Respect for Human Rights

The SG Holdings Group’s corporate philosophy is "Trust, Create, Challenge." The foundation for the SG Holdings Group creating new value by obtaining the trust of its stakeholders is respect for human rights.

The SG Holdings Group Code of Ethics and Conduct states "We will respect each person’s human right, individuality and personality and create a workplace environment that maximizes the abilities of individual employees," revealing the basic stance of respect for human rights.

The Code applies to all officers and employees of the SG Holdings Group, and they are required to act in accordance with the Code.
Employees and others understand the content of the Code, swear to act in accordance with the Code and sign a written oath. Any person who acts in violation of the Code or disregards a violation is subject to punishment pursuant to the Rules of Employment and other internal regulations. Revision and abolition of the Code requires approval of the Board of Directors.

Furthermore, we have established the SG Holdings Group’s Human Rights Policy prohibiting human rights violations and acts that lead to discrimination and abuse, and are making efforts to respect human rights. This clarifies how the SG Holdings Group addresses human rights issues related to the business activities of the SG Holdings Group based on the Code.

The Policy applies to all officers and employees of the SG Holdings Group. Furthermore, we also expect business partners to understand and comply with the items in the Policy, with the aim of coexistence and coprosperity.

As our business accelerates globally, the SG Holdings Group is committed to a corporate policy that respects the human rights of all of our stakeholders. For that reason, we established the SG Holdings Group’s Human Rights Policy to broadly declare and raise awareness about our commitment both inside and outside of the Group.
This policy articulates in very concrete terms our concept of human rights based on the SG Holdings Group Charter of Corporate Conduct and Code of Ethics and Conduct.

Preamble

The SG Holdings Group respects and advocates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its goals in regard to human rights.
This policy expresses concretely our stance on human rights based on our Charter of Corporate Conduct and Code of Ethics and Conduct.

Respect for everyone's human rights

We will not discriminate on account of gender, age, race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, political opinion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth, medical history, disability, or illness.

Legal compliance

We will comply with all laws in each country and region. In countries or regions that do not have strict laws, we will comply with international rules.

Prevention of human rights abuse

We will build and continue to implement a system for "Human Rights Due Diligence"* to prevent occurrences of human rights abuse.

Prohibition of child labor and forced labor

We will prohibit work by children under the minimum working age designated by the laws in each country or region. We will also prohibit forced labor. In addition, we will request our business partners to also prohibit child and forced labor.

Avoidance of Complicity in Human Rights Abuse

We will not be complicit in the abuse of human rights. In addition, we will strive to avoid complicity through receiving benefits or the silent condoning of complicity.

Response to Occurrence of Abuse

We will determine countermeasures to be implemented in the occurrence of human rights abuse. We will protect the victim of abuse and the informer, and work to promptly and fairly resolve the situation.

Safety and Health

We will develop a work environment while prioritizing safety and promote the health of all employees.

Transparency and Promotion of Awareness

We will report the activities of the SG Holdings Group with transparency.
We will continue to promote awareness of the "SG Holdings Group’s Human Rights Policy" among our employees and will request our business partners to respect and enforce human rights.

• *
  Human Rights Due Diligence: process to recognize, prevent, and respond to any negative impacts on human rights.

The SG Holdings Group is aware of the following human rights risks in the logistics and transportation business

• Health and safety of employees
• Health and safety in the workplace
• Forced labor in the workplace

The SG Holdings Group conducts education by exchanging opinions through groupwork between employees on the identification of causes and the prevention of harassment, and aims to eradicate human rights violations.

The SG Holdings Group has established its policies on respect for human rights and the ethics and norms of employees in the "Code of Ethics and Conduct," and is working to spread awareness by posting it on the company Intranet. Furthermore, periodic training is conducted for all employees to foster correct understanding and awareness of the policies. Efforts are also being made to introduce this into first-year training and prevent the violation of human rights.

The SG Holdings Group conducts groupwide education by sharing Japanese and English versions of the Code of Ethics and Conduct on the company Intranet to ensure all employees understand it and are able to implement it in their duties.

In addition, the Singaporean overseas subsidiary SG Sagawa Ameroid Pte. Ltd. has created a handbook specifying policies on labor standards in accordance with the Ministry of Manpower's requirements. The policies are communicated to all employees, and the handbook has been uploaded to the company Intranet and translated into English and Chinese to enable employees to view it at any time. A system enabling all employees to check the Code of Ethics and Conduct monthly has been adopted.

At present, the SG Holdings Group has not signed the United Nations Global Compact, which is a global framework for realizing sustainable growth. However, by adhering to the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact and implementing them in business activities, we would like to create a healthy corporate culture and contribute to the sustainable development of society. Major consolidated overseas subsidiary Expolanka signed the United Nations Global Compact in October 2018.

The United Nations Global Compact is a voluntary initiative in which companies and organizations participate to act as good members of society and realize sustainable growth by exhibiting responsible and creative leadership. See the website of the Global Compact Network (https://www.unglobalcompact.org/ ) for details.

The SG Holdings Group recognizes that "contribution to local communities" is essential for the sustained implementation and expansion of business activities. The Corporate Charter of Business Conduct states that we shall "contribute to the development of those countries; whilst respecting their cultures and customs, and taking into account the concerns of stakeholders." In addition, the Group Code of Ethics and Conduct that describes the specifics of this states "We shall serve toward the development of local communities in Japan and overseas, and aim to coexist with society as a whole." We see local communities to be important stakeholders and believes that creating good relationships is important.

Based on this view, we will conduct economic activities that contribute to the establishment and expansion of local socioeconomic infrastructure, and actively work to contribute to local communities and conduct community investment through business activities to contribute to the development of local communities. We will generate regular local jobs by locally hiring drivers and other staff in business operations in Japan and overseas, and contribute to the stimulation of local economies by procuring goods and services locally whenever possible.

The overseas subsidiary EXPOLANKA HOLDINGS Limited is locally hiring staff in Europe and the United States where it is especially expanding business. Furthermore, the number of local staff members exceeds the number of Japanese staff members in all locations other than the head office in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The SG Holdings Group complies with labor laws and regulations on the payment of wages to employees, and has set wages at no less than the minimum wages specified by law. Some overseas subsidiaries have also established policies on wages and wage management concerning minimum wages.

The SG Holdings Group is continually proceeding to reduce the total overtime hours of employees by promoting the improvement of efficiency of each employee's work. Furthermore, the Group thoroughly implements time management aimed at the prevention of overwork. Overseas subsidiaries also comply with the labor laws and regulations of their respective countries, and are proceeding to reduce overtime work with the aim of preventing overwork in accordance with policies based on these.

The SG Holdings Group will contribute to the development of society in its business activities and corporate management with the aim of realizing the ten principles outlined in the United Nations Global Compact. Furthermore, the Group will sincerely promote the effective approval of the right of freedom of association of all workers and employers and collective bargaining rights. In addition, Meito Tranasportation has three labor unions, World Supply has one labor union, and Hutech norin has one labor union, with a membership rate of 100% for Meito Tranasportation.

By establishing the "Ask Anything" consultation office for a wide range of consultations such as those on various types of harassment, the Compliance Hotline for legal violations, etc., and the LGBT consultation desk for consultation on LGBT issues, and gathering information on a day-to-day basis, we have been able to establish a system that prevents the occurrence of problems and minimizes the damage in the event they occur.

We regularly provide education on our code of ethics and conduct, which clearly describes our basic stance on respect for human rights, to all employees of the Group, and we are promoting the spread of human rights education.

The SG Holdings Group has designated June and December as “Harassment Prevention Months” twice a year, and we are working to create a positive work environment where diversity, personalities, and individuality of all employees are respected, and where people can work with motivation without being subject to harassment.

(Japanese only)

• Guidelines for the Prevention of Power Harassment (442KB)
• Guidelines for Prevention of Sexual Harassment (286KB)
• Guidelines for Prevention of Harassment Due to Pregnancy, Childbirth, Childcare, and Nursing Care (325KB)

• Labor Practices
• Career Support and Training Programs
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Work-life Management
• Employee Engagement
• Respect for Human Rights
• Health Management
• Promoting Sustainable Procurement