Air Products Earns Top Marks for 2018 Corporate Equality Index

Company Earns 100 Percent on Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 16th Annual Scorecard on LGBTQ Workplace Equality

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Nov 09, 2017, 11:00 ET

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Nov. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD), a world-leading industrial gases company, announced today it earned a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

"At Air Products, we have a goal to be the world's most diverse and inclusive industrial gas company," said Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman, President and CEO. "We want to attract and retain the best people and get the benefits of everyone's talents. You can only do that if you create an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and wants to come to work every day and feels empowered to be their best self."

Air Products continues to drive progress through efforts such as its Inclusion Network, a coalition of supportive communities focused on attracting and retaining talent, raising cultural awareness, developing skills, and contributing to the company's diversity and inclusion objectives. The Inclusion Network includes Spectrum, an Air Products Employee Resource Group for LGBT+ employees, that will celebrate its 25^th year of achievements in 2018. Air Products is also a member of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, which includes more than 300 CEOs of organizations pledging to take action to building a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected.

The 2018 CEI rated 947 businesses in the report, which evaluates LGBTQ equality within related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBTQ community. Air Products' efforts in satisfying all of the CEI's criteria results in a 100 percent ranking and the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.

For more information on the 2018 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/corporate-equality-index.

About Human Rights Campaign Foundation
HRC is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading Industrial Gases company in operation for over 75 years. The Company's core industrial gases business provides atmospheric and process gases and related equipment to manufacturing markets, including refining and petrochemical, metals, electronics, and food and beverage. Air Products is also the world's leading supplier of liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment.

The Company had fiscal 2017 sales of $8.2 billion from continuing operations in 50 countries and has a current market capitalization of about $35 billion. Approximately 15,000 passionate, talented and committed employees from a diversity of backgrounds are driven by Air Products' higher purpose to create innovative solutions that benefit the environment, enhance sustainability and address the challenges facing customers, communities and the world. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2016.

SOURCE Air Products