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Respect for Human Rights

Respect for human rights is a key corporate social responsibility for which we have established the EIZO Group Human Rights Policy. It is intended to establish a safe, secure, prosperous, and sustainable society by correctly understanding and recognizing the laws, culture, religion, and values of each country and region. We strive to deeply incorporate this policy into group business and advance efforts to respect human rights with the understanding and cooperation of all our business partners, suppliers, and other parties associated with the products and services of the group.

EIZO Group Human Rights Policy

We, EIZO Corporation and all EIZO Group Companies (hereinafter collectively referred to as “EIZO Group”), have formulated the EIZO Group Principles of Conduct, which are to be observed by all individuals working for EIZO Group.
Recognizing that respect for human rights, one of the principles, is an important social responsibility for companies, we hereby establish the EIZO Group Human Rights Policy (hereinafter referred to as the “Policy”) with the aim of realizing a safe, secure, prosperous, and sustainable society by correctly understanding and recognizing the laws, culture, religion, and values of each country and region.

1. Basic Policy on Human Rights
  1. We respect, protect, and do not infringe upon the human rights of individuals involved in our business.
  2. We respect internationally recognized standards and the laws and regulations, cultures, histories, religions and customs of all countries and regions where we do business.
  3. We respect and support international principles and standards on human rights, including,
  • the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
  • the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,
  • the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, issued by International Labor Organization,
  • the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact,
  • the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and
  • the Code of Conduct of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA).
2. Scope of Application
The Policy applies to all individuals working for EIZO Group (hereinafter referred to as "Employee(s)"). We also require our suppliers and business partners to support this Policy and to respect human rights.
3. Guarantee of Humane Treatment and Prohibition of Discrimination and Harassment
  1. We will never engage in harsh or inhumane treatment including violence, gender-based violence, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, corporal punishment, mental or physical coercion, bullying, public shaming, or verbal abuse of Employees.
  2. We will never discriminate or harass Employees based on race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnicity or national origin, disability, pregnancy, religion, political affiliation, union membership, covered veteran status, protected genetic information or marital status in hiring and employment practices such as wages, promotions, rewards, and access to training. We will also provide Employees with reasonable accommodation for their religious practices.
  3. We will never allow Employees or prospective Employees to undergo medical tests, including pregnancy or virginity tests, or physical exams that could be used in a discriminatory way, except as necessary to comply with laws and regulations, to ensure workplace health and safety, or to maintain the health of Employees.
4. Guarantee of Freely Chosen Employment
  1. In our business activities, all forced, bonded (including debt bondage) or indentured labor, involuntary or exploitative prison labor, slavery or trafficking of persons are prohibited.
  2. We will not impose unreasonable restrictions on Employees’ access to facilities provided by EIZO Group (including dormitories and housing for Employees), nor on their free movement within such facilities.
  3. We will provide Employees with a written employment agreement in their native language or a language they understand that contains a description of terms and conditions of employment. A foreign migrant Employee must receive a written employment agreement prior to his/her departing from his/her country of origin and no substitution or changes are allowed in the employment agreement upon arrival in the country where the EIZO Group, in which he/she works, is located, unless these changes are made to meet local laws and provide terms equivalent or superior to the original agreement.
  4. We guarantee the freedom of Employees to leave work at any time or terminate their employment without penalty if reasonable notice is given by the Employee as per his/her employment agreement.
  5. We will not hold or otherwise destroy, conceal, or confiscate Employees’ identity or immigration documents, such as government-issued identification, passports, or work permits. We can only hold such documentation if such holdings are required by law. In this case, at no time should Employees be denied access to their documents.
  6. Employees shall not be required to pay any recruitment fees or other related fees for their employment. If any such fees are found to have been paid by Employee, such fees shall be fully repaid to the Employee.
5. Prohibition of Child Labor and Work Restrictions for Young Workers
  1. In our business activities, child labor is prohibited. The term “child” refers to any person under the age of 15, or under the age for completing compulsory education, or under the minimum age for employment in the country, whichever is greatest.
  2. We will not allow Employees under the age of 18 (Young Workers) to engage in work that is likely to jeopardize their health and safety, including night shifts and overtime.
  3. In order to comply with the preceding two paragraphs, when concluding an employment agreement with an Employee, we will verify the employee's age by means of a document issued by a public institution.
  4. We will ensure proper management of student workers through proper maintenance of student records, rigorous due diligence of educational partners, and protection of students’ rights in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. We will provide appropriate support and training to all student workers. In the absence of local law, the wage rate for student workers, interns, and apprentices shall be at least the same wage rate as other entry-level workers performing equal or similar tasks.
6. Guarantee of Adequate Working Conditions
  1. We will properly manage the working hours of Employees and will not allow them to work more than the maximum hours stipulated by the laws and regulations of the countries and regions where we do business. Weekly working hours shall not exceed 60 hours, except in emergency or unusual situations. All overtime must be voluntary. Employees will be allowed to take at least one day off every seven days.
  2. We will pay compensation and provide benefits to Employees in compliance with all laws and regulations regarding minimum wages, overtime, and benefits in the countries and regions where we do business. Compensation for overtime will be paid at a rate higher than the regular hourly rate. No wages will be deducted as a disciplinary measure.
  3. For each pay period, we will provide Employees with a timely and understandable wage statement that includes sufficient information in their native language or a language they understand to enable the Employee to verify accurate compensation for work performed.
7. Freedom of Association
  1. We will respect the right of all Employees to form and join trade unions of their own choosing, to bargain collectively, and to engage in peaceful assembly as well as respect the right of Employees to refrain from such activities.
  2. We will never discriminate, retaliate, threaten, harass, or otherwise treat Employees unfavorably with respect to working conditions because they have exercised their labor rights, such as forming or joining a trade union, demanding collective bargaining, or participating in a peaceful assembly.
  3. We will share opinions and concerns regarding working conditions and management practices presented by Employees and jointly work to resolve these issues through honest and constructive discussions.
8. Fair Business, Advertising and Competition
  1. We fully recognize the importance of the impact of our advertising expressions on society and will conduct our advertising and marketing activities with full consideration of our social responsibilities.
  2. We will always use expressions based on facts and will never use expressions that may misrepresent the characteristics or quality of our products and services.
  3. We will never use expressions that discriminate against specific individuals, groups, or social groups, or that infringe on the rights or dignity of specific individuals, groups, or social groups.
  4. We will never use expressions that justify ideas that are contrary to the spirit of democracy, acts that violate the laws and regulations of each country or region, militarism, war, etc.
9. Human Rights Due Diligence
  1. We will establish separate internal rules to implement this Policy and revise them as necessary.
  2. We will provide appropriate training and status checks to Employees on a regular and ongoing basis to ensure that human rights due diligence is understood and effectively implemented.
  3. If any violation of this Policy is discovered, we will promptly take appropriate corrective measures.

April.18, 2022
Mr. Yoshitaka Jitsumori
Chairman & CEO

Human Rights Advancement System

We have designated respect for human rights as one of EIZO's materialities. We have established a Human Rights Subcommittee within the Sustainability Committee, which reports directly to the Board of Directors, to advance human rights initiatives in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and other international standards.

Human Rights Due Diligence

Advancement of Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD)

In accordance with the UN Guiding Principles, EIZO Group is advancing human rights due diligence (HRDD) to prevent and mitigate human rights risks throughout our entire group’s value chain. Our HRDD consists of four steps: (1) identification and assessment of human rights risks (Plan), (2) prevention and mitigation of the human rights risks (Do), (3) evaluation of the effectiveness of our prevention and mitigation measures (Check), and (4) information disclosure (Act). By operating this PDCA cycle and reflecting the results obtained into our Human Rights Policy, etc., we will continuously improve our overall efforts regarding “respect for human rights.”

HRDD Initiatives

Step 1: Identification and Assessment of Human Rights Risks
In FY2023, the first year of our group's HRDD initiatives, the Human Rights Subcommittee played a central role in identifying and assessing human rights risks.

  

First, to deepen the understanding of the Human Rights Subcommittee members, a training session on “Business and Human Rights” was held by Mr. Hidemi Tomita, Representative Director of LRQA Sustainability Co., Ltd. Then, with Mr. Tomita’s guidance, human rights risks were identified for all group companies in Japan. All identified risks were classified into 11 representative categories of human rights risks in accordance with the “Guidelines on Respecting for Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains” issued by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. [Table 1]

  

In assessing the human rights risks, we visualized the status of our relevant human rights risks by quantitatively assessing each category of human rights risk and each stakeholder in our value chain based on the two criteria of “likelihood of occurrence” and “severity.” [Table 2]

   

Based on the assessment results, we then discussed with the Sustainability Committee, including management, and identified human rights risks that require priority measures as “critical human rights issues,” as shown below, and reported these to the Board of Directors. [Table 3]

    (i) All human rights risks within the supply chain

    (ii) Discrimination and harassment based on race, disability, religion, social origin, gender, or gender identity

    (iii) Excessive or unreasonable working hours

    (iv) Business ethics

    [Table 1] Identification of Human Rights Risks

    Category of human rights risks Specific examples of human rights risks identified
    1. Forced labor
    • Human trafficking and involuntary labor
    • Collection of recruitment fees and debt labor
    2. Child labor
    • Infringement of health and safety
    • Deprivation of learning opportunities
    3. Infringement of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
    • Coercion of labor union participation/non-participation
    • Adverse treatment in labor-management negotiations
    4. Discrimination in employment and occupation
    • Discrimination based on type of industry or contents of work
    5. Infringement of safe and healthy working environment
    • Infringement of health and safety due to physically demanding work, dangerous machinery, chemical substances, etc.
    6. Infringement of freedom of residence and relocation
    • Unintended relocation
    7. Discrimination based on race, disability, religion, social origin, gender, or gender identification
    • Discrimination based on gender or nationality
    • Discriminatory expressions in products and publicity
    • Disparity in treatment based on gender or job classification
    • Impediments to working environment due to harassment (sexual harassment, power harassment, maternity harassment, paternity harassment, care harassment, customer harassment, etc.)
    • Insufficient consideration for foreign workers and minorities
    8. Infringement of rights of indigenous and local people
    • Deterioration of living environment due to business activities
    9. Excessive and unreasonable working hours
    • Long working hours due to staff shortages and urgent work
    • Insufficient rest breaks and leave
    10. Unpaid wages
    • Unpaid wages and unreasonable wage deductions
    • Insufficient provision of benefits
    11. Others Proper use of products and health
    • Infringement of user safety and health due to inappropriate information provision
    Technology and privacy
    • Infringement of privacy through leakage of personal information
    • Copyright infringement
    • Slander and defamation
    Business ethics
    • Impediments to fair business practices through bribery

[Table 2] Assessment of Human Rights Risks

[Table 3] Identification of “Critical Human Rights Risks”

         
Critical human rights issues Stakeholders negatively affectedCurrent Measures
Supplier Employee Local Community Customer

All human rights risks within the supply chain

  • Establishment and review of “EIZO Supplier Code of Conduct” and “Declaration of Partnership Building”
  • Self-assessment by (primary) suppliers (SAQ provided by RBA)
  • Due diligence in responsible mineral procurement
  • Publicize sustainability promotion initiatives on EIZO Supplier Day (Japan)
  • Operation of human rights grievance mechanism for suppliers

Discrimination and harassment based on race, disability, religion, social origin, gender, or gender identification

  • Establishment and review of internal rules and regulations, “EIZO Group Human Rights Policy" and “Basic Policy on Customer Harassment”
  • Operation of in-house counsel and whistleblowing systems
  • Employee education on compliance

Excessive or unreasonable working hours

  • Operation of occupational health and safety management system (ISO 45001)
  • Monitoring of working hours and stress check results
  • Education for managers and guidance by industrial physicians
  • Receiving RBA VAP audits

Business ethics

  • Establishment and review of internal rules and regulations and “EIZO Group Anti-bribery Policy”
  • Employee education on compliance

Step 2 and beyond

We will evaluate the effectiveness of each of the current measures for the abovementioned “critical human rights issues” and consider the need for alternative or additional measures. (Step 2 and Step 3).

External Evaluation

As shown below, Mr. Hidemi Tomita, Representative Director of LRQA Sustainability Co., Ltd., has evaluated our HRDD efforts to date positively. We take Mr. Tomita's comments seriously and will continue to improve our efforts to respect human rights by regularly reviewing human rights risks, improving the effectiveness of our human rights risk prevention and mitigation measures, etc.

Comments from Mr. Hidemi Tomita, Representative Director of LRQA Sustainability Co., Ltd.

While this is the first time that EIZO has attempted to assess human rights risks, I believe that the assessment was conducted through an appropriate process. The methodology of comprehensive assessment by mapping risks based on severity and likelihood of occurrence, in consideration of key stakeholders (rights holders) throughout the value chain, including suppliers, employees, local communities, and customers, is in line with international guidelines and other relevant standards. Four critical human rights issues centered on the supply chain were ultimately identified this time, and I would say that these results are also not particularly different from the situation of other companies in the electronics industry to which EIZO belongs.
It is expected that these critical human rights issues will first be investigated and rectified onsite. At the same time, since engagement with stakeholders who may be affected by human rights risks was not necessarily sufficient in this assessment, ongoing dialogue with them is expected. In addition, since a grievance mechanism has been introduced, it is expected that human rights risks will be continuously reviewed reflecting the content of reports made to the reporting desk.

Grievance Mechanism (Remedy)

We became a full member of the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER) in April 2024 and are working to develop the grievance mechanisms required by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
JaCER provides a non-judicial "Engagement and Remedy Platform" for the redress of grievances based on the Guiding Principles.
Through this platform, we accept complaints and reports of violations and alleged violations of human rights and other responsible business conduct from a wide range of external stakeholders, including our global supply chain.
With JaCER's professional support, we are committed to fulfilling our responsibility to address human rights issues by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the grievance redress process and by ensuring the legitimacy of the grievance mechanism.

JaCER Grievance Form and Guidance

Notes

  • The progress of grievance cases can be tracked on the "Grievance List", which is regularly updated on the JaCER website. (Whistleblowers and relevant companies will remain anonymous.)
  • Reports from EIZO Group employees will continue to be accepted through the internal whistleblowing system.
Internal Whistleblowing System (Compliance)