Initiatives for achieving sustainable procurement
Activities to raise awareness among business partners
We promote the following activities to ensure that business partners understand our procurement policies and CSR Procurement Guidelines, and put them into practice along with the company.
We also request that business partners answer a CSR self-assessment survey, to promote a renewed awareness of their own CSR activities, and to encourage continuous improvements. These activities have been ongoing since 2017; and as of June 2022, we have received responses from 198 out of 224 business partners, including raw material manufacturers and production subcontractors.
We believe that it is essential to share responses to CSR self-assessment surveys and tabulated results with business partners through individual meetings and other venues, and to contribute to the sustainable development of society as a whole. We will continue these activities targeting new business partners in the future. Regarding indirect transactions as well, we will promote the procurement of raw materials in line with the guidelines.
Tabulated results of CSR self-assessment responses
| Item | Distribution of scores | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A (100~80 pts.) | B (60~79 pts.) | C (40~59 pts.) | D (20~39 pts.) | E (0~19 pts.) | |
| Corporate governance | 52% | 23% | 11% | 13% | 1% |
| Human rights | 41% | 24% | 13% | 22% | 0% |
| Labor | 64% | 20% | 9% | 6% | 1% |
| Environment | 60% | 18% | 8% | 14% | 0% |
| Fair business activities | 56% | 19% | 14% | 10% | 0% |
| Quality and safety | 77% | 13% | 6% | 4% | 0% |
| Information security | 62% | 24% | 7% | 6% | 0% |
| Supply chain | 38% | 27% | 13% | 21% | 1% |
| Local communities | 54% | 20% | 13% | 13% | 0% |
Initiatives throughout the value chain
We promote procurement of raw materials with attention to the environment, for example by reducing the use of resources through lightweight containers and packaging materials, and adopting recycled materials. We also work to improve transport efficiency and reduce the use of resources by changing the formats of raw material deliveries. In this regard, collaborations with business partners are important, so we encourage an understanding of our approaches to CSR procurement and other environmental initiatives.
Reducing environmental impact during procurement
During procurement, we change the specifications for a variety of raw material shipping formats, in an effort to reduce packing material waste generated in the front lines of production. As a past example, in the procurement of product materials for “Black Cap,” each role of pillow film* was placed in separate cardboard packaging, which resulted in large volumes of cardboard being used.
To resolve this issue, we re-examined the packaging formats, applying single-layer sheets (on the bottom and outside) to the pallets as well as styrene sheets and stretch film, which made it possible to dramatically reduce waste.
*Pillow film: Material used for the bag that covers the product inside the Black Cap box.
FSC Certification
Since 2020, all paper cans for Bath Roman have been replaced with FSC© certified paper (paper made from wood produced in forest certified as being appropriately managed, or other raw materials that tie into the appropriate use of forest resources). We will continue to undertake product development and raw material procurement that enables us to provide customers with responsible, environment-friendly products.