Human Rights
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Basic Concept
Human rights are universally valued rights that all people are born with. In today’s world, there is a growing awareness that businesses can have a great impact on human rights.
As a company with global business operations, Konica Minolta specifies respect for human rights as one of the most basic requirements in its business activities in the Konica Minolta Group Charter of Corporate Behavior, Human Rights Policy, and Supply Chain Code of Conduct. Under these policies, the Group conducts human rights due diligence and respects human rights.
- Konica Minolta Group Charter of Corporate Behavior
- Konica Minolta Group Human Rights Policy
- Konica Minolta Supply Chain Code of Conduct
In addition, Konica Minolta supports and respects the following internationally accepted standards:
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- International Bill of Human Rights
- The International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
- OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
- United Nations Global Compact
- ISO 26000
Management System for Human Rights
Human Rights Due Diligence Process
In compliance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Konica Minolta has created a human rights policy, it conducts human rights due diligence, and established a remedy and grievance mechanism to promote its initiatives.
Policy
The Konica Minolta Group Human Rights Policy was established in September 2021 based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Based on this policy, the Konica Minolta Group asks its business partners and other parties connected to the Group’s business not to violate human rights.
Human Rights Due Diligence
Konica Minolta has created a human rights due diligence system to identify potential and actual human rights risks that its business activities may pose to stakeholders, to review and implement measures for the prevention and mitigation of adverse human rights impacts, and to disclose information on progress status.
When making new or additional investments, the Group include human resource-related checks in its due diligence process to assess investment suitability.
Remedy and Grievance Mechanism
Using a system that enables employees to report human rights concerns, if there is a clear indication that Konica Minolta directly caused or was involved in any adverse impact on human rights, it will promptly investigate and take corrective action through appropriate internal and external procedures.
Konica Minolta will also engage stakeholder dialogue to enhance its efforts to respect human rights.
Human Rights Due Diligence
１．Identifying and Assessing Adverse Human Rights Impacts
(Impact Assessment)
First, the Group identified stakeholders who are subject to actual or potential negative impacts and any existing human rights issues caused by its business activities and transactions.
Identification of Human Rights Issues and Stakeholder Relationship
Next, the Group assessed the impact of the adversely affected stakeholder who was identified and their human rights issue, and then identified the human rights issues that are considered especially high priority. The assessment is periodically reviewed, and the human rights issues that are considered especially high priority are set as targets, and the departments in charge of human resources, legal affairs, procurement, quality, IT, and sustainability consider measures and implement them.
Human Rights Issues that are Considered Especially High Priority
•Respect for the human rights of Group employees
Protection of working hours, health and safety, wages and benefits, and privacy, prohibition of harassment and discrimination
•Respect for human rights in the supply chain (including of local communities and indigenous peoples)
Prohibition of forced labor, human trafficking, child labor, harassment, and discrimination, protection of working hours, health and safety, wages and benefits, and privacy, freedom of association, right to collective bargaining
•Respect for the human rights of customers
Prohibition of forced labor, human trafficking, child labor, and discrimination, and protection of privacy
２．Integrating and Acting upon the Findings
Respect for the Human Rights of Group Employees
To prevent health problems caused by overwork, an email instructing the worker to curb their overtime is sent to employees who work 30 hours or more during the month and to their supervisors to control long working hours. Supervisors are required to submit a Work Improvement Plan of their employees to prevent them from working long hours for two consecutive months.
Furthermore, to create a healthy, safe, and comfortable working environment, the safety and health management regulations seek to ensure the safety of Group employees (directors, employees, contractors, temporary employees, and part-time workers) and onsite contractors (contractors and subcontractors who perform work on Group premises) and strive to prevent workplace accidents.
To prevent all forms of discrimination, sexual harassment, and abuse of power, the Group prohibits discrimination and harassment in its "Guidance for the Charter of Corporate Behavior" and "Compliance Manual." In addition, Konica Minolta has established "Sexual Harassment Prevention Guidelines" and conduct harassment prevention training to educate its employees. Thanks for measures such as rigorous age verification when hiring in each country, there have been no cases of child labor. Similarly, there have also been no cases of forced labor. The Group also educates its managers on sexual harassment and abuse of power.
Respect for Human Rights in the Supply Chain (including local communities and indigenous people)
To fulfill its social responsibility across the supply chain, Konica Minolta has created a system throughout the Group to promote "Addressing Responsible Mineral Procurement Issues," including the “Development of CSR Procurement.”
CSR procurement is based on the RBA framework, with CSR assessment using self-assessment questionnaires, and risk assessment and remediation through CSR audits. The CSR assessment using the self-assessment questionnaire is ranked into three levels of A through C according to the questionnaire results, with Group production sites receiving an overall rank of A and suppliers receiving an overall rank of B or higher. Even if the target rank is met or fulfilled, the Group asks that voluntary improvements be made if any items receive a low assessment, including labor (human rights) issues.
CSR audits include the Konica Minolta CSR audit*1 conducted by Konica Minolta employees and the RBA third-party audit (VAP audit) *2 conducted by RBA-accredited third parties. Remedial support is also provided based on the results of the CSR assessment and CSR audit to verify the status of corrective measures.
※1 Konica Minolta CSR audit: An audit conducted by a Konica Minolta auditor with RBA auditor qualifications using RBA audit standards.
※2 RBA third-party audit (Validated Audit Program (VAP) audits): A third-party RBA-accredited auditing organization that checks for compliance with the RBA Code of Conduct based on auditing standards, identifies areas for improvement, and encourages corrective action, and is one of the world’s most trusted third-party CSR audits.
Responsible Minerals Response addresses conflict minerals in accordance with the OECD's Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict and High-Risk Areas, "A Five-Step Framework for Risk-Based Due Diligence in the Minerals Supply Chain.
Respect for the Human Rights of Customers
Konica Minolta has established a Companywide system to promote product security headed by the person in charge of quality and is working to prevent serious security incidents in all products and services through its business divisions under the supervision of the Quality Division. The Company has established “Product Security Guidelines” to achieve secure development and operation and is promoting secure development and operation processes for products and services Groupwide.
Development and operation in compliance with the Product Security Guidelines, in principle, apply to all products and services of the Konica Minolta Group, and is implemented throughout the entire product and service life cycle, from planning and proposal to disposal and termination of service, as well as activities in the supply chain, such as development and operation contractors and suppliers.
In addition, Konica Minolta regularly convenes the cross-sectional “Product Security Promotion Committee” to discuss product security issues and share information on best practices both inside and outside the Company to continuously improve product security.
3．Tracking Responses
Respect for the Human Rights of Group Employees
In fiscal 2020, the number of employees with monthly overtime of 80 hours or more (total number for the year) was 243, a slight increase from the previous fiscal year but a 56% decrease from the 557 employees in fiscal 2015. In fiscal 2021, the Group seeks to further reduce the number of employees who work long hours by revising the attendance management system to accommodate remote working and improving operation.
In fiscal 2021, no serious accidents *1 occurred. Nine incidents causing absence from work occurred. Eight occurred in Japan (3 male and 5 female victims) and one overseas (no male and one female). The frequency rate of lost-worktime injuries*2 was 0.27 in Japan, 0.04 overseas, and 0.17 in Japan and overseas combined. The severity rate of accidents causing absence from work*3 was 0.0071 in Japan and 0.00007 overseas.
The average frequency rate of lost-worktime injuries in the manufacturing industry in Japan in fiscal 2021 was 1.21 according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Survey on Industrial Accidents, while the average for the electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing industry was 0.52, thus remaining below the average for similar industries.
*1:Serious accidents:
(1) Death, illness requiring (or likely to require) long-term medical care, injury resulting in (or likely to result in) disability, and specific infectious disease
(2) Accidents that result in the death, injury, or illness on the job of three or more workers at one time (including lost worktime).
*2 Number of workers absent from work per million of total hours worked by Konica Minolta employees
*3 Number of days of lost work per 1,000 hours of total hours worked by Konica Minolta employees
To comply with the minimum wage in each region and maintain a wage level that allows employees to feel rewarded for their work, Konica Minolta conducted a study on living wages in fiscal 2021. A living wage consists of basic living expenses and taxes, with the basic living expenses estimated using the Market Basket Method, but the Basic Needs Budget standard is used in some countries. Since regional differences in the same country must be considered, living wages are calculated by referencing the Japanese Trade Union Confederation and the Wage Indicator Foundation. No special issues were found among employees, business partners, contractors, and others.
To maintain a work environment where employees feel “motivated and willing to take on challenges (engagement),” the Company conducts a Global Employee Survey (GES) of its employees worldwide on their attitudes toward work and the workplace. The current state of its corporate culture is measured by the engagement score* , and each organization takes action to improve its score, thereby raising the competitiveness of the entire Group.
*The survey is rated on a 10-point scale to determine whether the workplace environment encourages performing individuals to thrive.
In fiscal 2021, approximately 90% of the Group's employees participated in this survey, which elicited over 160,000 comments and enabled each organization to delve more deeply into issues and continuously plan and implement improvements.
In fiscal2021, the engagement score for the Group was 6.4, up 0.3 points from fiscal 2017.
Respect for Human Rights in the Supply Chain (including local communities and indigenous people)
In fiscal 2021, 13 Konica Minolta Group production sites and 30 suppliers received CSR assessments. All the production sites received an overall rating of A, while all suppliers received an overall rating of B or higher, and no suppliers were rated high-risk
The sites for Konica Minolta's final production of its mainstay digital workplace and professional print businesses are in Japan, China, and ASEAN countries. Konica Minolta emphasizes audits at these sites so that as a manufacturer it can perform high-quality manufacturing and CSR-conscious production activities. 67% of RBA third-party audits (VAP audits) and Konica Minolta CSR audits at MFP and printing equipment production companies have been conducted. Previous CSR audits have uncovered issues such as the management of total working hours, the providing of education about labor and ethics, and the creation of an internal audit system. For all six audited companies, the Group has drawn up and performed required improvement plans for all these issues and has confirmed that improvements are complete through closure audits. In the RBA third-party audits (VAP audits) and Konica Minolta CSR audits, the rate of noncompliance was 7%, corrective action has been completed for 100% of all Priority items, and corrective action has been completed for 37% of all other non-compliances. Konica Minolta will continue to make improvements by turning the PDCA cycle.
The survey response rates to the Conflict Minerals Survey and the Cobalt Survey in the core Digital Workplace and Professional Print businesses were 96% and 92%, respectively.
By performing due diligence on the Conflict Minerals and Cobalt Survey responses, the Group identified 400 smelters, 261 RMAP-acquired smelters, and 30 Active smelters*.
The Group also confirmed that some of its major products (toner, optical lenses, and functional films) were not involved in conflict. No evidence of conflict involvement was found in any of the supply chains examined.
* Active smelters: Smelters that are now under RMAP audit or are scheduled to be audited.
Respect for the Human Rights of Customers
The Group has been working to eliminate serious information security incidents by setting “the number of serious information security incidents*” and “major business losses related to information security” as KPIs. In fiscal 2021, as in the previous fiscal year, the Group again achieved the target. Konica Minolta will continue to pursue various initiatives to develop and operate secure products and services.
*Major security incident: A project security incident that has a serious and significant impact on the business of the product user.
In June 2021, the Konica Minolta Group formulated the “Konica Minolta Group’s Basic Policy on the Use and Application of AI” to ensure the Group's shared understanding of the appropriate use and application of AI to achieve a better society and to work together to proactively use and apply AI.
4.Information Disclosure
Konica Minolta will regularly disclose the details of its initiatives on a timely basis via its website.
Remedy and Grievance Mechanism
Respect for the Human Rights of Group Employees
Konica Minolta has established an Internal Hotline System (Helpline) not only within the Group in Japan but also overseas. The Helpline is an anonymous reporting system, and whistleblowers are not subject to adverse treatment.
In fiscal 2021, of the Helpline cases reported that related to human rights (abuse of power /sexual harassment/discrimination/inappropriate treatment), 17 were domestic and 19 were overseas. In fiscal 2021, no material issues requiring public disclosure were reported to the Helpline.
Respect for human rights in the supply chain (including local communities and indigenous peoples)
In November 2020, the external points of contact of the “Helpline” internal hotline system have been expanded to include domestic and overseas suppliers.
Respect for the Human Rights of Customers
Konica Minolta has established KONICA MINOLTA PSIRT* as a Companywide organization to manage information on the vulnerabilities of its products and services, and to pursue necessary measures. When KONICA MINOLTA PSIRT receives a vulnerability report from an outside stakeholder about Konica Minolta's products or services, it takes appropriate action in compliance with the international vulnerability handling process.*PSIRT (Product Security Incident Response Team): Vulnerability response team for products and services
Stakeholder Engagement
Respect for the Human Rights of Group Employees
Konica Minolta shows that it guarantees freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining through its participation in the United Nations Global Compact. As of March 31, 2022, approximately 4,400 regular employees, except managers, belonged to the Konica Minolta Labor Union of Konica Minolta, Inc. Labor and management have concluded a collective labor agreement, and effectively communicate through the joint management council. Many other Group companies also have their own labor unions and employee associations and have built good labor-management relations.
Konica Minolta, Inc. provides the labor union with opportunities to explain about the Company's management and the union's policies through regular meetings of the joint management council held four times a year with the president’s attendance. Through vigorous questioning at these meetings, a relationship of trust is built between labor and management, and the details of the discussions are disclosed to union members.
As of March 31, 2022, the percentage of unionization of non-management employees in the Group worldwide was 90%.
Respect for Human Rights in the Supply Chain (including local communities and indigenous peoples)
Through supplier briefings and the procurement collaboration system, the Konica Minolta Procurement Policy is explained, procurement results and plans for the next fiscal year are reported, and targets and issues are shared. At the same time, the Group encourages its suppliers to further improve their quality, delivery, productivity, and environmental performance by commending suppliers for their outstanding achievements.
Respect for the Human Rights of Customers
Konica Minolta has established call centers and web-based consultation services around the world for each of its products and services. Not only does it swiftly respond to inquiries and information on product defects received at each contact point, but Konica Minolta is also consolidating this information into a Voice of Customer (VOC)* database to monitor quality status and customer requests. The Company has also established an Ethics Committee with outside experts to verify the appropriate use and application of AI technology.
*Voice of Customer (VOC): Customer feedback collected from call centers, interviews, market research, and other means.
