Policy
The Sanwa Group stands firmly for the respect of human dignity, and recognizes the diverse worth in individuals, we respect individual character and personality, and conduct business bearing in mind the human rights of our customers, shareholders, employees and all stakeholders. We go beyond the requirements of the law in avoiding discrimination. In addition, we do not permit child labor or forced labor.
The Sanwa Group stipulates the importance of respect for human rights in the Sanwa Group Compliance Code of Conduct. This means that we respect the International Bill of Human Rights, the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights when we carry out our business activities.
The Sanwa Group complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions in which we operate. We also pursue ways to respect international human rights principles while complying with the national laws and regulations of each particular country.
In addition to respecting local laws and regulations, we look for ways to respect international human rights principles in the event of differences between internationally recognized standards and local laws/regulations.
If a violation of human rights occurs, we promptly take corrective action through appropriate procedures after sufficiently verifying the facts.
Approach to Respecting Human Rights
The Sanwa Group promotes initiatives to respect human rights based on the philosophy put forward in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We also fulfill our commitment to respecting human rights by incorporating appropriate procedures into our business activities to help us achieve this goal.
To our customers
The Sanwa Group believes that improving product safety and quality is the most important responsibility of a manufacturer. We believe that providing products and services that provide safety, security, and convenience to society is the key to resolving social issues and that this in turn will lead to creating value for the Sanwa Group.
To our employees
The Sanwa Group respects the character and individuality of each person. In addition to legal compliance, we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment, and we respect the freedom of association and collective bargaining rights as fundamental rights of employees. In addition, we do not permit child labor or forced labor.
To our suppliers and distributors
The Sanwa Group emphasizes respect for human rights in our relationships with our suppliers and distributors. We strive to be the best partner to our suppliers and distributors, and to grow together with them through ongoing transactions.
The Sanwa Group Antitrust Law Guidebook explains the content and applicability of the Subcontracting Law to employees, while the Compliance Code of Conduct clearly states that we will encourage suppliers and distributors not to infringe on human rights and to work together to promote respect for human rights.
Due Diligence
The Sanwa Group complies with laws and regulations and builds mutual trust with our suppliers based on the principles of fairness and impartiality. We identify the negative impact of new businesses on human rights (e.g., human rights issues, child labor, forced labor, illegal labor, corruption, etc.) through due diligence, and we make business decisions that ensure that the impact on human rights is minimized. Existing businesses are regularly audited to assess the human rights risks of their operations and to prevent human rights violations.
Rectification
The Sanwa Group has introduced an anonymous internal whistleblowing system (Corporate Ethics Hotline) in Japan, the U.S., Europe and Asia to accept reports on the negative impact of Sanwa Group's business activities on human rights. In addition, we have developed a system to familiarize and ensure our employees understand our initiatives using native languages (or equivalents) in each region, displaying posters and distributing cards to employees in English, Chinese (simplified, traditional), Vietnamese, and Thai. We are working to increase trust by keeping reported information secret and prohibiting the adverse treatment of system users. If we determine that there has been an impact or intervention on human rights, we take remedies through appropriate procedures after sufficiently verifying the facts.
Educate and Instill
Training for managers at the Sanwa Group companies is conducted nationwide to raise compliance and human rights awareness and eliminate breaches of laws, regulations and rules.
In addition, we distribute our Compliance Code of Conduct and Case Study Booklet to all employees. We have also designated November as Compliance Month during which we implement various initiatives to foster greater awareness of compliance, including respect for human rights.
Engagement Related to Human Rights
Collaboration with Stakeholders
The Sanwa Group engages in dialogue with our stakeholders on human rights issues related to our business activities and works to prevent human rights violations. We have established an internal whistleblowing system (Corporate Ethics Hotline) as an external point of contact for employees and affiliated companies, and we accept information from all stakeholders through the contact form on the Sanwa Holdings corporate website and at our Customer Center.
Disclosure
The Sanwa Group discloses corporate information in a timely, appropriate and proactive manner in order to gain the understanding and trust of our customers, shareholders, investors, local communities and other stakeholders.
Policy on Children’s Rights
The Sanwa Group believes that children, who will be the leaders of the next generation, are in a position where their rights are easily violated, despite their importance to the sustainable development of society. For this reason, the civil rights of children require special consideration. Based on this understanding, we support the Children's Rights and Business Principles for safeguarding children's rights, and we prohibit, within our Compliance Code of Conduct, all forms of forced labor and child labor, including slavery and human trafficking. We also pursue social contribution activities aimed at improving rights of children. For example, we make donations to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which provides after-school programs in the U.S.
Compliance Code of Conduct and Case Study Booklet
The Compliance Code of Conduct and Case Study Booklet, which is distributed to all Group employees in Japan, is made up of two sections. The Compliance Code of Conduct outlines how to behave in day-to-day operations while the case studies provide detailed information and explanations on 100 potential situations. From the standpoint of respect for human rights, we strive to raise awareness of human rights by periodically reviewing content based on the latest social trends, which includes all forms of harassment, such as sexual harassment and workplace bullying, as well as specific case studies concerning LGBT issues.
Training program focusing on harassment
The Sanwa Group conducts compliance training, including tips for preventing harassment in the workplace, for managerial staff at domestic Group companies every other year. This training features learning and discussions on the responsibilities of managers, from daily communication to responding to reports/instances and handling this type of information.
In fiscal 2019, we conducted a training program focused on harassment for 854 people from top management, executives, and managers of domestic Group companies. We are also building a system for sharing actual reported cases and responding appropriately when we receive reports and consultations.
We also put up compliance posters in offices and factories (Group companies in Japan), striving to ensure that all executives and employees have a proper understanding of these issues and are aware that they relate to themselves.
Internal whistleblowing system (Corporate Ethics Hotline)
Anonymous reporting is available for early detection of violations of the human rights compliance code of conduct, including bullying and harassment, and for reporting suspicious behavior. An internal whistleblowing system (Corporate Ethics Hotline) has been established both internally and externally which ensure that information is treated as confidential.
To ensure reports can be made in the strictest confidence we have established a basic policy of never disclosing information that may identify the whistleblower to a third party without his or her consent, taking the utmost care to ensure that the whistleblower is not identified when examining the facts, and making sure that the whistleblower is not dismissed or otherwise treated disadvantageously simply for making a report.
Further, in fiscal 2022 we received 81 reports (38 were made in Japan) through our internal whistleblower system, on a consolidated Group basis. We verified the facts and swiftly investigated each case. We are taking corrective action and seeking to remedy the situation through appropriate procedures in cases where a breach of compliance was confirmed.
The Sanwa Group’s internal whistleblowing system (Corporate Ethics Hotline) accepts reports on human rights and compliance violations not only from employees but also from temporary staff, installers , outsourced designers and staff from affiliated companies working inside our factories. In addition, reports from customers, local communities, business partners, people working in the supply chain and all other stakeholders are accepted through the Sanwa Holdings corporate website inquiry form and our Customer Center. If a report is made, the department in charge will conducts an investigation, considers corrective measures and strives to prevent recurrence.