Respect for Human Rights

Philosophy

The Kumiai Group considers respect for human rights to be the foundation of sustainability management. We uphold and respect the International Bill of Human Rights and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work from the International Labour Organization (ILO), and we have established the Kumiai Chemical Group Basic Policy on Human Rights. Based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we implement human rights due diligence and will collaborate with stakeholders, including all Kumiai Group officers and employees, to promote respect for human rights.
The Kumiai Group does not discriminate in its business activities based on gender, age, nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, culture, custom, lifestyle, values, educational background, social status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and has declared its commitment to respect fundamental human rights in the Code of Conduct and Basic Policy on Human Rights.

Kumiai Chemical Group Basic Policy on Human Rights

  1. Respect for human rights
    The Kumiai Chemical Group respects international norms on human rights, such as the United Nations International Bill of Human Rights and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work from the International Labour Organization (ILO). We promote initiatives for respecting human rights based on the objectives of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
  2. Prohibition of discrimination and harassment
    The Group prohibits discrimination based on gender, age, nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, culture, custom, lifestyle, values, educational background, social status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We also prohibit harassment that undermines the dignity of the individual, including sexual harassment, power harassment, and maternity harassment, in all of our business activities. We also promote initiatives to avoid any indirect complicity in or encouragement of human rights violations in all of our business activities.
  3. Prohibition of child labor and forced labor
    The Group strives to ensure no direct or indirect involvement in forced labor, child labor, slave labor, or human trafficking in our business activities in all countries and regions.
  4. Protection of privacy and respect for freedom of expression
    The Group respects privacy and works to protect personal and other information while promoting freedom of expression and ensuring that we will not violate human rights.
  5. Collaboration with stakeholders
    The Group practices initiatives to ensure respect for human rights by all officers and employees, calls for the understanding and support of all stakeholders, and collaborates on human rights initiatives with them.
  6. Implementation of human rights due diligence
    The Group puts in place corrective processes to recognize and address potential negative human rights impacts by preventing or mitigating them.

Specific Initiatives concerning Respect for Human Rights: Indicators and Targets

Based on the Kumiai Chemical Group Basic Policy on Human Rights, Kumiai Group has established the Guidelines for Human Rights Due Diligence (human rights DD) to address human rights issues.
In 2023, based on the guidelines, from a wide range of human rights issues (risks) we identified those that could have a negative impact on Kumiai Group’s business activities. We mapped the identified human rights issues (risks) onto the supply chain comprising Kumiai Group, suppliers, and other related parties to specifically identify how negative impacts may occur, and evaluated which of the three types of negative impacts may occur. Whereas downstream in the supply chain, risks that general agricultural chemical products may contribute to negative impacts were assumed, upstream in the supply chain, risks that Kumiai Group may contribute to negative impacts and risks that Kumiai Group’s business, products, and services may be related to negative impacts were assumed. Consequently, recognizing that human rights DD initiatives upstream in the supply chain should be prioritized, we conducted a survey of our major suppliers. (The survey included not only human rights issues, but also employment, the environment, bribery, consumer interests, and disclosure.) As a result of the survey, no human rights risks that could have negative impacts on the supply chain were identified. We will continue to conduct human rights DD in consideration of the best implementation method and scope of coverage.
Kumiai Group conducts a periodic compliance awareness survey covering all employees. In addition to checking the level of understanding of human rights issues, we identify the actual status of harassment, such as abuse of authority and sexual harassment, and the issues faced by each department or office, and promote awareness-raising activities. Moreover, the Kumiai Chemical Group external consultation desk has been established as an internal reporting system for early detection and early resolution of issues.

Participation in the United Nations Global Compact

In order to further enhance sustainability management, Kumiai has signed the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and registered as a participant as of September 18, 2023. The UNGC is a voluntary initiative in which companies and organizations participate in the creation of a global framework to achieve sustainable growth by acting as good corporate citizens, exercising responsible and creative leadership.
Kumiai supports and practices the UNGC’s Ten Principles, in the four areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anticorruption, to realize a sustainable society as a global company.

Sustainability