Sustainability

Human Rights

Approach and Policy

The Takara Group has formulated the Takara Group Human Rights Policy to respect the human rights of all stakeholders and is promoting various initiatives, including education and training.

The Takara Group Human Rights Policy

Recognizing that the Takara Group may potentially affect the human rights of various stakeholders, including business partners, customers, and local communities, in addition to our employees, through our business activities, we respect human rights as set out in the United Nations’ International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
This Policy applies to all officers and employees of the Takara Group. We also request business partners to support and comply with this Policy.

  • We will comply with the laws and regulations of each and every country in which we conduct business activities.
  • We will respect the diversity, personality, and individuality of all stakeholders and will not allow any irrational discrimination on the grounds of birth, nationality, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, employment status, hobbies, educational background, etc.
  • We support the right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. Illegal child labor and forced labor are not permitted in domestic and overseas working environments.
  • We will establish and operate whistleblowing contacts within the Company and at an external third party organization for reporting violations of laws, regulations, and internal regulations including this Policy. In addition, we will prohibit any disadvantageous treatment of whistleblowers on the basis of such whistleblowing.
  • We will extensively convey our Human Rights Policy to our employees, and provide ongoing education and training.

Targets

Initiative themes Specific measures Targets
Respect for human rights Conduct human rights education at new employee training and rank-specific training sessions

[ Entire Group ]

Respect the diversity (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability), personality, and individuality of people in accordance with the Takara Group Human Rights Policy, and maintain a discrimination- and harassment-free workplace environment.

Understanding and respect for multiple cultures (multinational cultures)
Recruitment activities without discrimination
Initiatives to prevent harassment
Protect personal information and privacy
Initiatives ensuring due diligence to human rights Implement a human rights due diligence process

[ Entire Group ]

Based on a human rights due diligence process carried out primarily by a cross-organizational working team, implement a series of initiatives identifying and evaluating risks to human rights, preventing and reducing negative effects, and tracking and disclosing the results of our initiatives.

Related SDGs

  • 05
  • 10

Initiatives

Respect for human rights

Implementing programs to enhance understanding of human rights

Internally, we conduct a program designed to enhance the understanding of human rights including the Takara Group Human Rights Policy at the time of new employees’ joining the Group and at compliance training sessions, and so on, to promote human rights education within the Group. In fiscal year 2021, a program themed on Business and Human Rights was held in the training session for risk compliance leaders across the entire Group, followed by workplace education provided by the risk compliance leaders.

Understanding and respect for multiple cultures (multinational cultures)

In training programs for new employees and hierarchical training programs, we address the importance of respecting diversity. In addition, the "Takara Group Human Rights Policy" pledges to not tolerate discrimination based on nationality, race, ethnicity, etc. The "Takara Group Compliance Code of Conduct" also emphasizes the understanding of social conditions in each country and region and the need to fully consider their culture, customs, and religion, and this is strictly enforced within the company. Specifically, we provide pre-assignment training aimed at understanding the culture and lifestyle in the assignment location for employees and their families who are assigned to overseas locations.

Recruitment activities without discrimination

In our hiring practices, we adhere to the Act on Securing, Etc. of Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment. To ensure thorough consideration for human rights, we provide our employees involved in hiring with education on human rights using manuals and other materials.

Initiatives to prevent harassment

To prevent sexual harassment, power harassment, and other forms of harassment concerning pregnancy, childbirth, child rearing, and care giving, we have established a consultation and complaint office at each workplace, in addition to an Ombudsman Committee.

Protect personal information and privacy

To protect the rights and interests of individuals, we consider it our social responsibility to appropriately handle and protect personal information in every situation in which we conduct corporate activities. Based on this belief, we comply with laws concerning personal information and other relevant laws and ordinances, clarify our Basic Policy on the Protection of Personal Information, and strive to continue enhancing our structure for the protection of personal information.

Initiatives to identify risks to human rights

Implementation of human rights due diligence process

In FY2022, Takara Group will continue to implement initiatives that already fall under the human rights due diligence process within the Takara Group, and will also establish a new cross-organizational working team under the Sustainability Promotion Committee, which is supervised by the Board of Directors. The newly established cross-organizational working team under the Sustainability Promotion Committee, which is overseen by the Board of Directors, has addressed current issues in the human rights due diligence process, including updating the risk response map (identification of potential human rights risks), analysis and risk identification based on the results of supplier interview surveys, implementation of employee awareness surveys as a method of understanding human rights risks, and enhancement of human rights education programs. The following are some examples of our efforts to address current issues in the human rights due diligence process.

Human rights due diligence process based on Guiding Principles Business and Human Rights

〇FY2022 initiatives for each of the main items in the human rights due diligence process

Item Details of main items Main Initiatives in FY2022

Human Rights Policy

Policy formulation and penetration

・Awareness spread through risk compliance leader training and surveys of human rights aware.

Revisions and follow-ups

・Approval for making the department in charge the Takara Holdings Human Resources Department given at the June 2022 Sustainability Promotion Committee meeting.

Risk identification and assessment

Risk Response Map

・Revised current risk items and studied the addition of assumed risks, reflecting them on the Risk Response Map.

Supplier monitoring

・Carried out FY2022 Sustainability Procurement Guidelines survey (249 companies targeted; 100% response rate)

Monitoring of employees and Group companies

・Implementation, analysis, and identification of issues from surveys to understand employee awareness levels of human rights.

Prioritizing identified risks

・Identification and assessment of human rights risks based on supplier survey results.

Prevention or mitigation of negative effects

Establishment and awareness of response follow-up

・Re-spread awareness of the harassment consultation offices and the Takara Group Help Line through compliance workplace education, etc.

Implemented human rights education and training

・Implemented human rights education through training for new hires, training for new management, and training for risk compliance leaders.

・Implemented human rights education using e-learning and compliance workplace education.

Information disclosure

Provision of information to outside the company

・Disclosed information in the 2022 Integrated Report and the Sustainability website.


Survey of human rights awareness

In promoting initiatives towards the identification of human rights risks, in addition to creating indices (understanding issues) towards the promotion of future human rights due diligence and grasping the awareness of employees towards human rights, an awareness survey (response rate: 88.7%) about human rights aimed at employees was implemented with the purpose of further fostering awareness of human rights and promoting understanding of the Group’s Human Rights Policy through the survey.

The results of this survey showed clearly that there were a number of problems, including a gap in the knowledge and understanding of the Human Rights Policy and human rights depending on workplace and position, and that training on human rights and workplace education was not being done effectively. Due to the lack of knowledge or understanding of the Human Rights Policy or human rights, it can be assumed that the employees themselves are at risk of infringing on human rights, or of overlooking violations of human rights when they occur around them. So in FY2023, along with sharing the issue through internal feedback of the survey results, we will move ahead with initiatives towards preventing or mitigating the negative effects within the Group, such as presenting information related to human rights and carrying out human rights education for the Human Rights Consultation Desks in the workplaces, and revising how human rights education was to be carried out.



Analysis of supplier survey results and identification/assessment of risks

At Takara Shuzo, we carried out identification and assessment of human rights risks related to procured raw materials using the following steps.

STEP①: Carry out interviews with suppliers.

STEP②: Investigate trends for items related to human rights among suppliers who do not meet the Procurement Guidelines standards.

STEP③: Identify human rights risks in the supply chain.

STEP④: Assess human rights risks in the supply chain.

Based on the interviews with suppliers carried out in FY2021 for 242 companies (response rate: 100%), suppliers who did not meet the Sustainability Procurement Guidelines were identified and a survey on trends in matters concerning human rights in the Guidelines was carried out. In addition, we cross-referenced Takara Shuzo’s purchased products with the “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor” published by the U.S. Department of Labor, and discovered that Brazilian sugarcane was on their list. So we identified Brazilian crude alcohol as being a purchased product that had a human rights risk. To assess the human rights risks, we carried out interviews with the supplier from which we procure this crude alcohol, which showed that the producer was not using forced labor or child labor.

In addition, as part of our efforts to identify and assess risks, we visited a crude alcohol manufacturing supplier in Brazil in May 2023 and conducted an on-site investigation into the local labor environment, with a focus on human rights risks. We determined that the risks of forced labor, child labor, health and safety, and environmental risks were low.

(REFERENCE)Ten Important Issues (Materiality) “Procurement”


Responses to related laws for human rights due diligence overseas

・Tazaki Foods Limited(UK):Annual statement on the British Modern Slavery Act.


Rolling out human rights education programs
○All domestic group companies

 ・Implemented human rights education through training for risk compliance leaders on the theme of “Business and Human Rights.” (101 participants)

 ・Implemented compliance education on the theme of “Sexual Harassment” (workplace education) (100% implementation rate).

 ・Implemented e-learning on the theme of “Human Rights” (100% participation rate).

 ・Implemented e-learning on the theme of “Power Harassment” (100% participation rate).

○All overseas group companies

 ・Implemented workplace education on the themes of “Power Harassment” and “Basic Human Rights” at overseas Group companies (100% implementation rate).


Updated Risk Response Map

As part of our risk management initiatives, the Risk Response Map is updated every year. Revised current risk items (2 items) from the list of risks listed on the Map, studied the addition of assumed risks (1 item), and reflected them on the Risk Response Map.

 (REFERENCE)Ten Important Issues (Materiality) “Governance”