ESG at CME Group
At CME Group, we believe in advancing policies that strengthen the integrity of our global company – from workforce empowerment, to corporate stewardship, to community commitment and sustainable solutions.
Workforce Empowerment
We invest in our team members through training, continuous development and fostering a culture of inclusion and innovation.
Sustainable
Solutions
As a global business operating in a complex environment, we work to develop both innovative and sustainable business solutions.
Community Commitment
We are deeply connected to, engaged with and invested in our communities through the CME Group Foundation and corporate giving.
Corporate Stewardship
Everything we do is based in strong governance practices and our culture of compliance, ethics and accountability.
Overview
At CME Group, we strive for excellence in all we do, and our efforts to improve never end. The same goes for our progress toward our environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. We have developed a cohesive and actionable strategic framework that includes evolving and advancing our policies, goals and reporting.
As a global corporate citizen, we have responsibilities to all of our stakeholders. We aspire to transform the industry while always adhering to our values. Ultimately, it’s about earning and strengthening our stakeholders’ trust and making a positive difference.
Latest news
Workforce Empowerment
At CME Group, diversity and inclusion are foundational to building a culture of innovation and mutual respect. We are focused on recruiting and retaining diverse talent through an expansive recruiting effort, internal development programs and open and honest communication. We’re driven by the belief that measuring our progress is key to achieving it, and that measurement starts with a baseline:
Global Gender
69%
Male
30%
Female
1%
Not reported
Senior Managing Directors & Above
57%
Male
43%
Female
US Ethnicity
.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native
6.6%
Black or african american
.1%
Native hawaiian or pacific islander
1.5%
Two or more races
22%
Asian
5.6%
Hispanic or latino
56.7%
White
7.5%
Not reported
Workforce Development and Engagement
5.2%
Voluntary turnover
34%
Open roles filled with internal candidates
1,350
Employee Network Group (ENG) members
Critical listening for a more just world
Our Diversity & Inclusion Council partners with HR and our Employee Network Groups (ENGs) to advance critical conversations and promote change. In 2020, we held listening sessions across the organization to elevate the diverse experiences of our employees and emphasize the importance of fostering a more inclusive culture at work and in our communities.
“Having people speak their truth from an honest and candid perspective provides a real opportunity for everyone to empathize with the experience of others from a different lens. I also think it was quite appropriate and necessary to discuss the contributions of the ENGs and let people know it’s ok to join and participate because all of their effort not only benefits themselves but the company as well.”
–
CME Group employee
“Hearing Terry talk very candidly about the issues of race and discrimination was very powerful. He clearly didn’t hold back in his support and belief that racism has no place in our company and that there is a problem that needs fixing.”
–
CME Group employee
“Inequality is everyone’s issue. Our next steps as a company to advance equality will build on the investments we’ve made to support a long and sustained and enhanced commitment to diversity and inclusion. That’s not to say our work is done – far from it. Lasting, positive change doesn’t come easily or quickly. But, like all things that matter, we will need to continue working together to stand up for our values and do what is right for the company and each other.”
–
Terry Duffy, CME Group Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Sustainable Solutions
We have always developed products and services to meet our clients’ evolving risk management needs, and we understand the importance of developing both innovative and sustainable solutions.
Our commitment to advance a more environmentally and economically sustainable future includes measuring and reducing our carbon footprint. In 2020, we conducted our first carbon emissions assessment. The results of the assessment, and future ones, will inform our strategy to reduce our environmental impact.
CO2 emissions avoided through paper recycling
>45,700
Electronic waste recycled
3.37 tons
“Every industry, including finance has been forced to change their processes and approach. As we share our lessons learned and practices related to ESG, I am hopeful that it will spark new ideas and ways we can improve in the future.”
–
Owain Johnson, Managing Director, Research & Product Development
Optimizing global offices
Over the past three years we have reduced our global office spaces by 163,000 sq. ft., helping to reduce our carbon footprint.
Headquarters renovation
In Chicago, we decreased the space we occupy by 56,000 sq. ft., reduced our electrical use and improved our lighting, heating and cooling efficiency.
Paper recycling
Our decision to securely shred and recycle paper has helped save nearly 95 pools full of water and preserved the equivalent of 530 trees.
Community Commitment
At CME Group, we value being a good corporate citizen and take an active role in social responsibility. Through charitable donations and volunteerism, we partner with our employees to build brighter futures in our communities.
Total giving
>$7.6 million
Scholarship
$755k
Matching gifts
$312k
Virtual volunteer hours
1,700
“I really value the ability to double the impact of the charitable contributions I make. During the pandemic, many charities I support saw their funding drop drastically, so getting the match from CME Group allowed me to make my donations more meaningful.”
–
Jason Grant, Global Information Security, Belfast
“I think that in times of crisis, we all need to think about others’ needs and what we can do to help. Being able to help protect the people who protect us was incredibly gratifying.”
–
Sue Skarbek, CME Group Nurse & Health Care Center Manager
Community charitable donations
In 2020, it was especially important for us to invest in the causes most meaningful to our local community. We marked the highest amount donated through our matching program, and we donated nearly $13,000 in school supplies to our adopted school in Chicago at the onset of the pandemic to assist with the transition to remote learning.
7,000
N-95 FACE MASKS DONATED TO FIRST RESPONDERS
Our facilities and health care center teams recovered and donated boxes full of masks needed to protect those on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis.
CME Group Foundation
The CME Group Foundation is a private foundation that strives to empower future generations through education, equipping today’s students to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
Since 2007, the CME Group Foundation has invested more than $11 million to improve early math education across Illinois.
When COVID-19 paused in-person learning, Christopher House, a CME Group Foundation grantee, provided each of its student scholars a Chromebook and free internet to access lessons from home.
Corporate Stewardship
Our business principles start with our Board of Directors. In 2020, our Board was dedicated to the issues that mattered most in a trying year — from overseeing risk management in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensuring our marketplace continued to function effectively during times of unprecedented market uncertainty, to securing the safety and well-being of our global team and continuing to deliver value to our clients and our shareholders.
Years average tenure on cme group board
9
Years average age
62
Women
26%
Racially or ethnically diverse
13%
Cybersecurity
Our global economy has never been more dependent on the internet, meaning that cyber defense has never been more critical. In light of a constantly evolving digital landscape, CME Group has been advancing our systems, resources and processes to protect our company and our data.
- In 2020, 100% of our employees completed their annual assignment of training on cyber-security & compliance & ethics matters
- 19,000 suspicious emails with 2,300 malicious in nature escalated to the Cyber Defense team.
- 99 million emails blocked by cyber controls, including 47,000 malicious messages.
We were recognized as Exchange of the Year by the 2021 Risk Awards for our ability to maintain operational resilience and price discovery on key financial benchmarks at a time of stress for both markets and individual institutions in 2020.
Contact Us
Connect with a member of our team to get more information about ESG at CME Group.
