Sustainability Basic Policy
In November 2021, we established a new Sustainability Basic Policy based on the mission of the Inabata Group.
Inabata Group Sustainability Basic Policy
The Inabata Group’s corporate mission is to value people and contribute to society with a spirit of “love (ai)” and “respect (kei)”. Under this mission, we will also make it a management priority to address various environmental and social issues.
We will continue to respond to society’s evolving needs in all the Group’s business activities, as we aim to enhance our long-term corporate value and contribute to building a sustainable society.
Sustainability Code of Conduct
In November 2021, we established the Sustainability Code of Conduct in light of environmental and social issues as well as international trends. The Code sets out nine principles, including respect for human rights and environmental conservation.
Inabata Group Sustainability Code of Conduct
1. Respect for Human Rights
We will respect human rights and adhere to international norms that protect them. We will not tolerate any human rights infringement, including discrimination or harassment concerning race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, gender, age, disabilities, social status, or sexual orientation. Nor will we tolerate inhumane acts, such as forced labor, child labor, and slavery.
We will conduct human rights due diligence to ensure that our business activities avoid causing or contributing to infringements on human rights.
2. Healthy, Safe, and Secure Working Conditions
We will strive to maintain a working environment where all employees can continue to work in healthy, safe, and secure conditions. We will actively seek to identify and eliminate all conditions that could negatively impact the health and safety of our employees.
We will respect the rights of workers and comply with all labor laws and regulations in each of the countries where we do business.
3. Fostering an Open Culture for Active Participation by Diverse Staff
We will continually provide opportunities for all employees to pursue their interests and develop their strengths according to their capabilities. We will create a working environment that encourages interaction, where diverse people respect each other’s unique characteristics and abilities and feel a sense of unity as they work . Our goal is to foster a culture of open and active participation.
4. Environmental Conservation
We will earnestly address climate change and other environmental issues and take active steps to protect the environment. Recognizing that our business activities affect the environment, we are implementing a comprehensive range of protective measures. These measures include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other steps to respond to and mitigate climate change, managing energy usage, using resources efficiently, reducing waste, preventing pollution, managing chemical substances, conserving water resources, and preserving biodiversity.
We utilize an environmental management system to ensure that we comply with all environmental laws and regulations and take steps to appropriately monitor and manage the environmental impact of our activities.
We will contribute to environmental conservation through our business activities, such as by developing and selling products that help reduce the environmental footprint of our customers and society.
5. Crisis Management
The fundamental objectives of our crisis management are first and foremost to protect people’s lives and then to ensure business continuity and reestablish normal operations as quickly as possible in the event of a natural disaster, such as a major earthquake, typhoon, or flood, as well as a pandemic, terrorist action, accident or incident, cyber attack, or security incident. We regularly review our business continuity plan to confirm that it is up to date. When a crisis event occurs, the plan ensures that we can quickly resume operations to minimize the impact on our customers and suppliers, which is essential to maintaining trust in our company.
In the event of a major disaster, our business sites will participate in the restoration and reconstruction efforts of local communities.
6. Constructing a Sustainable Supply Chain
We will construct a sustainable supply chain by working together with all of our supply chain’s stakeholders to address environmental issues such as climate change, as well as human rights and other social issues. We will share our Supply Chain CSR Action Guidelines with our suppliers, and based on those guidelines, we will communicate closely with them and strive to strengthen our partnerships.
We will endeavor to be just and equitable in our business transactions, and we will not abuse our dominant bargaining position. We will conduct fair business in compliance with each country or entity’s regulations governing fair competition and transactions, including antitrust laws.
7. Compliance
We will engage in fair and honest business practices that comply with all laws and regulations on business activities. We will implement thorough anti-bribery and corruption measures to avoid conflicts of interest and to ensure the appropriate handling of information. In addition, the Inabata Declaration of Compliance sets high ethical standards for the behavior of everyone working in the company.
We will maintain an internal whistleblowing system through which we accept and respond to anonymous and confidential reports of non-compliance issues.
We will continue to strengthen the Group’s risk management and compliance systems through regularly scheduled internal audits as well as those conducted by Audit and Supervisory Committee.
8. Collaboration with External Stakeholders
We will engage in ongoing dialogue through various platforms with stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, shareholders, investors, industry groups, and local communities to discuss and understand underlying issues and communicate our corporate policies and intentions.
We will use information obtained through that dialogue to improve our business efficiency, enhance our corporate value, and form action strategies to address environmental and social issues. We will also work with stakeholders when implementing our strategies to improve their effectiveness.
We will fulfill our duty as a good corporate citizen by actively contributing to the development of the local community.
9. Sustainability Information Disclosure
We will provide timely and appropriate disclosure of information related to sustainability and maintain transparency and accountability. We will actively monitor and act on international sustainability initiatives, including disclosing information in accordance with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. We believe these are essential for us as a company to maintain our stakeholders’ trust and fulfill their expectations.
Established in November 2021
Revised in June 2022
Sustainability Promotion System
In October 2021, we established the Sustainability Committee, which is chaired by the president with the director in charge of sustainability acting as vice-chair. The committee members are the directors and executive officers in charge of the four business segments and selected heads of administrative offices. Convened at least once a year (plus extraordinary meetings as needed) in principle, the committee formulates, authorizes, and monitors the Group’s sustainability policies and measures.
The Regulations of the Board of Directors require the director in charge of sustainability to report to the Board of Directors at least once a year on the status of initiatives to address sustainability issues (such as consideration for climate change and other global environmental issues, respect for human rights, consideration for employee health and working environment, fair and reasonable treatment of employees, fair and reasonable transactions with business partners, and crisis management for natural disasters). The status of sustainability initiatives is also reported to the Board of Directors through the quarterly reports on business execution. Outside directors, non-executive directors, and audit and supervisory officers serve as observers at the Sustainability Committee. The observers monitor the fairness and effectiveness of committee discussions and make recommendations as necessary.
We have established the Sustainability Promotion Department as the body dedicated to promoting sustainability throughout the Group in accordance with the resolutions of the Sustainability Committee. We have also appointed staff from the sales divisions and selected administrative offices as Sustainability Promotion Members. The members collect information and summarize sustainability-related matters at their respective divisions and offices in order to facilitate the smooth operation of the committee.
