Respect for Human Rights
Basic Policy
We are committed to fair management in compliance with international standards regarding respect for human rights and the laws and regulations of each country and region. We also believe that “respect for human rights” is the foundation of our sustainability activities to utilize every employee's diverse abilities, personalities, and values worldwide and is linked to our corporate philosophy of “Alps Alpine innovates value for humans and society on a brighter planet.”
Alps Alpine GROUP CODE OF CONDUCT (excerpt)
| 5-1. No Forced or Child Labor |
The Alps Alpine Group will employ all of its employees of their own free will, regardless of the style of employment, and will not permit forced or child labor. Employees under the age of 18 will not be made to engage in work potentially hazardous to their health or safety (including night work and after-hours work). * A ”child” is someone who has not yet reached the age of 15, the age at which compulsory education ends, or the applicable country’s minimum legal working age, whichever is oldest. |
|---|---|
| 5-2. No Inhumane Treatment |
We will not engage in abuse, bullying (harassment) or any other inhumane treatment. |
| 5-3. No Discrimination |
We will not discriminate against anyone based on race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, social origin, disability, pregnancy, religion or other status. |
| 5-22. Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining |
The Alps Alpine Group will respect the rights of employees to exercise freedom of association and engage in collective bargaining, complying with labor-related laws and regulations in each country and community where we operate. |
| 5-24. Indigenous and Community Rights to Land, Forests and Water |
The Alps Alpine Group will respect the rights of indigenous peoples, and other residents in communities where we operate, to land, forests and water and will not forcibly implement illegal evictions or illegally take possession of land, forests or water. |
| 5-25. No Use of Security Forces Intending to Violate Human Rights |
The Alps Alpine Group will not, in the running of our business, use the services of public or private security forces intending to partake in torture, acts of cruelty, inhumane or degrading acts, or other human rights violations. |
[Support and Respect for Protection of Internationally Proclaimed Human Rights]
Recognizing respect for human rights as an essential value shared by all humankind, we uphold the following internationally proclaimed standards and support activities aligned with the intent of those standards.
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN:United Nations)
- Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (ILO:International Labour Organization)
- Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UN:United Nations)
- OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct
- Other internationally recognized human rights declarations
Identification of Material Human Rights Issues Specific to Alps Alpine’s Business
Considering the issues emphasized in the electronics industry, we have identified the following as risks of human rights issues specific to our business.
- Free choice of employment
- Young workers
- Working hours
- Wages and benefits
- Humane treatment
- Discrimination/harassment
- Freedom of association
Framework for Protecting Human Rights
The Human Rights and Diversity and Inclusion Working Group has been established in the Sustainability Promotion Committee to study mainly human rights issues, with the Human Resources Department playing a central role in promoting activities. The activity plans and results from this Working Group are reported to the Board of Directors.
Human Rights Education
Our policy on respect for human rights is set down in the Alps Alpine GROUP CODE OF CONDUCT and is continually implemented within business practices, including through coverage in annual compliance and CSR training provided to employees worldwide for the purpose of promoting and entrenching the code. In fiscal 2022, 97.0% of around 27,000 targeted personnel received the training.
Level-specific training, such as for new employees and newly appointed managers and officers, also incorporates human rights themes corresponding to the respective standpoints. The intention is to instill a kind of understanding that will be replicated in the workplace.
Alps Alpine GROUP CODE OF ETHICS（Currently GROUP CODE OF CONDUCT) Training Participation Rate
| FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 88.7% | 93.6% | 97.0% |
Assessment and Alleviation of Human Rights Impacts
Human Rights Due Diligence Within the Alps Alpine Group
For C Rank sites in the due diligence conducted in fiscal 2021, we conducted a secondary survey evaluation by providing feedback on the evaluation results and holding individual meetings to discuss how to address and improve potential risks that could be assumed.
| FY2021 Human Rights Due Diligence Assessment Results |
A Rank | B Rank | C Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approx. 15% | Approx. 75% | Approx. 10% |
C Rank sites
C Rank 0%
Significant improvements will include confirmation of policies for employment status with no previous experience (young workers, apprentices, foreign workers, etc.) and confirmation of workers' rights at locations without labor organizations.
Items to be tracked individually include implementing human rights monitoring in the supply chain and risk assessment regarding labor practices.
diligence specifically focusing on human rights issues relating to workers and labor-management relations generally once every two years
Human Rights Issues Within the Supply Chain
Alps Alpine recognizes the importance of respecting human rights not only inside the company, but also within the supply chain and acts accordingly. Guidelines relating to human rights matters are included in the Alps Alpine Responsible Corporate Action Guidelines (guidelines for responsible business conduct). We ask suppliers to comply with these guidelines and check compliance through implementation of CSR assessments.
Remedial Action (Grievance Mechanism) Initiatives
Establishment of a Consultation Service (Hotline)
We checked the status of the consultation hotlines for handling complaints held by each of the Group’s sites and confirmed that all of the global sites surveyed had completed the establishment of such hotlines.
Understanding Reports on Human Rights and Incident Details
In addition to routine human rights due diligence, the relevant departments have commenced regular information exchange between them for the purpose of ascertaining details of reports about human rights issues occurring in real day-to-day situations and the facts behind human rights incidents. Information determined will be reflected in risk minimization measures as required in due course.
Establishment of a Consultation Service for the Supply Chain
To better respond to complaints from a wide range of stakeholders, including those in our supply chain, we joined a member of the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER), a non-judicial complaint resolution platform based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
