SOCIAL

In accordance with the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we have established organizational frameworks and processes to identify, prevent, and mitigate the potential adverse impacts of our business activities upon human rights. The processes are described below.

Identify, analyze, and evaluate adverse impacts on human rights

Acknowledging that human rights can be impacted by business activities across our value chain,* we have listed such potential impacts as part of our human rights due diligence. For this process, we referred to Caux Round Table Japan’s list of human rights issues in the cosmetics and daily goods sector and the Ministry of Justice’s information about sectors where enterprises should respect human rights (in a ministry publication whose title translates as “business and human rights guidance for today’s enterprises”), both of which are derived from the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative’s Human Rights Guidance Tool for the Financial Sector.

* Such impacts include forced labor, child labor, violation of freedom of movement and residence, excessive or unreasonable work hours, harassment, discrimination, an unsafe or unhealthy workplace, violation of freedom of association, violation of right to social security, violation of privacy rights, violation of freedom of expression, lack of equal pay for equal work, adverse environmental impacts, threats to children’s health or safety, violation of the rights of indigenous communities, violation of intellectual property rights, non-payment of due wages, threats to consumer health and safety, and bribery or other forms of corruption.

Using interviews and other methods, our corporate divisions have ascertained the adverse human rights impacts that could occur in our value-chain. From their findings, we have assessed the probability that the potential human rights impacts will occur and the severity of the impacts in question. A third-party expert reviewed country-specific human rights impacts relevant to our production locations, human rights impacts linked with the production of palm oil used in our mainstay shampoos, conditioners, and body soaps, and our measures for preventing and mitigating the impacts. Considering the results of this third-party review and a broad range of other factors, we identified the human rights impacts to prioritize for prevention, mitigation, and redress.

Prevention, mitigation, redress

We prevent, mitigate, and redress the human rights impacts identified as high-priority as follows.

A third-party expert reviews our processes for identifying, preventing, mitigating, and redressing human rights impacts, especially those we have identified as high-priority. We will continue to periodically review potential and actual impacts on human rights across our value chain, identify high-priority human rights impacts, and address them as necessary.

Tracking the effectiveness of measures taken, publicizing the findings

We will monitor the effectiveness of the measures we have taken to prevent, mitigate, and redress adverse human rights impacts and publicize the information on our website.
Our latest findings are available on theSupply Chain Management webpage.

Commitment to Workers’ Rights

・Equal pay for equal work

We commit to equal pay for equal work. In remuneration, promotion, and appraisals, we never discriminate based on the person’s race, skin color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status, or for any similar reason.

・Improving the working environment

We respect workers’ rights by, among other things, prohibiting long work hours, providing a living wage, and ensuring worker safety. We provide a workplace environment that celebrates workers’ diversity and autonomy, ensuring wellness and peace of mind.

・Preventing use of child labor

Our employment regulations state the following: “From among willing candidates who are at least 18 years of age, the Company hires those who pass the necessary screening process.” Before hiring a candidate, we check their age as stated on public ID documents to prevent the use of child labor.

Response to Health and Safety Risks

・Establishment of the Employee Wellness Committee

As part of our commitment to employee wellness, we have established the Employee Wellness Committee. This committee designs structures for workplace wellness, democratically incorporating the ideas of employees. In this way, the committee helps create a positive and happy workplace environment, one that values work-life balance and employee wellness. Committee about stress assessment methods, effective rest practices, and measures for preventing outbreaks of infectious diseases.