Mastercard
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

Michael Miebach

Chief Executive Officer, Mastercard

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We believe it is vital to state clearly to the world the set of our beliefs about Inclusive Capitalism. As such, we start with our Statement of Guiding Principles for Inclusive Capitalism. Knowing that words alone are not enough, each of us is making a series of commitments about how we will operate our institutions so that they help achieve Inclusive Capitalism. These commitments are forward-looking statements based on current goals, expectations and assumptions, which are not guarantees of future performance. For more information, please refer to our Terms of Use

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Summary

Mastercard is promoting gender equality by building STEM knowledge and develop critical skills that girls need, and spark their curiosity in STEM by continuing our signature STEM program, Girls4Tech™, to reach five million by 2025.

Activities & Initiatives

Build foundational STEM knowledge and develop critical 21st century skills that girls need for their studies and career success, and spark their curiosity in STEM

Measures & Targets

After Mastercard’s signature STEM program, Girls4Tech™ reached its initial goal of educating one million girls, the program has a new ambition to reach five million girls by 2025.

How Girls4Tech reaches future STEMinists:

  • Announced a new partnership to create a Girls4Tech digital curriculum with Discovery Education — the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms — to reach 1.6 million girls by 2023.
  • Partnering with other global and national organizations such as Scholastic, AIF, Major League Baseball, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), R&A, YCAB in Indonesia and Arus in Malaysia to further scale the program and offer STEM skills in unique ways to girls ages 8-16.
  • Adding new curriculum to give students deeper exposure to the growing fields of cybersecurity and AI.
  • Launching new programs like Girls4Tech 2.0 for girls ages 13-16, and Girls4Tech & Code, a 20-week coding program for girls 8-10.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

Mastercard is committed to supporting the search for a COVID-19 cure and aiding small businesses and financially vulnerable communities worldwide by committing up to $300 million in the fight against COVID.

Activities & Initiatives

Community and Social Vitality: COVID-19 Response Supporting the search for a cure and aiding small businesses and financially vulnerable communities around the world

Measures & Targets

Mastercard has committed up to $300 million in the fight against COVID-19. These funds are supporting the search for a cure and will aid small businesses and financially vulnerable communities around the world. The following are a few of our key commitments:

  • We committed $250 million in financial, technology, product and insight assets over the next five years to small businesses in the United States and other markets where we operate, supporting the financial security and vitality of businesses and their workers.
  • $25 million seed money to establish the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome to speed the development of and access to therapies.
  • Mastercard is offering free cyber vulnerability assessments and identity theft protection to businesses, as well as free cybersecurity rating assessments for all healthcare organizations, in partnership with RiskRecon (a Mastercard company) and the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (H-ISAC).

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

In 2018, Mastercard committed $500 million to inclusive growth from the 2017 tax relief act benefit. This commitment led to the creation of the Mastercard Impact Fund. As of June 2020, the Fund has committed over $155 million in grants.

Activities & Initiatives

Community and Social Vitality: Inclusive Growth The Impact Fund aligns its strategic grant making against four priorities:
  1. Creating pathways for people to become financially secure
  2. Promoting inclusive economic development to help communities thrive
  3. Developing actionable insights on the future of workers
  4. Advancing data for good to tackle the world’s most pressing issues

Measures & Targets

In 2018, Mastercard committed $500 million to inclusive growth from the 2017 tax relief act benefit. This commitment led to the creation of the Mastercard Impact Fund. As of June 2020, the Fund has committed over $155 million in grants.

The Impact Fund aligns its strategic grant making against four priorities:

  1. Creating pathways for people to become financially secure
  2. Promoting inclusive economic development to help communities thrive
  3. Developing actionable insights on the future of workers
  4. Advancing data for good to tackle the world’s most pressing issues

Examples of philanthropic grants made by the Impact Fund toward these four priorities and across diverse geographies include:

Financial Security: A partnership with Accion International to empower strivers (high potential microentrepreneurs with the potential to grow and create jobs) to reach their full potential through the use of digital services and training. The grant will also help support the modernization of 7 financial service providers that serve low-income consumers to help them reach up to 8 million people and 3 million strivers over the next four years. To-date, countries in which Accion will execute this work includes Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia and Nigeria.

Economic Development: A partnership with Accelerator for America to help realize its goal of helping 50 U.S. Mayors drive investments into economically distressed communities using insights from public and private data sources. Additionally, Mastercard has provided in-kind support in the form of data expertise and the Inclusive Growth Toolkit (a new Mastercard product), along with research, supported by the Impact Fund, from the Brookings Institution on the relationships among geography, industry and skills.

Future of Workers: The launch of Mastercard Academy 2.0, a flagship skilling program that bundles the expertise, assets, and philanthropic investments of the company to provide 100,000 Indonesians with technology skills by 2022. The academy will encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM via Mastercard’s Girls4Tech program; provide young adults with cybersecurity certification and job placement support; help entrepreneurs protect their assets through a cybersecurity toolkit; and provide mid-career professionals with access to industry experts.

Data for Good: A $50MM collaborative co-funded with the Rockefeller Foundation to create a new field of data science for social impact that will build the capacity of non-profits to use data insights for improved decision-making and service delivery. The grant currently supports DataKind, a global non-profit committed to helping social impact organizations scale their impact through the use of data insights; and Benefits Data Trust, which seeks to improve health and economic mobility for at least 5 million low-income people in the United States.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

Five years ago, we made a commitment to bring 500 million financially excluded individuals into the digital economy. Having achieved that goal, we’re focused on extending our commitment, with plans to bring in a total of a billion individuals by 2025

Activities & Initiatives

Community and Social Vitality: Financial Inclusion

Measures & Targets

Five years ago, we made a commitment to bring 500 million financially excluded individuals into the digital economy. Having achieved that goal, we’re focused on extending our commitment, with plans to bring in a total of a billion individuals by 2025.

Alongside that, we committed to helping 50 million micro and small businesses with a direct focus on providing 25 million women-owned and -run businesses with solutions that can help them grow their businesses.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

Mastercard is committed to clean energy by purchasing 100% renewable electricity for all our global operations.

Activities & Initiatives

Mastercard is committed to purchasing 100% renewable energy for all global operations.

Measures & Targets

In April 2020, Mastercard joined RE100. In support of this effort, we are committed to purchasing 100% renewable electricity for all our global operations and lessen our dependence on unbundled renewable energy credits by investing in new renewables projects that actually bring more power onto the grid.

We’re making powerful strides toward that goal by expanding our onsite solar footprint at our owned and operated data centers. In 2019, Mastercard generated over 2,600 MWh of renewable energy through solar panels.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

Pay equity: Our aim is to achieve parity across all measures.

Activities & Initiatives

Pay equity: Our aim is to achieve parity across all measures.

Measures & Targets

Pay equity: Our aim is to achieve parity across all measures.

Gender pay equality (%): In 2019, our assessment and validation process found women at our company earn $1.00 to every $1.00 men earn, based on our latest analysis of employees at the same level, doing the same role. The median pay for women globally is 92.2% of the median for men.

Racial pay equality (%): In the US, employees of color earned $1.006 compared to every $1.000 earned by Caucasian employees. The median pay for people of color is 93.0% compared to the median pay for Caucasians in the U.S.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

We commit to uniting corporate sustainability efforts and making meaningful investments to address climate change by pledging to plant 100 million trees over 5 years.

Activities & Initiatives

Pledge to plant 100 million trees over 5 years

Measures & Targets

Together with partners who share a commitment to doing well by doing good, the Priceless Planet Coalition, created to unite corporate sustainability efforts and make meaningful investments, is pledging to plant 100 million trees over five years.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

We are committed to ethical behavior by training every employee on the Mastercard Code of Conduct, anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, and workplace conduct issues like sexual harassment and discrimination.

Activities & Initiatives

We are committed to ethical behavior by training every employee on the Mastercard Code of Conduct, anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, and workplace conduct issues like sexual harassment and discrimination.

Measures & Targets

Anti-corruption: The Ethics and Compliance system includes a mandatory compliance training curriculum with a two-year rotation of more than 10 courses. Every employee is trained on the Mastercard Code of Conduct, anti-money laundering, anti-corruption as well as workplace conduct issues like sexual harassment and discrimination. We comply with anti-corruption laws around the world. We have implemented training and internal controls to proactively manage corruption risks, wherever they arise. We have developed an innovative compliance platform to allow us to regularly monitor compliance with anti-corruption procedures across our global operations, and each year we conduct a comprehensive anti-corruption risk assessment.

Protected ethics advice and reporting mechanisms: An independent third party hosts our Ethics Helpline, a mechanism for employees, contingent workers, third parties and the public at large to report potential violations of law, our Code of Conduct, other company policies or our Franchise rules.

Alignment of strategy and policies to lobbying: Mastercard is committed to engaging appropriately in the political process and policy arena in a manner that informs and affects the debate concerning issues related to our business, investors and customers including but not limited to payment system innovation, data privacy, the regulation of digital transactions, taxation and other issues disclosed in the company’s public filings. For more information on our oversight, policies and lobbying disclosure reports, please see our Political Activity and Public Policy Statement.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

We are committed to continually engaging with a variety of stakeholders to better understand their views and sustainability concerns.

Activities & Initiatives

We are committed to continually engaging with a variety of stakeholders to better understand their views and sustainability concerns.

Measures & Targets

We are committed to continually engaging with a variety of stakeholders to better understand their views and sustainability concerns.

Employees: We maintain continuous engagement with our people through a variety of channels, including town halls, digital and face-to-face communications, and intranet communications. Feedback is encouraged through the Experience Survey, manager dialogue and our Ethics Helpline.

Financial institutions, merchants and consumers: We provide financial institutions with solutions to help them increase revenue by driving preference for our products. We help merchants, financial institutions and other organizations by delivering data-driven insights and other services that help them create and grow simple and secure customer experiences. For consumers, we provide faster, safer and more convenient ways to pay and transfer funds.

Suppliers:  We work closely with our suppliers to ensure that we can source responsibly and conduct business with integrity. Our suppliers are expected to comply with the high standards of ethics communicated in our Supplier Code of Conduct and promote these standards within their own supply chains. We also engage and support our suppliers in managing, reporting and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

Community and nongovernmental organizations:  Mastercard is involved in several partnership efforts with community organizations and NGOs on issues relevant to their organizations and our business, including financial innovation, financial education, philanthropy and academic research.

Government and regulators: We help national and local governments drive increased financial inclusion and efficiency, reduce costs, increase transparency to reduce crime and corruption, and advance social programs. We also advocate for public policy issues that are significant to our business and our ability to serve our customers by educating and providing context to key decision-makers in government.

Shareholders: We engage with the investment community through direct meetings, regional roadshows, earnings calls and investor conferences.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

We are enhancing our end-to-end talent program to ensure we’re recruiting, developing and retaining black employees at ever level. We have committed to growing our Black leadership at the VP-level and above by 50% by 2025.

Activities & Initiatives

We are enhancing our end-to-end talent program to ensure we’re recruiting, developing and retaining black employees at every level.

Measures & Targets

We are enhancing our end-to-end talent program to ensure we’re recruiting, developing and retaining black employees at every level. We have committed to growing our Black leadership at the VP-level and above by 50% by 2025.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

Approved by the Science-Based Targets (SBT) initiative, which aligns to a 1.5 degrees Celsius climate trajectory, Mastercard's target is a 38% absolute reduction in scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and 20% reduction in scope 3.

Activities & Initiatives

Reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions

Measures & Targets

Greenhouse gas (GHG) Emissions: We report our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions annually in our Sustainability Report and through the CDP Climate Change questionnaire.

Science-based target to reduce GHG emissions: Approved by the Science-Based Targets (SBT) initiative, which aligns to a 1.5 degrees Celsius climate trajectory, our target is a 38% absolute reduction in scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 from our 2016 base year, and a 20% reduction in scope 3 emissions over the same period. Supplier Engagement Goal: Engage with suppliers that contribute 75% of Mastercard’s Supply Chain GHG Emissions by 2025 with a baseline year of 2016 (0%).

TCFD Aligned Reporting: We are committed to undertaking the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures for enhancing our climate disclosures.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

For the second year, we increased and met our goal for waste diversion, achieving 80% for 2019 in three U.S. offices. We’ve increased that goal to 85% waste diversion in 2020, with an eventual end goal of zero-waste in our owned facilities in the U.S

Activities & Initiatives

Waste diversion

Measures & Targets

For the second year, we increased and met our goal for waste diversion, achieving 80% for 2019 in three U.S. offices. We’ve increased that goal to 85% waste diversion in 2020, with an eventual end goal of zero-waste in our owned facilities in the U.S.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

We are expanding our annual spending with Black suppliers by more than 70% to $100 million annually by 2025.

Activities & Initiatives

We are ensuring even more of our resources are directed to minority-led companies around the world.

Measures & Targets

We are ensuring even more of our resources are directed to minority-led companies around the world. We are expanding our annual spending with Black suppliers – including manufacturers, service providers and law firms – by more than 70 percent to $100 million annually by 2025.

SDG Focus Area(s):

Summary

We have pledged to invest $500 million in Black communities over the next five years.

Activities & Initiatives

Investing in Black communities by focusing on three areas: expanding city programs to support black communities, affordable financial tools and services, and capital and resources for Black-owned businesses.

Measures & Targets

We have pledged to invest $500 million in Black communities over the next five years by focusing on three areas: expanding city programs to support black communities, affordable financial tools and services, and capital and resources for Black-owned businesses.

As an extension of this commitment, Mastercard, in partnership with the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) will support the economic resilience of 300 Black-owned small businesses in St. Louis through the development and deployment of “virtual Chief Financial Officer (CFO)” technology designed to specifically address gaps in cash flow and liquidity and equip Black-owned small businesses with the digital tools to efficiently absorb and deploy the capital they receive. By piloting this technology platform with Black-owned small businesses in St. Louis, Mastercard and partners will utilize their extensive existing network in the city and develop a technology scalable to Black communities and other communities of color throughout the country.

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