Materiality
Communication related to products

For the use of sports equipment, it is crucial for customers to use them properly and to have safety awareness when playing sports.
At Mizuno, we strive to avoid using specialized terms in our instruction manuals as much as possible, instead opting for easy-to-understand explanations with illustrations, to communicate information about safe handling to our customers.

We believe that it is important to provide sufficient product-related information so that customers can select our products appropriately. We actively disclose product-related information through in-store POP materials and our website, in addition to labeling on products and instructions for use.
For the content of disclosed information, we comply with laws, regulations, and industry rules related to labeling and confirm the accuracy and appropriateness of the information in accordance with the labeling control regulations. Specifically, when describing the superiority of a product, we use accurate and easy-to-understand expressions so that there is no misunderstanding, and when expressing functionality, we make it a requirement that there be supporting materials, such as test and experiment results.
If information disclosure about material procurement is needed, we make it available in the product instructions or information. We use our 'Sustainable Material Procurement Policy' set according to ' Responsible procurement with due respect for human rights' and ' Responsibility for global environmental issues throughout the product lifecycle' as guidelines for each material in our product manufacturing, and revise it as needed.
For product disposal, we clearly state in our instruction manual creation guidelines that 'For products requiring special disposal methods (those containing substances harmful to the body or the environment, etc.), the appropriate disposal methods, disposal processing, and disposal requesting organizations should be specified. In other cases, follow the disposal rules of each local government.' When revising the instruction manual, we always change the content to comply with the guidelines.

We use a workflow application system, so all related departments including the Quality Assurance and Legal Affairs offices can effectively and efficiently verify and evaluate the content. We're also advancing the development of an internal pre-application confirmation system, so the applicant can confirm the appropriateness of functional expressions before applying, to avoid giving misleading impressions.[*c]
In FY 2023, although we conducted three recalls due to inadequate labeling, we identified the problems and reorganized the relevant processes.

When defective products are identified, Mizuno promptly and accurately announces them on its website. In FY 2023, there were two such announcements, both involving violations of voluntary standards. One case pertained to labeling issues, and the other to a different matter.
Communication concerning defects and the collection of defective products.
When a defect occurs, we announce it promptly and accurately on our website. In FY 2023, we announced two cases, all of which were violations of voluntary standards. Among these, one was related to labeling issues, and the other one was about different issues.

Total number of cases announced as an “Important Notice Regarding Mizuno Products” on the website due to product defects, incorrect quality display, or other reasons

For the use of sports equipment, it is also essential for customers to use it properly and to have safety awareness when playing sports. We provide product information to customers through various means, such as catalogs, user’s manuals, advertisements, news releases, in-store flyers, and customer services through Mizuno Customer Service Center.
To convey information on the safe use of our products in as easy-to-understand manner as possible, we try to avoid the use of technical terms when possible and provide easy-to-understand explanations with illustrations in our user’s manuals.
We also analyze customer inquiries made to Mizuno Customer Service Center and take measures, including adding user’s manuals to products for which usage instructions are difficult to understand. On the User Support page of our website, we have set up the sections “FAQ about Products” and “Useful Information,” where we post frequently asked questions and provide tips on how to select and care for our products by product category, such as shoes and sportswear, and by sporting event. For products that may lead to an accident if used incorrectly, we provide more specific instructions on how to use them, including representations based on the Product Liability Act, and other necessary information.

Please click here for the website “User Support.”

In response to the increasing number of e-commerce purchases on our official online store, we are continuously reviewing and updating our product descriptions to address any unclear expressions and add information that we believe will help customers better understand our products. To ensure customers are satisfied with their purchases, we extract as much feedback from them as possible and use it as a reference for these updates.

Challenges

• To provide timely and appropriate information to customers, we will enhance internal training so that each employee can thoroughly acquire basic knowledge about displays and labeling.
• We will perform timely maintenance on the "Customer Service Center" section of our website to ensure the most up-to-date information is available in the Frequently Asked Questions.
• Since our customer inquiry points are divided among the main phone line, stores, and the Customer Service Center, we will consider consolidating these contact points. We will work on unifying our systems, taking into account the benefits of coordinated customer response among these departments.
• To protect employees from "customer harassment" by difficult or malicious customers, we will strengthen efforts to formulate "Customer Harassment Response Guidelines" within the group.