The Yokohama Rubber Group Human Rights Policy
The Yokohama Rubber Group Human Rights Policy
1. Positioning of the Human Rights Policy
The Yokohama Rubber Group Human Rights Policy (the "Human Rights Policy," hereafter) serves as the basis for all of the Group's business activities as its top human rights policy, based on the Corporate Philosophy and the Yokohama Rubber Group Action Guidelines.
Our Human Rights Policy applies to all officers and employees of the Yokohama Rubber Group (directors, auditors, executive officers, other persons associated with business execution in relation to management, and those in employment contracts with Yokohama Rubber Group companies, employees accepted on secondment and temporary employees). To ensure that our commitments to human rights can be realized in our business activities, we expect that all of our business partners including suppliers and distributors will also understand and support this policy.
2. Respect Human Rights
The Yokohama Rubber Group supports and respects:
- International Bill of Human Rights, which includes the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights that stipulates the fundamental human rights equally entitled to;
- Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;
- International Labor Organization (“ILO”) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which stipulates fundamental labor rights (freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, prohibition on forced labor, effective abolition of child labor and the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupations); and
- ILO MNE Declaration (Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy).
Note that this Human Rights Policy has been formulated based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
3. Implementation of Human Rights Due Diligence
The Yokohama Rubber Group identifies adverse impacts on human rights that arise through its business activities by way of human rights due diligence mechanisms, and takes corrective action including prevention and mitigation.
Should it come to light that the Yokohama Rubber Group has committed or been involved with a human rights violation, the Group will take appropriate steps and endeavor to correct and/or remedy the violation. The Yokohama Rubber Group will share information about human rights issues related to its business activities at appropriate times with stakeholders and pursue action on those issues through dialogue with stakeholders while engaging in its business activities.
4. Issues Related to Human Rights
(1) Discrimination: The Yokohama Rubber Group does not, under any circumstances, engage in any form of discrimination on the basis of nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, social background, gender identity, sexual orientation, political views or otherwise.
(2) Harassment: The Yokohama Rubber Group does not tolerate conduct that unreasonably harms the dignity of workers or any form of harassment, whether mental or physical.
(3) Forced labor and child labor: The Yokohama Rubber Group does not tolerate any form of modern slavery in its business activities in any country or region, including child labor below the working age stipulated by the laws of the relevant country, forced labor and human trafficking.
(4) Freedom of association and right to collective bargaining: The Yokohama Rubber Group respects the rights granted to workers including freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, and endeavors to build, maintain and improve trust and healthy cooperative relationships through a dialogue between labor and management.
(5) Occupational health and safety: We regard health and safety as the basis of everything we do, and make every effort to prevent occupational accidents and create a workplace that is healthy and comfortable both mentally and physically.
(6) Impact on local communities: The Yokohama Rubber Group acknowledges that there are matters concerning land rights, water management, the rights of indigenous peoples, and other issues in the local communities that are affected by its business activities. In the local communities in which we operate, we will fulfill our responsibilities to respect human rights and aim to make sustainable contributions to the community.
5. Grievance Mechanisms
If there is a violation or suspected violation of the applicable laws, regulations or rules in a relevant country or region, or of internal regulations including the Human Rights Policy, the Yokohama Rubber Group will conduct investigations through the appropriate means, and will provide an early response and corrective action once an issue is confirmed.
In order to respond to the negative impacts on human rights related to the business activities of the Yokohama Rubber Group appropriately, going forward we will continue to develop mechanisms to effectively handle whistleblowing reports.
6. Education
The Yokohama Rubber Group will incorporate this Human Rights Policy into the necessary procedures to ensure that it takes root throughout the Group’s corporate activities, and will provide appropriate education and training to all employees so that the policy is well understood and effectively implemented.
7. Information Disclosure
The Yokohama Rubber Group will continually disclose information and report on its efforts to respect human rights and the implementation status of its human rights due diligence.
The above policy was approved by the Board of Directors of the Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. on April 28th, 2022.
