Human rights

ITOHAM YONEKYU Group Human Rights Policy

Based on the founding spirit of "Serving society through business" and "A moving Food Experience", ITOHAM YONEKYU Group has been promoting high-quality protein, particularly in meat and processed foods, to Japanese customers.
In order to continue to contribute to the realization of healthy and prosperous diets through our business, we would like to recognize once again that respect for human rights is fundamental in all business decisions and actions.
In order to respect the human rights of all people involved in our business and fulfill our corporate social responsibility, we have established ITOHAM YONEKYU Group Human Rights Policy (Hereafter, this policy), and through the implementation of this policy, we will work together with our stakeholders to achieve a sustainable society in which human rights are respected.

1. Basic Concept

In addition to supporting human rights standards such as the International Bill of Human Rights (Universal Declaration and International Covenant on Human Rights), which is the basis for international human rights norms, and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work adopted by the International Labor Organization (ILO), ITOHAM YONEKYU Group conducts its business activities in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. If any inconsistency arise between internationally recognized human rights and the laws and regulations of a country or region, we will seek ways to fully respect international human rights principles.
We do not discriminate or harass in any way, including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, nationality, region of origin, social status, job type, employment status, language, disability, marital status etc. We guarantee occupational safety and health, freedom of association and labor rights, and do not tolerate forced labor or child labor.

2. Scope of application

This policy applies to all officers and employees of ITOHAM YONEKYU Group. All officers and employees strive to create a safe and rewarding work environment free from discrimination, and practice this policy in fair spirit so as not to cause any negative impact on human rights.
We also urge all our business partners to respect human rights and support and comply with this policy.

3. Respect for human rights

ITOHAM YONEKYU Group will promote the following initiatives to ensure that it does not itself commit or promote human rights violations and to fulfill its responsibility to respect human rights through its business activities.

 

March 2022
Isao Miyashita
President and Chief Executive Officer 
ITOHAM YONEKYU HOLDINGS INC. 　

Human Rights Due Diligence

Identification of Priority Negative Impacts

In accordance with our Human Rights Policy and in line with the advocacy process of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we identified priority negative impacts that may occur in operations throughout the Group's supply chain.
In identifying these priority negative impacts, we considered perspectives that included geographical, social, and company-specific characteristics, as well as vulnerable stakeholders. We also referenced various reports related to human rights and solicited the objective opinions of external experts.

■Priority Negative Impacts

Prevention and mitigation of negative impacts

In FY2023 , we began providing eligible foreign technical intern trainees with native language support for a better understanding of the compliance training courses conducted for all employees.
Anti-harassment training for executive officers and employees includes a course to further their understanding of gender and diversity.
We conduct an annual compliance awareness survey to make our workplaces more comfortable for employees. Through this survey, we obtain candid opinions on compliance from employees and ascertain the level of compliance in the workplace.
Our Board of Directors and management receive a report on the results of the survey. Results are also provided to each workplace to maintain and strengthen our compliance system.
We expanded the scope of the survey in FY2022 to include foreign technical intern trainees and specified skilled workers , conducting the same awareness survey as for Group employees.
Our FY2023 survey did not reveal any deficiencies in our compliance initiatives. However, if we were to discover any matters having a negative impact from future surveys, we would engage in individual dialogue and persuasion to foster work environments that respect human rights. At the same time, we would raise our level of ongoing prevention and mitigation efforts.

Evaluation of effectiveness

<Initiatives within the Group>
In FY2023, we conducted interviews with foreign technical intern trainees at two of the Group's production plants to gain an accurate understanding related to technical intern training.
As a result, we confirmed that appropriate management systems (including coordination with supervisory organizations) were in place at both locations. We also confirmed that there were no negative human rights impacts requiring immediate action.
We will continue to visit Group sites in FY2024 and beyond to improve systems and operations to prevent and mitigate negative impacts on the human rights of foreign technical intern trainees engaged in practical training.



Supplier Survey and Supplier Visits (Initiatives Toward Sustainable Procurement)

External Desk

The ITOHAM YONEKYU Group accepts questions and reports related to negative human rights impacts from customers and business partners through the Customer Relations Office contact form below. ---Customer Relations Contact Form URL--- https://www.itoham-yonekyu-holdings.com/inquiry/form