Every company in the world should be achieving this. Only 60 are.

Do you need a really, really, really good reason to buy a new lipstick?

Here’s one!

L’Oreal America has just become the first company in the United States to earn an EDGE. That’s a fancy acronym for Economic Dividends for Gender Equality.

And yes, it’s a good thing. A very, very good thing.

EDGE was started by two women,  Nicole Schwab (daughter of World Economic Forum founder, Klaus Schwab) and Aniela Unguresan as a way of rewarding companies  who practice what they preach when it comes to workplace equality.

Only 60 other companies in the world (yes, 60) have earned this title before L’Oreal –  IKEA and Deloitte among them. Out of the thousands and thousans of companies that are registered across the globe, only 60 qualify.

Workplace equality is something we HEAR about all the time, right? But Schwab and Ungrursen felt it was important to have an independent party overseeing big business efforts, in the same way companies are now held accountable  for good environmental practices.

Getting an EDGE is no easy feat. The process is intense. And while the full list of criteria hasn’t been made public, The Washington Post reports it includes a lengthy employee survey, review of pay equality, recruitment strategies and flexible work practices for men and women, as well as a third-party audit.

EDGE eligible companies must also have:

– at least 30 per cent representation of each gender

– strong progression of  junior management

– and a good track record of women returning to work following maternity leave each year.

Schwab and Unguresan hope that  by earning their EDGE companies will not only become better employers, consumers will also be encouraged to buy products from businesses who practice what they preach.

Well done, L’Oreal.

Because they’re worth it.

Edit on 27/08/14: Correction to the number of companies who have earned accreditation with EDGE.