Products and services

Working towards a sustainable and ethical supply chain

In the face of significant global challenges such as climate change, corruption and human rights abuses, ethical business practices can be a valuable differentiator in proactively addressing customer and stakeholder concerns, and meeting growing regulatory pressures.

There's scope, however, for businesses do much more than simply not be part of the problem: they have a crucial role to play in finding solutions. But as most businesses exist within complex global supply chains, every supplier in the network needs to be an active partner in driving change.

 

We're committed to ethical business practices and a sustainable society

Konica Minolta is committed to:

• Complying with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where we operate
• Ensuring ethical corporate behaviour
• Contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to counter inequality, assaults on human rights and exploitation in the workforce

 

Addressing the impact of our supply chain

Recognising that we have an impact on the world via our partners and supply chains (as well as through our own direct activities), we provide support to help our suppliers improve any issues that may come to light through assessments and audits. Although we may consider ending business with suppliers that don't make any improvement despite the support provided, our aim is to bring our suppliers with us on the journey to best practice and empower them to implement self-directed ESG activities.

CSDDD compliance

The upcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (CSDDD) seeks to prevent human and environmental rights infringements by requiring businesses to take action to identify and manage risks in their supply chains. Respect for human rights is one of the most basic requirements in our business activities, and Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is already working to ensure CSDDD compliance by:

• Establishing a risk management system
• Conducting a risk analysis of our suppliers
• Adopting a management board policy statement
• Establishing appropriate preventive measures
• Taking remedial action where needed
• Establishing a company-internal complaint procedure to help mitigate risk and identify areas for improvement
• Meeting continuous documentation and reporting requirements

In this way we seek to identify actual or potential adverse human rights and environmental impacts within our supply chain.

Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (Germany)

The European CSDDD will be enacted by nation states over the coming years, but Germany has already implemented similar legislation – the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (often known as the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act). Because we operate in Germany, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is already subject to this robust legislation, so our efforts to develop processes for CSDDD compliance are already well advanced.

Supplier Code of Conduct

Globally, Konica Minolta has been working since 2013 to align its procurement to ESG (formerly CSR, corporate social responsibility) best practices through membership of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and compliance with its industry-standard Code of Conduct. Four of our factories have an RBA status: 1 Platinum, 2 Gold and 1 Silver.

Building on the RBA's work, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe has developed its own Supplier Code of Conduct, which provides an even more robust and carefully regulated approach. The Code:

• Recognises that an ethical and sustainable supply chain can only be achieved with the help of our partners and valued suppliers
• Establishes an expectation that suppliers not only fully comply with applicable laws and regulations, but also with internationally recognised ESG standards.
• Sets out environment, social and governance rules that all suppliers must consider binding minimum standards.

To ensure compliance, suppliers agree to:

• Allow Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe to conduct audits or assessments
• Work to identify any risks in the supply chain, cooperating through surveys or questionnaires
• Disclose any incidents that breach our Supplier Code of Conduct

We insist on the supplier's full cooperation to address issues or incidents that arise. To support disclosure, we've also established reporting processes that include options for confidential whistleblowing.

Our Supplier Code of Conduct also sets the expectation that suppliers will make best efforts to implement the same high standards with their own suppliers and subcontractors.

Find out more about our supply chain management.

 

Responsible minerals procurement

Konica Minolta is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), which leads global initiatives on responsible mineral procurement. As a global company with a worldwide supply chain, we work on responsible minerals procurement to prevent the serious risks that may occur in connection with the mining, trading, handling and export of minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (Conflict-affected and high-risk areas: identified by the presence of armed conflict, widespread violence or other risks of harm to people. Details follow the OECD definition.), such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and adjoining countries. There are concerns that conflict minerals (Conflict mineral(s): cassiterite (the metal ore of tin), coltan (the metal ore of tantalum), gold, wolframite (the metal ore of tungsten), or their derivatives.)  and other minerals, such as cobalt, mined in this region could be used to fund armed groups, fuelling human rights abuses, bribery and environmental destruction.
 
Seeking to prevent conflict-related violations of human rights, the OECD established Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas and requires companies to take responsible initiatives in their supply chains. To address this international problem, Konica Minolta is determined not to purchase products, parts or materials that use minerals listed in OECD Guidance Annex II.

Referring to the OECD Guidance, Konica Minolta has:

• Developed a Group-wide system for implementing this responsible mineral policy
• Carries out responsible mineral surveys throughout its supply chain
• Conducts due diligence (Due diligence for conflict minerals: the steps in order to prevent or mitigate adverse impacts, to identify and assess risks of human rights abuses based on factual surveys of minerals supply chain.)

We require our suppliers to cooperate with our responsible minerals approach and activities. Through our strong partnerships, we expect our suppliers to source minerals from smelters and refiners who are deemed to be compliant with the RMI's Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP). If we identify minerals that contribute to funding conflicts or relate to serious risks, we will ask our suppliers to take measures. Depending on the outcome, we will take appropriate countermeasures that may ultimately lead to termination of business with the supplier.

In addition, the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation went into effect in 2021, and the EU released a list of Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas under Regulation.

In Japan, Konica Minolta participates in JEITA’s Responsible Minerals Trade Working Group, which promotes programs on responsible mineral procurement among IT and electronics companies in Japan.