Together with Suppliers

Basic Purchasing Policy

Our general purchasing policies are stipulated in the Kyocera Document Solutions Basic Purchasing Policy that provides requirements for legal compliance and environmental conservation. Suppliers must understand and comply with these general policies as a prerequisite for doing business with us.

1. 1The purchasing department will develop partnerships with suppliers that are built on trust and based on fairness as well as the spirit of "improving oneself for the benefit of others."
2. 2We will abide by the laws of each country and fulfil our social responsibilities, such as conserving the global environment and resources, in purchasing goods and services.
3. 3We will provide equitable opportunities to all vendors both inside and outside Japan and purchase goods and services based on fair evaluation criteria.
4. 4We will continue to seek out suppliers that offer good quality and prices in order to provide products that satisfy our customers and ensure a stable supply.

Kyocera Document Solutions Basic Purchasing Policy

Fair Transactions

Being a Good Partner to Suppliers

Suppliers are our important partners possessing specialized knowledge and expertise. Taking the Kyocera Philosophy to heart, we work together with suppliers for our mutual prosperity based on a doctrine of fairness and in the spirit of "improving oneself for the benefit of others" in order to be a good partner. When selecting suppliers, we request they have an understanding of our general purchasing policies and comply with the following requirements.

1. 1Comply with laws and social norms
2. 2Provide and improve technological capabilities
3. 3Conserve the environment
4. 4Conduct sound business operations
5. 5Ensure quality that meets the needs of our customers
6. 6Discount prices
7. 7Ensure a stable supply

Working with Suppliers

Monitoring and Maintaining a Socially Responsible Procurement System

In order to fulfill our social responsibility, we work closely with our suppliers to engage in CSR activities that address human rights, labor, environmental conservation, and other issues so they are in line with the Kyocera Group CSR Guidelines.

We have established the Kyocera Document Solutions Supply Chain CSR Procurement Guidelines in order to appropriately respond to CSR issues that need to be addressed across our entire supply chain. Approximately 740 major suppliers in Japan, China, and Vietnam have submitted their written consent to these guidelines as proof of their agreement and support for our efforts toward socially responsible procurement. We designate suppliers who provide us with important raw materials and suppliers with whom we do a large volume of business, spending at least 80% of the total purchase amount, as "important suppliers." We ask these suppliers to fill out the Kyocera Document Solutions Supply Chain CSR Survey Form and provide us with updates on how they are addressing labor, health and safety, the environment, conflict minerals, business continuity planning (BCP), and management systems. If the survey results indicate that any supplier is not sufficiently addressing these issues, we ask them to make improvements and work harder on their CSR activities. Before starting to do business with a new supplier, we provide them with our procurement guidelines as well as a survey form. We ask them to gain an understanding of our CSR policies and conduct a self-check of their CSR initiatives. If they are lacking in any area, we request they make voluntary improvements.

Supply Chain CSR Procurement Guidelines (Issue date: July 2022) (Ver.4.1) PDF | 0.3MB

サプライチェーンCSR調達ガイドライン (発行2022年7月) (Ver.4.1) PDF | 0.4MB

供应链企业社会责任(CSR)采购指南 (发行2022年7月) (Ver.4.1) PDF | 0.4MB

Responsible Mineral Sourcing

Due to concerns that the mineral resources mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries are a source of funding for armed groups responsible for human rights abuses, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank Act) enacted in July 2010 designates tantalum, tin, gold, and tungsten that originate in these countries as conflict minerals, wherever they are extracted. The law requires companies to disclose information about the use of conflict minerals in their products. The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017), which was promulgated in 2017 and came into force in January 2021, covers companies importing conflict minerals into the EU. In addition to these laws, all companies are required to source minerals responsibly in accordance with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (OECD Guidance).

Specific Initiatives

Since 2013, we have been conducting surveys of our suppliers using the Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) created by the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI), an international project that addresses the issue of conflict minerals, in line with the Kyocera Group's policy not to purchase conflict minerals that serve as a source of funding for armed groups or any other materials or products made using metals that pose a risk to human rights. According to the survey responses we received up until 2020, no conflict minerals were supplied from sources other than the certified refineries and smelters listed in the CMRT. We will continue with the activities that are aligned with the Kyocera Group's policies and conduct surveys covering a broader range of issues, such as cobalt mining, which is reportedly rife with serious child labor and other human rights violations, using the RMAP*¹ proposed by the RBA*².

We also continue to work with our suppliers to build a strong supply chain through other initiatives, such as requiring them to contact us immediately in the event that they find any of their smelters being involved in any conflict.

BCP* Survey for Supply Chain

In order to ensure customers a steady supply of consumables, such as toner, we have conducted surveys mainly among suppliers of toner materials to assess their BCPs and have requested their cooperation with our efforts.

In light of the recent spate of natural disasters, accidents, and the spread of infectious diseases, however, we have been expanding the scope of the surveys since last year to include more suppliers as business continuity planning becomes even more important.

We rank the importance of BCPs for parts and raw materials, explain the importance of BCPs to suppliers of parts and raw materials of particularly high importance, and have asked them to step up their business continuity planning efforts.

We will continue and expand on this activity in order to promote business continuity planning among our suppliers.

* Business Continuous Plan