Responsible procurement with due respect for human rights

The Asia-Pacific region, where many of our subcontracted factories are located, is generally said to be a region of great concern in terms of human rights, labor, and the environment. Mizuno promotes CSR procurement based on the belief that “good manufacturing” can be achieved by ensuring that its production process meets the international standards with regard to human rights, labor, and the environment as well as by producing high-quality, safe, and reliable products. In particular, we recognize that respect for human rights is even more important for expanding our business globally in the future, and we will work on “responsible procurement with due respect for human rights” as one of the priority issues (materiality).

With further globalization of the supply chain, increased procurement from new overseas suppliers can also lead to risks related to human rights and labor safety. At Mizuno, by continuously ensuring the pre-evaluation of new suppliers, we aim to realize high-quality and stable procurement, expand our competitiveness, and increase sales opportunities for products and services that cater to ethical consumption.

■Risks

• Human rights and labor safety risks due to procurement from new overseas suppliers

■Opportunities

• Realization of high-quality and stable procurement and expansion of competitiveness by implementing pre-evaluation of new suppliers
• Expansion of sales opportunities for products and services that respond to ethical consumption

The Asia-Pacific region, where many of Mizuno's contract factories are located, is generally considered a region with major concerns in terms of human rights, labor, and environmental aspects. Mizuno has established the "Mizuno CSR Procurement Code of Conduct", which incorporates perspectives from ISO26000, an international guidance on social responsibility, and we convey our thoughts to our suppliers while also demanding their adherence to these principles.

For initiatives related to " Responsible procurement with due respect for human rights", please refer to the following.

Link: Respect for Human Rights (Policies and Systems)

Link: Supply Chain Management

Suppliers manufacturing products for multiple brands are burdened with individual audits demanded by each brand, each requiring different points of compliance. There have been calls from these suppliers for improvements to mitigate these overlapping audits. In response, industry associations and other initiatives have begun efforts to share information. Mizuno will continue to address issues such as overlapping CSR audits.