A “symbol of equality, inclusion and diversity” made a pitstop in Liverpool during its world tour.
Maersk, a global integrated logistics company, marked its second year supporting Pride in Liverpool as a festival supporter, by making the city the first public stop on its 2022 Pride Month rainbow container roadshow. The 3.7-tonne container, one of several painted in the colour of the pride flag, has been touring the world since 2020 as a symbol of equality, inclusion and diversity and to raise awareness of issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community.
The rainbow container was welcomed by local Maersk staff, representatives from LCR Pride Foundation, Liverpool City Council and members of the public at Liverpool’s Pier Head. The container is now continuing its tour across various locations in the country as part of its UK leg of the world tour.
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Andi Herring, CEO and co-founder of LCR Pride Foundation, added: “Making sure the message of Pride is heard all year round and across the Liverpool City Region and beyond is enshrined in our founding mission. As a global company visibly supporting its LGBT+ staff and communities, Maersk’s values have synergy with our aim as an organisation and we’re thrilled to have them on board for this year’s Pride in Liverpool.”
In July 2020, two containers were painted with a rainbow to join Maersk's fleet. Come March the following year, they embarked on a world tour with the first part of the journey seeing the 40 and 20-foot rainbow containers in Los Angeles. From there, they have stopped at several locations across Asia, Europe, and Denmark.
Gary Jeffreys, Maersk UKI managing director, said: “Maersk’s rainbow containers serve as a symbol of equality, inclusion and diversity, boldly sharing with the world our stand on creating a culture where all employees, partners, and customers feel welcome and can be themselves without judgement. From their creation in 2020 to now, we hope these containers somewhere along their journey around the world have been a reminder to people that they are never alone and are accepted regardless of their race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or disability.
“We are committed to building and nurturing an inclusive culture at Maersk and are immensely proud of our diverse workforce who ship these very containers and integrate the world on a daily basis. This will continue to be a global priority for us beyond this year’s Pride Month, as we’ll be spreading awareness and important messaging inside and outside of our organisation all year round.
The annual March with Pride and Pride in Liverpool will take place on Saturday, July 30 2022.
