Respect for Human Rights
With the globalization of business practices, society is increasingly interested in the initiatives that companies take to protect human rights. The Suntory Group considers the respect for human rights of stakeholders a highly important issue and reflects it in its sustainability vision. To promote activities considering human rights, we have formulated the Suntory Group Human Rights Policy to further strengthen existing initiatives by engaging with employees and suppliers.
Formulation of the Suntory Group Human Rights Policy
The Suntory Group establishes a policy on human rights and promotes its compliance.
Suntory Group Human Rights Policy
The Suntory Group's mission is "to Create Harmony with People and Nature,” while enriching people’s lives, contributing to the coexistence of society and nature, and helping realize a thriving society.
The Suntory Group recognizes that it may directly or indirectly affect human rights in the course of its business activities, and in order to respect the human rights of all people involved in its business activities, the Suntory Group Human Rights Policy (Hereafter, this policy) set here will promote our efforts to respect human rights.
1. Basic thinking
As a member of society, the Suntory Group recognizes the importance of respecting human rights in all business activities. Based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) as a framework for implementation, we comply with relevant laws and regulations in each country or region where we operate, respect international standards of conduct and fully respect the following international human rights principles. We also support and respect the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact as a Global Compact signatory company.
- United Nations (UN) International Bill of Human Rights
- OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
- ILO Tripartite declaration of principles concerning multinational enterprises and social policy and ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
2. Scope
The Suntory Group applies this policy to all Suntory Group executives and employees. We also require all business partners involved in our products and services to understand and comply with this policy.
3. Responsibility for respect for human rights
The Suntory Group strives not to violate the human rights of anyone involved in its business activities, and takes appropriate measures to correct any negative impact on human rights, thereby taking responsibility for respect for human rights to build a sustainable supply chain.
4. Due Diligence & Remedy
The Suntory Group will establish a human rights due diligence system, identify its potential negative impact on human rights, and work to prevent and mitigate such negative effects. In addition, if it becomes clear that any of its business activities have directly caused negative impacts on human rights, or if indirect effects through business relations become clear, The Suntory Group will commence dialogue based on international standards through appropriate procedures.
5. Disclosure
The Suntory Group will disclose the progress and results of its efforts to respect human rights on its website, etc.
6. Dialogue
In the course of implementing this policy, the Suntory Group takes the advice of independent experts, and will diligently engage in dialogue and consultation with stakeholders.
7. Education and training
The Suntory Group provides appropriate education and training to all officers and employees so that this policy will be integrated into all business activities and implemented effectively.
8. Officer in charge
The Suntory Group will clarify the officer responsible for the implementation of this policy and ensure its effectiveness.
9. Important themes regarding human rights
The Suntory Group aims to realize a corporate group that is rewarding, respects diversity and human rights, and positions the following items based on the Suntory Group Code of Business Ethics as key themes in human rights compliance.
Child Labor and Forced Labor
We strictly prohibit the use of child labor or other illegal labor practices in any of our corporate activities.
Discrimination and Harassment
We will respect the rights and personalities of each individual and will eliminate any and all discrimination and harassment based on reasons from ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, nationality, language or disability to build a workplace where everyone is treated fairly. In the event a violation to human rights is discovered, Suntory will execute the appropriate response immediately and make sure to prevent recurrence while protecting the privacy of the concerned parties.
Freedom of Association
We will respect the basic rights of our employees to engage in freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Employee-friendly Workplaces
We will promote work styles that find balance between the professional and private lives of our employees while building a workplace that allows each person to work safely, securely and with enthusiasm in ways that are healthy both mentally and physically.
Open-minded Workplaces
We will foster an open-minded workplace that respects one another's beliefs, values, and diversity and where each and every employee can candidly express and share their views. We will also build cooperative relationships founded with unity through active communication throughout the Suntory Group.
Perseverance and Growth
We will realize the growth of individuals by fostering a feeling of pride and responsibility toward work in each and every individual so that they may independently persevere in achieving their goals.
This policy has been approved by the Board of Directors of Suntory Holdings
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Activities for Respecting Human Rights in the Supply Chain
The Suntory Group is working to promote activities for respecting human rights throughout the entire supply chain while linking to business partners by establishing the Basic Policy on Supply Chain Sustainability.
Risk Assessment with Sedex
We joined the corporate ESG data platform Sedex, a non-profit organization that offers largest supplier ethical information sharing platform in the world, in June 2019. We are engaging our suppliers to shareinformation through Sedex by answering to the SAQ*. These SAQs evaluate the potential social risks in the supply chain by focusing on child labor, forced labor and other human rights issues as well as considerations toward the work environment and occupational safety. As of May 2021, we have confirmed that over 1,000 manufacturing sites of approximately 650 major suppliers have joined the Sedex. We will continue to promote all major suppliers to join the Sedex. We will prioritize the strategy for each region based on the result of the risk assessment to formulate an action plan and promote corrective actions when needed.
We have also started to implement Sedex in our won plants from 2020 to identify potential risks and gain visibility on our current level of social compliance.
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*SAQ:Self-Assessment Questionnaire
Monitoring through Supplier Assessment Questionnaires
We also conduct sustainable procurement questionnaires targeting suppliers that have not joined Sedex. We examine not only our existing suppliers to identify those that are at high risk, but also assess potential new suppliers before we start business relationships.
In addition, the Suntory Group shares the Suntory Group Supplier Guidelines with our overseas Group companies and verifies initiatives toward sustainability at each company at the Global Procurement Conference in which our overseas Group companies participate.
Diversity Initiatives
Advancement of Female Employees
The Suntory Group is advancing activities with the goal of being an organization where each individual can actively participate regardless of gender. Suntory Beverage & Food Limited aims to increase the percentage of female employees in managerial positions to 30% by 2030 by establishing an atmosphere of healthy competition where everyone is given equal opportunities.
We are supporting the advancement of female employees by implementing measures with a view to providing continuous education and career support focused on the individual (developing capabilities and raising awareness) as well as by supporting the balancing of work and home life. In addition to cultivating a mindset through training for young employees and active participation in cross-industry exchanges, we are also supporting the building and enhancing of female employees’ careers in the medium to long term through talent reviews.
In regard to balancing work with life events, we are raising awareness through pre-maternity leave guidance and post-maternity leave follow-up seminars, and we also support employees caring for children to return to work earlier by providing a safety net in the form of a baby-sitter program for employees who are unable to use daycare facilities, or by bearing part of the costs of baby-sitting services when a child is sick or in other emergencies. We are implementing measures aimed at realizing flexible work-styles such as a flextime system, establishing remote work environments, and expanding our satellite offices. In addition, we are strengthening efforts to provide management support for active participation of employees who are returning to work after childcare leave by providing the supervisors of those employees with the information they need to manage employees who are raising children.
Reference: Action plans related to the advancement of female employees
Initiatives Regarding Non-Japanese Employees
In order to create synergies between Group companies all over the world, we are advancing a variety of initiatives involving collaboration between companies with the aim of formulating and implementing global human resource strategies under the slogan of "Overcoming Borders". We carry out regular talent reviews to identify, develop, and utilize personnel who can play an active role globally. Through initiatives such as exchanges between personnel from different countries and industries and the mutual sharing of expertise, we will continue to evolve our global human resources activities so that each of our Suntorians worldwide, who are brimming with individuality, can carry out "Yatte Minahare," the spirit of bold ambition, and deliver even greater inspiration and joy to the world.
Additionally, we have decided to promote locally recruited employees to management positions at our Group companies overseas in order to make the best use of non-Japanese human resources. Going forward, we will continue to promote diversity by recruiting and promoting overseas talent.
Link: Group Global Human Resource Activities
Initiatives Regarding Mid-Career Recruits
Based on the principle that to carry out diversity management, it is important that we actively engage a wide range of human resources with diverse values, we have been proactively recruiting mid-career employees who have diverse experience. We judge that we are placing and using human resources in a well-balanced way without compartmentalizing new graduates and mid-career recruits, and in the future, we will continue to utilize diverse human resources by recruiting mid-career employees as needed.
Human Resources Development Policy
Our basic approach to developing human resources is through OJT (On-The-Job training). We also encourage employees to grow by experiencing different types of work through systematic personnel rotation, taking into account the wishes of the employee themselves, which is understood through career vision interviews held once a year in which the employee and their supervisor discuss the future of the employee’s career. We also implement talent reviews, carried out between each division and personnel department, regarding the medium-to-long-term development plan and optimum placement for each employee, which leads to their ongoing development.
We also carry out inhouse recruitment and other measures to boost employees’ desire to grow independently.
In addition to this, we have established Suntory University, a Group-wide platform for learning, which leads employees to further growth through Off-JT (Off-The-Job training), including programs on Suntory’s philosophies and history to date, application-based training in which employees can acquire versatile skills and knowledge, and level-based training tailored to an employee’s qualifications and length of time at the Group.
In regard to global human resources development, we are working to develop employees who can play a role anywhere in the world through application-based development programs such as the Trainee Program and the Career Challenge Program, and by encouraging the accumulation of workplace experience through employee transfers to overseas positions.
Policy for Establishing Internal Environments
As a member of the Suntory Group, we have positioned going beyond the four boundaries of gender, age, handicaps, and nationality as an important matter, and we are carrying out a wide range of initiatives as shown above. As we do not believe that nationality or age at time of recruitment creates any significant barriers to advancement, we have not set targets for non-Japanese employees or mid-career recruits in our voluntary and measurable targets for promoting core personnel.
- In regard to the advancement of female employees, we are aiming to increase the percentage of female employees in managerial positions to 30% by 2030.
- In regard to seniors, we were pioneers in introducing our Extension of Retirement to Age 65 policy in 2013, and since 2020, we have been implementing a reemployment program that provides employment to people aged 65 and above who are healthy, willing to work, and can produce results.
- Regarding the employment of people with disabilities, we started recruiting people with intellectual disabilities in 2018, and we are meeting statutory employment rates.
Going forward, we will actively engage in initiatives centered on diversity management.
Link: Human resources diversity data, summary disclosure, explanatory notes to numerical data
Health and Productivity Management Initiatives
We were selected as a 2021 Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization in the Large Enterprise Category (White 500). The Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization Recognition Program, which is jointly administered by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi, recognizes corporations that are practicing outstanding health and productivity management in coordination with insurance providers as Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations.
The Suntory Group recognizes that companies where employees can work actively in good physical and mental health are the source of its competitive edge, and in 2014, it announced a declaration about health. In 2016, it started new health and productivity management and work-style reform initiatives.
To date, we have carried out various initiatives such as health seminars, Health Mileage, and One Suntory Walk. In 2020, we implemented new initiatives tailored to new work-styles, such as providing online fitness programs and a course on mental health by internal counselors through video streaming. In this way, we are encouraging voluntary and ongoing improvements in physical and mental health with the goal of improving the lifestyle of each and every employee. In addition, as a health and productivity management support service for companies, we developed and released SUNTORY+, a free app that supports employees who have difficulty maintaining healthy habits to develop healthier lifestyles. It provides a framework that makes it easy for anyone to maintain healthy behaviors and has been well received not only within the Suntory Group, but also at client companies that have adopted it.
Going forward, we will continue to advance health and productivity management and work-style reform initiatives, and work to realize healthy and energetic lifestyles for each individual so that they can turn this energy into new value creation.
Health and Productivity Management Declaration (formulated in 2016)
We believe that the health of our employees and their families are the source of Suntory’s innovation and ability to take on challenges, so we aim to ensure that all employees can work with enthusiasm and be healthy in mind and body.
Basic Policy
- We will advance the creation of a foundation for employee health through the establishment of workplace environments and work-style reforms.
- We will improve the health literacy of employees by providing health information and personalized support.
- We will promote physical health through lifestyle improvements, as well as the prevention and early detection of ailments and support for maintaining a work-life balance.
- We will support each individual to understand their mental health and to get appropriate psychological care.
- Through these initiatives, we will aim to realize “the brilliance of life” for our employees and their families.
Creation of a Health and Wellbeing Report
Each year we release a Health and Wellbeing Report outlining the Suntory Group’s health and productivity management initiatives.
Sustainability
Water & CO2
Raw Ingredients
Containers and Packaging
Human Rights
Activities of Overseas Group Companies