ACS Statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Respect

Download PDF

American Chemical Society's Statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Respect

Approved by the ACS Board of Directors, August 2021

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is actively committed to cultivating a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and respectful community of chemistry professionals. Diversity, equity, inclusion and respect (DEIR) are among the core values of ACS. Embracing and advancing inclusion in chemistry is one of the goals in the ACS Strategic Plan.

We encourage inclusivity and oppose discrimination in scientific learning and practice based on—but not limited to—race, religion, country or ethnic origin, country of residence, citizenship, language, political opinion, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, economic status and educational attainment. The Society believes that an enduring commitment to diversity enables excellence, innovation, and transformative action by current and future generations of chemistry professionals.

We reaffirm our commitment to an environment where all scientific work is conducted and communicated with integrity, fairness, and transparency at all organizational levels. The chemistry enterprise thrives when we, its practitioners, align all the aspects of our scientific endeavors - including professional interactions and engagement with other scientists, trainees, and the general public - with our core DEIR values and conduct policies. We will not tolerate behaviors that do not align with these values and policies.

To this end, ACS will implement the principles of DEIR within its leadership, employees and membership to build an inclusive community across the chemistry enterprise. We will quantify and monitor DEIR metrics; evaluate the impact of administrative and governance actions intended to enhance inclusion within ACS; and build sustainable processes for addressing inequities in the scientific community.

ACS is not alone in pursuit of these efforts. Supporting material may be found here from other global organizations:

  1. International Science Council’s Statute 7
  2. United Nations’ Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals numbers 5: Gender Inequalities; 10: Reduced Inequalities; and 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.
  3. UN General Comment No. 25 (2020) on Science and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights