Our Group has established a CSR Charter and a Code of Conduct to define our principles for business conduct and standards that all Group employees should comply with. The SCREEN Group CSR Charter espouses respect for the fundamental human rights of each person. It repudiates harassment of any kind and pledges non-tolerance of child and forced labor. It also stipulates refusal to take part in the infringement of human rights and respect for the rights, cultures, and customs of workers.
In addition, the SCREEN Group refers to and respects various principles, charters, and rules, such as signing the UN Global Compact, which is a United Nations initiative.
The SCREEN Group strives to act with fairness, honesty, and respect for human rights in its relationships will all stakeholders, including those working for customers and suppliers, local communities, and shareholders.
Respect for Human Rights
Efforts to Promote Respect for Human Rights
The Group Risk Management Committee is working to identify and mitigate business risks related to human rights, and the CSR Committee sets targets and manages progress toward them. Our targets in the area of human rights are set forth in Sustainable Value 2023, the Group’s medium-term CSR plan, and they include targets regarding investigations related to conflict minerals and a whistleblowing system to prevent harassment. Both committees are headed by the CEO and report decisions made to the Board of Directors.
Ingraining Respect for Human Rights among Employees
In accordance with the CSR Charter and Code of Conduct, we are ingraining respect for promoting human rights among officers and employees through education focusing on relevant topics such as preventing discrimination and human rights violations, and respect for workers’ rights. This program covers a growing range of case studies in light of expectations from society and provides updated courses annually. The Group companies in Japan conduct e-learning, while the overseas Group companies deploy materials translated into multiple languages. Separate seminars are also held to address particular topics, such as the prevention of harassment, and to meet needs specific to job levels and roles such as those of managers and employees transferred overseas.
Another initiative is Sustainability Talks, in which the members of each department regularly exchange views on topics related to sustainability. Resources on human rights issues, such as preventing harassment and promoting understanding of sexual minorities, are provided to help individuals think about these issues more realistically and foster an organizational culture respectful of human rights.
Working Together with Suppliers
As part of our supply chain for the electronic devices and other industries, the SCREEN Group has established the SCREEN Supplier Code of Conduct in reference to our own CSR Charter and Code of Conduct as well as the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct and other standards. The Group is calling on suppliers to understand and join our efforts to respect human rights.
The Group regularly conducts CSR surveys of our major suppliers, including those among the top 200 in transaction value with the Group, to confirm compliance with the Supplier Code of Conduct in areas such as the protection of workers’ rights and the working environment. Suppliers of components containing specific minerals are also surveyed with the Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT), which is offered by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI). The Group will continue such confirmations and improve these activities by gradually expanding the questionnaire items and the scope of suppliers to be covered.
The SCREEN Supply Chain Sustainability Site is a sustainability-related website dedicated to suppliers and offers materials and webinars focused on human rights.
Whistleblowing System
We have established the Internal Reporting Hotline, a whistleblowing system for early detection of harassment cases and suspected violations of corporate ethics. Our global whistleblowing system has a hotline in a unified Group web space that is independent of the corporate organization to accept inquiries from all Group company officers, employees, and suppliers in Japan and overseas. In line with the amended Whistleblower Protection Act, there are also rules in place regarding anonymity and privacy protection, as well as for ensuring that no one will be given disadvantageous treatment for having used the whistleblowing system.
Points of inquiry received through the whistleblowing system are responded to mainly by the Legal, IP & Compliance Department and regularly reported to the representative director and corporate auditors. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, there were 22 inquiries (including those unrelated to human rights) made through the whistleblowing system, and the Group responded to all of them.
Hikone Plant Achieves Gold Status in RBA VAP Audit
SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. (SCREEN SPE), one of our business operating companies, had its Hikone Plant (including its Taga Plant) undergo a Validated Audit Process (VAP) performed by a Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) certification agency in November 2022.
The RBA is the world’s largest industry coalition dedicated to delivering sustainable value to workers, the environment, and businesses throughout the entire global supply chain. It has established the RBA Code of Conduct as a set of standards designed to ensure that working conditions are safe and workers are treated with dignity and respect within the global supply chain. The Code is likewise intended to ensure that business activities are conducted ethically and responsibly with regard to their environmental impact. VAP audits are conducted by authorized third-party auditors to evaluate whether organizations are implementing management practices in a humane and sound manner in accordance with the Code.
The audit examined areas such as the plants’ labor, health and safety, environment, ethics, and management systems. Following the inspection, the agency confirmed that all systems were operating appropriately and awarded SCREEN SPE Gold Status under the RBA’s certification program.
Codes and Standards Referenced for Human Rights Efforts
● United Nations Global Compact
● Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
● Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR)
● United Nations Convention against Corruption
● UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
● Responsible Business Alliance (RBA)
● International labor standards
● The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
● OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas
● ISO 26000