Creating Inclusion and Belonging

This same concept applies inside the company, where we value individuality and encourage our colleagues to be themselves. However, we must acknowledge that the outdoor industry and outdoor recreation has not traditionally been accessible or readily available to everyone. As a 113-year-old company at the center of the outdoor retail industry, we have a responsibility to use our voice, our platform, and our resources to help.

A culture founded on inclusion, respect and belonging is part of L.L.Bean’s heritage and values. Together with our employees, we will stay true to our heritage and values by promoting an inclusive workplace and making the outdoors more accessible to everyone.

We want to ensure that we have an inclusive culture where employees and customers can experience a sense of connection and belonging.

• We continue to expand professional development programs focused on inclusive leadership and understanding and respecting the values and beliefs of different cultures. We also work with experts to deliver Mental Health training to area leaders.
  
• We offer workshops to support employees’ ability to create a welcoming environment for customers and colleagues and have had over 1,200 frontline and customer facing employees participate.
  
• Our brand-new L.L.Bean Headquarters…
  • Prioritizes accessibility and promotes collaboration, innovation and wellbeing through a connection to nature.
    
  • Features expansive views of the outdoors, natural light, indoor/outdoor meeting spaces, indoor fireplaces and outdoor fire pits, national park murals, public trails and a 10,000 square-foot open courtyard.
    
  • Includes accessible parking, entrances and exits, restrooms and showers, as well as 14 quiet rooms and five mother’s rooms.
• Mental and physical health is imperative to our values as an outdoor company – and in building a successful workforce. Employee services and benefits include an Employee Assistance Program––offering free onsite therapy services, hotlines, and other resources to all employees—state of the art fitness centers, free health screenings and more.
  
• Established Employee Business Resource Groups for Veteran, LGBTQ+, BIPOC and an upcoming EBRG for People with Disabilities. These EBRGs are open to all employees and intended to provide connection, development, retention, recognition and celebration of cultural moments, and provide guidance on key business insights.
  
• We will continue to use our platforms and products to represent broader perspectives so that everyone in our community is enabled to comfortably experience the value of time spent outside.

Starting with the original Maine Hunting Shoe, L.L.Bean was founded to enable outdoor experiences for everyone because L.L. himself believed that we are at our best when we are outside. We therefore aim to have a workforce that believes in that endeavor and is reflective of our stakeholders, and an inclusive culture where the most talented people are empowered to do their best work. For more than 113 years it has proven to be what is best for our people and our company.

Through Outdoor Access, we want to enable everyone to experience the restorative power of the outdoors.

In support of our purpose, we’ve invested millions of dollars over the years in a broad range of organizations and initiatives that support outdoor access and community support for all, including:

• In 2024, invested $6.8 million in outdoor programs and community partnerships, enabling hundreds of thousands to experience the restorative power of being outside.
• Continued our support of Mental Health America in funding community programs and grants aimed at creating connection, inclusion, and wellbeing in the outdoors.
• Reached 3.3 million youth at 5,400+ Boys & Girls Clubs of America through a first-of-its-kind Outdoor Social Recreation Playbook and hands-on learning program.
• In 2024, with L.L.Bean’s support through the YMCA and Maine Summer Camps programming, we helped to get more than 8,500 kids to camp and more than 26,000 kids since 2022.
• L.L.Bean’s partnership with Trust for Public Land looks to fund projects in underserved communities that create access to parks or public spaces through the L.L.Bean Community Award. Since its inception, we’ve supported 18 projects across the nation, connecting over 53,000 people to a safe, quality park within a 10-minute walk from home.