inclusivity and equity goals is our planned initiative to strengthen management training. Providing comprehensive training in hard and soft skills is best practice and will ultimately lead to greater empathy and understanding and stronger relationships and role-modeling, as we continue to put our people first,” said Mathai.

For more on HLW and its projects and people, visit www.hlw.design.