Our Response to Recent Events

June 11, 2020

To Church & Dwight Team Members:

Usually, my weekly note addresses how we are coping with the pandemic. This crisis has brought out the best in us. We were quick to lend a hand when the virus hit. We supplied masks and hand sanitizers to hospitals, gave money to food banks, helped local restaurants with gift certificates and donated our products to many local organizations that needed our help.

Now, there is another crisis.

Earlier this week, I sent a note to 175 leaders at all global sites regarding the turmoil that erupted in the U.S. with the death of George Floyd. Today, I am speaking to all Church & Dwight team members.

I have often said that Church & Dwight is a wholesome company filled with good and decent people who know right from wrong. By now, we have all watched the video of the death of George Floyd. Many of us feel a sense of shock, anger, sorrow and frustration at what we saw. Our Church & Dwight family, the Black community and all people of color are hurting deeply right now. We stand together.

The death of George Floyd is only the most recent incident of racial injustice and has ignited an outcry responding to decades of racial inequality. Now is a good time for people to peacefully make their point of view known. Church & Dwight stands against racial injustice. There is no middle ground.

So what can we do?

We can work hard to create a culture of belonging within Church & Dwight. During employee meetings over the past two years, you have heard me talk about the importance of diversity to our Company and to me. At Church & Dwight, we appreciate our differences such as race, gender, age, education, what country we came from, and on what side of the tracks we grew up. To ensure this is a priority, I will take a close look at our diversity and inclusion policies and practices. I will lead that evaluation and will seek the advice of experts in the field and you, our employees. While you may notice some changes in the near term, this is a long-term commitment to a meaningful and actionable approach to diversity and inclusion.

We can also help by donating money. Today, Church & Dwight is contributing $500,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to support the important work they are doing for racial justice.

Let's continue to support racial justice, diversity and inclusion in our conversations and in our deeds, both inside and outside of our Company. It is what good and decent people do. It is who we are.

These are difficult times. Let's all hope that out of this tragedy comes real change.

Thank you for your commitment to each other, and to Church & Dwight.