Supply Chain Management

Working to establish a sustainable society in which human rights are respected

The Konica Minolta Group pursues customer satisfaction by creating innovative products and services that contribute to the development of society, in line with our management philosophy 'The Creation of New Value.'  

It's our belief that, as well as being responsible for its products, a business like ours is also socially responsible for improving labour conditions (human rights), ethics, the environment, and health and safety throughout the supply chain¹ that delivers those products to its customers. To realise these improvements, we:

• Practise environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) procurement at our manufacturing bases 
• Work closely with the suppliers of raw materials and parts for our products 
• Co-operate with our manufacturing and logistics suppliers 

We believe that making these improvements increases the corporate value of both Konica Minolta and its suppliers. Further, it allows customers to purchase our products with peace of mind and in the knowledge that they're contributing to the development of a sustainable society.  

We recognise too that ESG procurement is more than just our social responsibility: improving working conditions can also increase employee satisfaction and lower attrition rates — which, in turn, reduces business risk and raises quality throughout the supply chain.


¹Supply chain: The series of activities involved in delivering a product or service to a customer, ranging from procurement and production to distribution and sales.
 

Embedding respect for human rights into our supply chain

Respect for human rights is a basic requirement in our business activities, a key goal of our ESG strategy, and a driving force behind our work to create a sustainable and ethical supply chain that's rooted in ESG principles.

To place human rights at the heart of its business, the Konica Minolta Group developed the Konica Minolta Group Human Rights Policy, which is based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

In addition, we're committed to complying with the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, which we signed in December 2008, which asks businesses to take a precautionary and responsible approach towards the protection of human rights. Konica Minolta participates in the Working Groups on Supply Chains and on Human Rights Due Diligence with the Global Compact Network Japan. It uses these experiences in its ESG procurement initiatives.

We also aim to ensure compliance with the upcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which seeks to prevent human and environmental rights infringements by requiring businesses to identify and manage risks in their supply chains. Being based in Germany, where similar legislation — the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains — has already been implemented, means that Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is already subject to these requirements. Its efforts to develop processes for compliance are therefore well advanced.

As well as upholding such standards within our company, we ask our suppliers to adhere to the same principles when they conduct business with us. We aim to bring our suppliers with us on the journey towards best practice: we provide support to help suppliers improve any issues that come to light through assessments and audits.
 

Responsible mineral procurement to prevent human rights abuses  

Konica Minolta is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI). As a global company with a worldwide supply chain, we're working on responsible mineral procurement to prevent serious risks, such as human rights abuses, that may occur in connection with the mining, trading, handling and export of minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. We require our suppliers to co-operate with our responsible minerals approach and activities.
 

Konica Minolta procurement  

As a global company, Konica Minolta operates in 51 countries around the world. In our procurement activities, we establish partnerships with our suppliers based on fairness and transparency, and aim to build a sustainable society by fulfilling social responsibilities with our suppliers. As part of our commitment to responsible business and to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we work to ensure that our supply chain meets our own high standards.

Globally, Konica Minolta has been working since 2013 to align its procurement to ESG (formerly CSR, corporate social responsibility) best practices through compliance with the industry-standard Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct at Group level. Building on the RBA's work, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe has developed its own, even more robust Supplier Code of Conduct, which sets out clear expectations that our suppliers will:
 

• Comply with applicable laws and regulations and with internationally recognised ESG standards 

• Make best efforts to implement the same standards among their own suppliers and subcontractors 

Please download  our Supplier Code of Conduct here. 
 

The Konica Minolta Group's Procurement Policy covers procurement activities and promotes initiatives related to fair procurement. The policy is based on the following principles.
 

1. OPEN 
   We will build transparent and reliable relationships with our suppliers and manage procurement in an open manner, while sharing objectives from a long-term and global perspective.
2. FAIR
   We will carry out transactions under the principle of free competition with rational evaluation criteria, and seek mutual benefit with suppliers.
3. GLOBAL
   We will have a global outlook and carry out procurement in the regions that best suit our operational needs.
4. COMPLIANCE
   We will comply with all relevant laws and regulations, corporate ethics, and internal policies and regulations.
5. ECOLOGY
   We will contribute to the international society and local communities by striving to take the lead in environmental protection, while reducing the impact of our operations on ecosystems.

We ask our suppliers to focus on the following areas to increase customer satisfaction and fulfil social responsibilities.
 

1. Excellent quality
   Ensuring the safety of products and services, including compliance with the safety standards of each country and region, and improving quality to meet the demands of customers
2. Reasonable prices
   Pursuing prices with market competitiveness
3. Response to changes in demand
   Developing a stable supply system that can respond flexibly to changes in demand
4. Compliance with laws, regulations, and corporate ethics
   Complying with all laws and regulations of each country and region, and with corporate ethics
5. Environmental protection
   Undertaking environmentally conscious business activities and material procurement
6. Respect for the human rights of workers
   Respecting basic human rights, including the prohibition of child labour, forced labour, and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, and any other grounds
7. Health and safety
   Providing safe and clean work environments
8. Information security
   Continuously improving information security
9. Firm management foundation
   Building a firm management foundation to ensure a continuous and stable supply of materials