Policy and Basic Mindset
Respecting Human Rights
The UBE Group is committed to respecting human rights across all of its corporate activities. We comply with national and regional laws, regulations, and social norms in keeping with the globalization of our activities. We support and respect international guidelines and standards on human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the UN Global Compact, and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct.
Based on the UBE Group Basic Policy for Human Rights, we strive to identify, analyze, prevent, and remedy the human rights risks that we as a corporation are responsible for and annually conduct activities promoting the respect of human rights.
The UBE Group Code of Conduct establishes reference points to be used by all staff in the course of making decisions related to carrying out Group operations as well as standards for actions to be taken. Among these, the scope of actions related to respect for human rights aims to ensure respect for individuality and diversity while creating healthy and comfortable workplaces. In addition, it explains how to respect the human rights of all stakeholders related to our businesses and avoid complicity with both direct and indirect rights violations.
UBE Group Basic Policy for Human Rights
In order to conduct corporate activities that respect human rights, the UBE Group respects the dignity of all individuals, including their personalities and individuality, strives for mutual understanding, and implements initiatives that do not discriminate on the basis of gender, nationality, race, disability, age, social status, religion, creed, sexual orientation, etc. In addition, we will fulfill our social responsibilities as a company by ensuring that we do not engage in all inhumane acts, including forced labor, child labor, and human trafficking, and that we have no relationship whatsoever with individuals or organizations that engage in such acts.
Scope
This policy applies to all officers and employees of the UBE Group (UBE Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries) and covers the entire value chains and stakeholders.
Goal
We will establish and appropriately maintain a system to identify and mitigate adverse human rights impacts on the 26 major human rights risk categories defined in the Survey and Research Report on Business and Human Rights. To achieve this, we will implement the following measures.
- Respect for Human Rights
The UBE Group respects the basic human rights of all people and strives to ensure that people can live in safety and peace. In addition, we will ask all stakeholders related to our business to respect human rights, not to infringe on their rights, and to ensure that we do not indirectly participate in human rights violations. - Prohibiting Discrimination
The UBE Group does not discriminate on the basis of gender, nationality, ethnicity, race, disability, health status, age, social status, family environment, religion, creed, gender identity, sexual orientation, employment status, etc. - Prohibiting Harassment
The UBE Group does not engage in sexual harassment, power harassment, maternity harassment, or any other form of harassment that harms the dignity of individuals. - Workers' Rights
The UBE Group respects workers’ fundamental rights, including freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. We do not tolerate any form of forced labor or child labor. In addition, we comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where the UBE Group operates, and strive to implement responsible labor practices, such as ensuring occupational health and safety, providing fair and appropriate wages that consider living wages, and appropriately managing working hours. - Education
The UBE Group will provide appropriate human rights education to ensure that all officers and employees have a correct understanding and recognition of human rights. - Human Rights Due Diligence
In order to fulfill its responsibility to respect human rights, the UBE Group will identify, prevent, and mitigate the negative impact of its corporate activities on human rights based on the concept of "human rights due diligence" set forth in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. If an adverse impact on human rights occurs in our corporate activities, we will endeavor to take appropriate and effective remedial measures. Furthermore, if there is a negative impact on human rights in the supply chain, we will work to correct it. - Response to Human Rights Violations
When a human rights violation becomes apparent, the UBE Group will promptly remedy and remove any adverse impact on human rights, take corrective measures, and cooperate in such actions with internal and external support. To enable the early detection and correction of human rights issues, we will operate the whistleblowing hotline appropriately and continue to work to establish an effective system. - Engagement
The UBE Group utilizes human rights expertise from both internal and external sources in various ways and engages in ongoing dialogue with stakeholders regarding human rights issues surrounding us and continuously evolves its human rights initiatives.
Commitment
Every year, we identify, analyze, prevent, and correct human rights risks that companies should consider, and promote respect for human rights.
- Every year, we identify, analyze, prevent, and correct risks in three or more categories of human rights risks.
Responsible Department and Review
The Human Resources Department is responsible for overseeing and managing this policy.
This Policy is subject to regular review at least once every year. Any revisions, whether as part of a scheduled review or required during the fiscal year, will be deliberated and approved by the Human Resources and Human Rights Committee.
Announcing Our Support of the “My Jinken Declaration” (Declaration of Human Rights) Project Advocated by the Ministry of Justice
UBE announced its own “My Jinken Declaration” (Declaration of Human Rights), supporting the “My Jinken Declaration” project advocated by the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice’s “My Jinken Declaration” initiative aims to realize a society in which everyone respects human rights. To this end, this initiative encourages various entities, including business corporations, and individual citizens to publicly declare their commitment to respecting human rights and to take action in keeping with such commitment.
Outside Activities
UBE is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and has joined the Human Rights Due Diligence Subcommittee and the Human Rights Education Subcommittee within the Global Compact Network Japan. In the Ube district, we conduct educational activities on human rights in cooperation with local companies as the lead managing company of the Ube/Sanyoonoda District Corporate Human Rights Education Liaison Council, where we work together across the district on human rights initiatives across three themes—mandatory reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, further understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, and the prevention of the adverse treatment of individuals burdened with family nursing.
