Human Rights

Human rights due diligence

Through its human rights due diligence mechanisms, Ricoh strives to protect the human rights of stakeholders and promote sustainable corporate activities.
Under the responsibility of management, we will continue to work on 1. Identification and assessment of adverse human rights impacts, 2. Prevention and mitigation of adverse impacts, 3. Monitoring, and 4. Information disclosure through business activities and supply chains.

1. Identification and assessment of adverse human rights impacts

The Ricoh Group identifies salient human rights issues of all stakeholders involved in the Ricoh Group's business activities through the assessment of their adverse impacts on human rights. In 2013, a workshop was held with the participation of experts to identify human rights risk factors at Ricoh. After that, we identified specific issues of concern that take into account the regional characteristics of the selected risk factors. In 2015, we organized the relevance of identified risks and stakeholders. In 2022, in response to the increasingly complex human rights issues in recent years, we identified major human rights risks in the Ricoh Group and sorted out their impact on stakeholders, referring to major international human rights rules and frameworks, as well as the "Major Human Rights Risks Related to Enterprises' Consideration and Corporate Activities" defined by the Ministry of Justice in Japan. [Table 1]

Table1:Representative human rights risks and stakeholder relationships

In addition, we identified salient human rights issues among the typical human rights risks. First, we identified issues for employees working in the Ricoh Group from the perspective of protecting workers, and conducted a human rights impact assessment for Ricoh and Ricoh Group manufacturing affiliates, with advice from outside experts. The results of the impact assessment were reported and discussed with management, including the CEO. As a result, seven prominent human rights issues have been identified. [Table 2]
We plan to conduct periodic reviews of salient human rights issues for our stakeholders. In consideration of the importance of risk management, human rights impact assessments are scheduled to be conducted annually throughout the Ricoh Group.
We will gradually review and expand the scope of human rights impact assessments for other stakeholders.

Human Rights Assessments in new business relations (mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, etc.)

At Ricoh, when conducting new transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, etc., we carefully assess the risk of the counterparty in accordance with the standard due diligence process established by the Investment Committee.
“Human rights due diligence” is included as part of these risk assessment items, and we conduct a detailed assessment of the human rights risks of the counterparty company regarding items equivalent to due diligence at our company, such as child labor and forced labor to ensure that there are no issues before making our final decision on the mergers and acquisitions, etc.
After the acquisition, we will promote understanding and dissemination of the Ricoh Group’s human rights policy and related initiatives and will continue to implement human rights due diligence as a group company.

The Ricoh Group implements measures to prevent and mitigate identified salient human rights issues which have high adverse impacts on human rights of others.
Below are examples of initiatives we have taken to address salient human rights issues identified in 2022 as well as future improvement and enhancement items. [Table 3]​

[Table 3] Examples of Past Initiatives and Future Improvement and Enhancement items for Salient human rights issues​​​

In addition to the initiatives of the whole Ricoh Group, we also conduct detailed checks on human rights issues in specific regions or sites, and we are making improvements on individual sites. Some examples of these assessments are as follows.

Forced labor
In 2020, for example, a third-party audit (RBA Validated Assessment Program (VAP)) was conducted voluntarily by a production site in China. As a result of the audit, it was revealed that some of the labor agencies contracted by the site had required workers to pay a part of the recruiting fees. As a corrective measure to this issue, the site completed the refund of the fees incurred by the workers. Regarding preventive measures, in the same year, Ricoh ordered the prohibition of charging workers recruitment fees.

Discrimination and harassment
At a production site in Thailand, female workers engaged in standing work had their pregnancy status confirmed prior to employment from the viewpoint of work safety considerations, but this was discontinued in 2023 in accordance with international standards because of the possibility of discrimination.

Additionally, in 2024, with the approval of the ESG Committee, we issued the “Ricoh Group‘s Guide to Respecting Human Rights” for domestic and overseas group companies. The guide sets out standards for each of the 15 representative human rights risks to be followed by the Ricoh Group. This guide also covers the compliance standards for the items listed above that will be improved and enhanced in the future. In our efforts to prevent and mitigate adverse impacts, we will prioritize addressing salient human rights issues, but going forward we will also work to mitigate the occurrence of major human rights risks by rolling out and disseminating this Guide globally to all Ricoh Group companies and putting into practice key points. We will regularly evaluate our compliance with the Guide through human rights impact assessments.

Implementation of Periodic Assessment for Ricoh Group
Regularly review the status of efforts to address adverse impacts through annual SAQs and other means.
The Ricoh Group recognizes that the human rights risk at production sites is of high importance, and continuously monitors it.
In 2019, we joined the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), a corporate alliance that promotes corporate social responsibility in global supply chains.
Since 2020, Ricoh Group has been conducting annual risk assessments using the RBA SAQ for major production sites of the Ricoh Group. In 2023, 21 production sites responded to the SAQ, and concerns about adverse impacts were identified at 4 sites.
In addition, a third-party human rights audit was conducted at a domestic production site in December 2022. Although no serious risks were identified, some potential issues—such as recruitment processes that may lead to age discrimination—were pointed out, so we will take corrective measures by clarifying the age verification process and the policy for hiring young workers in the Ricoh Group‘s Guide to Respecting Human Rights.

In October 2023, we visited two production sites in Thailand to monitor the progress of efforts to improve salient human rights issues. For example, regarding the inadequacy of the vacation leave system for local employees of an on-site service provider, which was identified as one of the "human rights issues in the supply chain," we conducted interviews with employees of the on-site service provider and evaluated the effectiveness of our requests to the on-site provider to make corrections.
Through this interview, we confirmed that employees were able to take appropriate leave based on our request for improvement.
We also recognized the importance of increasing awareness of the contact point that can be accessed if an adverse impact occurs. We will continue to carry out continuous improvement activities and monitoring for potential risks.

Continuous RBA VAP audits
Among the production sites that have implemented the RBA SAQ, major production sites evaluate the effectiveness of preventive and mitigating measures and corrective measures through the continuation of the third-party audit (RBA VAP) every two years.
All five sites audited from 2022 to 2023 have been certified by the RBA. Two sites have acquired Gold certification [Table 4]. At the sites that have conducted the VAP, they have formulated an improvement plan regarding non-conformances with RBA's compliance requirements and are working toward improvement.
We plan to expand third-party audits to other major production sites. We will continue to conduct on-site audits at necessary sites and monitor the effectiveness of countermeasures against human rights risks.

[Table 4] RBA certification status

RBA Validated Assessment Program (VAP)

Implementation of Assessment for Suppliers
In order to ascertain human rights risks in the supply chain, we conduct CSR assessments including the assessment of human rights risks every year with a focus on our major suppliers, who account for more than 80% of our purchases, in target areas. We will conduct onsite audits to the supplier whose result of the assessments have showed high-risk and request to improve findings.
From 2020, we conduct CSR self-assessments in compliance with the RBA globally. In 2023, we expanded the scope to all business areas, identified 292 major suppliers, and conducted assessments. We assess human rights risks in the supply chain, identify, and set improvement targets. In 2023, for suppliers with concerns about human rights risks, such as insufficient processes to prevent child labor and forced labor, Ricoh provides some advice for improvement, regularly checks their progress, and continues to support them in their efforts to improve.
The CSR assessment will be reviewed and monitoring of human rights risks at suppliers will be strengthened.
Refer to Supply Chain Management for details.

Supply chain management

In accordance with the Ricoh Group’s Human Rights Policy, the Ricoh Group discloses in a transparent manner the progress of its efforts to deal with adverse impacts on human rights on the website and in the Integrated Report.

Integrated Report

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Education and Training

Education and Training on Human Rights

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Remedies

Whistleblowing system and Grievance mechanism

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Initiatives

Major international standards and regulations implemented by the Ricoh Group

The main activities we have implemented so far as measures to mitigate risk to human rights are as follows.

Response Regarding Conflict Minerals

The Ricoh group recognizes that the procurement of some minerals from states in conflict areas and other high-risk areas may become sources of human rights abuses and labor problems, etc.
In order to prevent the occurrence of problems, we have been conducting investigations into responsible mineral resource procurement in cooperation with suppliers every year since fiscal 2013. And simultaneously, we have been conducting and continuing due diligence activities in cooperation with industry groups. The Ricoh Group, as a global citizen, is conscious of the respect for human rights due all the stakeholders involved, will proactively pursue due diligence for human rights.
For more details about Conflict Minerals, please see “Addressing the conflict minerals issues” at the Supply Chain part on our web site.

Addressing the conflict minerals issues

* The “Conflict Minerals Issue” is an issue in which the profits from minerals mined or traded finance armed groups and foster conflicts, and often involves human rights abuses, labor issues and environmental destruction, etc. The Dodd- Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, enacted in July 2010, requires specified companies to report the use of conflict minerals--tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold--and any other minerals determined by the U.S. Department of State which originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo and/or an adjoining country.

UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and The Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018

The Ricoh Group has issued its Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act.

Ricoh Europe Holdings PLC "Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement"
Ricoh Australia "Modern Slavery Statement"

Response to Broad-Based BEE Amendment Act in South Africa

On August Ricoh South Africa was verified for compliance with B-BBEE Amendment Act of 2013 and the ICT Sector Code 40407 of 7 November and received Broad-Based Bee Verification Certificate.

Broad-Based Bee Verification Certificate

Ricoh's Basic Approach to Living Wage

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for companies to pay living wages. In response to this trend, starting with initiatives at our U.K. operation, Ricoh has been continuously investigating an appropriate approach to ensure that living wage is addressed from the following three perspectives.

1. Recognizing the importance of implementing a living wage equivalent in addition to the minimum wage.
2. Recognizing possible scope to be covered as " Ricoh Group" and " Supply Chain".
3. Necessity to identify the gap between salaries paid and implemented living wage equivalent, in order to promote our initiatives in the future.

Ricoh HQ has started to conduct research on living wage calculation method with the assistance of third-party experts. Internal discussions at the management level have also commenced and is recognized that it is important to find an appropriate living wage calculation method for the entire Ricoh Group. It is also acknowledged that it would require sufficient time and deliberation to achieve this goal.

Ricoh UK Limited Accredited Employer Letter 2023

Implementation of internal standards for human rights violations

Response to the Power Harassment Prevention Law

The Ricoh Group in Japan is to comply with the Power Harassment Prevention Law that was introduced in June 2020. We revised the Group Standards and made sure to comply with the measures required by the law.

Inclusion of LGBTQ+ community

The Ricoh Group is implementing measures to promote understanding of the LGBTQ＋ community, with the aim of creating a work environment where everyone can feel at ease with their own personality. We believe that properly understanding various genders and sexual minorities is indispensable for the realization of a work environment in which everyone can work comfortably, with discrimination resulting from incomprehension completely eliminated.
In fiscal 2018, we revised the Ricoh Group Code of Conduct by adding "sexual orientation and gender identity" in consideration of LGBTQ＋ community. In fiscal 2019, we held LGBTQ＋ seminars and e-learning training for Group employees in Japan. As of the end of March 2020, 89.3% of employees completed the e-learning training. In addition to continuing to promote employee understanding through e-learning, we are making various plans for gender-free considered facility renewal and the establishment of a consultation desk in consideration of LGBTQ＋ community.

Escalation process for reporting incidents on discrimination/harassment

If any employee at Ricoh Group is the victim of discrimination or harassment, or if they witness such an incident, they can immediately and safely report the incident or consult with a contact person at the global, domestic group, or each company level (in case it is difficult to consult with a superior or the company at which they are employed. Each system prohibits any disadvantageous treatment of whistleblowers or those who cooperate in investigations due to the fact that they consulted or reported a matter or cooperated in an investigation triggered by a consultation or report. The district in charge of each reporting system confirms the facts of the reported or consulted case and after obtaining the consent of the whistleblower, and in cooperation with the personnel district of the district where the case occurred, plans how to proceed with the investigation. The fact that various reporting systems have been established is made known to employees during various training sessions and at the time of policy announcements at each company and organization.

Corrective or disciplinary action taken in case of discriminatory behavior or harassment

In the event that a violation of human rights or harassment is confirmed, the Ricoh Group places the highest priority on restoring the victim's ability to work safely and securely with zero tolerance policy, while appropriately punishing the perpetrator (including the perpetrator's supervisor in some cases) and providing guidanceappropriate to the severity of the offence. For malicious acts, the perpetrator is subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the work rules and Group standards for human rights violations established by each company, and the perpetrator is warned so that similar acts will never occur again, and management and supervision by superiors are strengthened. In addition, after giving utmost consideration to the privacy of both the victim and the perpetrator, the case is shared with management and managers in the area where the incident occurred, and management checks are conducted to ensure that similar violations do not occur in other organizations.

Based on our human rights policy, we will strive to provide a work environment where the human rights of all workers within the Ricoh Group and in the Ricoh supply chain are respected.

We respect the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining In accordance with the laws of each country, and we respect the rights of workers to form and join labor unions, to bargain collectively, and to participate in peaceful assemblies. We also respect the rights of workers who do not participate in labor unions and shall openly communicate and share their opinions and concerns regarding working conditions and management practices with management without fear of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, retaliation, or unfair treatment.

We will verify personal identification documents to the extent necessary for employment and will not retain original documents except as necessary to comply with local laws and regulations.
In addition, we do not impose unreasonable restrictions on access to facilities provided by the company, including dormitories, nor do we restrict workers' freedom of movement outside of work periods or during breaks.

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