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We are actively contributing to society by addressing various issues, such as enhancing a selection of halal products, supporting children’s cafeterias and single-parent families, and creating a working environment that enables all employees, including women and people from abroad, to thrive.
Handling Halal Products
*As of January 2023
Halal food refers to food allowed to be eaten under the Islamic Law, which is made with ingredients and cooking methods determined by the law. The Kobe Bussan Group actively handles halal-certified products to ensure that more customers can enjoy their meals with peace of mind.
Since 2012, we have expanded the range of halal-certified products, which has received support from many customers. Currently, we offer approximately 200 products.
Supporting Children’s Cafeterias
Many organizations are working for children and their families who will bear the future. Through continuous support for these essential social activities, we will contribute to revitalizing local communities and realizing healthy growth for children.
Supporting Children’s Cafeterias in Hyogo
A children’s cafeteria is a place where residents and the local government take the initiative in providing free or low-cost meals to children who eat alone or are unable to have enough food due to family reasons.
In 2018, Kobe Bussan Group launched the “Fabulous Kodomo Shokudo (children’s cafeteria) Presented by Gyomu Super,” an activity to support children’s cafeterias by providing food and having volunteer employees help with cooking.
Note: This activity has been suspended since March 2020 in view of the COVID-19 infection status.
Donating Food to Children’s Cafeterias across Japan
To assist children’s cafeterias continuing to support children even while suspending the above activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have donated food to children’s cafeterias across Japan and the Hyogo Children’s Cafeteria Network since March 2020 through the NPO National Children’s Cafeteria Support Center, Musubie.
We will continue our support for them, hoping for the healthy growth of children and the revitalization and sustainable development of local communities.
to 313 groups
12,000 bottles
12,600 pieces
221,900 sticks
72,000 sets
Nitrile Gloves
20,000 sets
to 309 groups
18,000 packs
14,400 cups
by Nestlé Japan
36,000 boxes
72,000 sets
Nitrile Gloves
20,000 sets
to 301 groups
18,000 packs
by Nestlé Japan
36,000 boxes
72,000 sets
Nitrile Gloves
20,000 sets
to 328 groups
12,000 bottles
9,000 pieces
54,000 pieces
72,000 sets
Nitrile Gloves
20,000 sets
Eco-Bag Project
We donated a portion of the proceeds from sales of the reusable bags for this project purchased at a Gyomu Super store to children's cafeterias.
Supporting Single-Parent Families
Since November 2018, we have continuously donated food to single-parent families through the “Children’s Genki Network Hyogo,” a project in which three private NPOs, including Food Bank Kansai, work together to support single-parent families.
Supporting Domestic Violence Shelters
Since September 2021, we have donated our food products every month to DV shelters and facilities supporting single-parent families in Hyogo, which is affiliated with a nonprofit organization named All Japan Women's Shelter Network.
The food products we provide are utilized to support women and their children struggling to make a living due to domestic violence and other social factors, helping to create an environment that enables everyone to live in security.
Contribution to International Society
Providing Products for Refugee Support Activity
Since March 2022, we have donated halal certificated foods and frozen vegetables to Japan Association for Refugees, a certified nonprofit corporation supporting refugees who fled to Japan. We leverage the food diversity, our asset, continuing to support the association that distributes food urgently to people and thier children who have nothing to eat that day and don't know to be able to get food later and helps them find employment.
Providing supplies to areas hit by natural disasters across Japan
Kobe Bussan Group also has collaborated with government agencies in supporting areas hit by natural and other disasters across Japan.
In fact, the Group provided supports, including relief supplies and donation, to the areas hit by disasters such as the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Kumamoto Earthquake, and Typhoon Hagibis of 2019. We have continued to assist with their recovery by delivering daily supplies, although the forms of assistance vary according to situations of afflicted areas.
Enabling Our Employees to Be Active in Workplace
We strive to create a workplace enabling our employees to show their own skills and abilities and work with energy, believing the employees to be assets essential for medium- to long-term development of the company.
Human Resource Development Policy
As an integrated food company, we keep on trying new things while adapting to changes in the world promptly to grow into a one-of-a-kind company indispensable for customers' life. In our business activities, employees are the most important management resource, and their growth is a driving force behind consistent development of the Group. Based on our policy of "learning from failures, improving and trying again," we strive to enhance talent acquisition and development to increase the enterprise value of the Group consistently.
Environment Improvement Policy
We appoint a person according to its abilities and achievements regardless of its gender or nationality to form the organization developing both the Group and the employees. In addition, we focus on measures to value work-life balance of each employee, improve employee engagement, and enrich the work environment, aiming to allow every employee to show its maximum performance.
Major Systems and Programs
We have introduced various support systems and programs to improve employee satisfaction, secure their good work-life balance, and provide them with opportunities for skill acquisition and growth.
*Some of the following items are not implemented in all companies because each company in the Group has different situations and problems regarding human resources.
- a. Actively encourage employees to take paid leave
- b. Introduce life support leave and refreshment leave besides annual paid leave
- c. Extend short-time work period for childcare until their child graduates from elementary school
- d. Extend the period of staggered working hours for childcare until their child graduates from elementary school
- e. Regularly conduct employee satisfaction surveys and implement measures to improve employee satisfaction based on the results
- f. Grant stock options to all full-time employees of the Group
- g. Offer regular in-house training for all staff provided by Career Development Department
- h. Cover job-related qualification exam fees
- i. Cover purchase costs for job-related books
- j. Install accessible restrooms
*Although we have formulated and implemented policies, including those related to human resource development, they have not been applied in the same way at all group companies. The above is the results of the Company, which operates the main business.
*While we strive to improve the above rates, we will continue to discuss setting and disclosing quantitative targets mainly within the Sustainability Committee.
Respect for Human Rights and Responsible Procurement
Policy
The Kobe Bussan Group (the "Group") has established the Kobe Bussan Group Human Rights Policy to promote respect for human rights of all our stakeholders through dialogue and collaboration.
To build a sustainable supply chain, we have established the Kobe Bussan Group Supply Chain Code of Conduct, under which we strive for respect for human rights, occupational health and safety, consideration for climate change and the environment, and anti-corruption across the supply chain. We expect and continually encourage our suppliers and all partners involved in our business to understand and support the Code, so as to increase corporate value.
Human Rights Due Diligence
Basic Approach
Based on the Kobe Bussan Group Human Rights Policy, the Group respects fundamental human rights of people working in the Group and our supply chain as well as those in countries and regions affected by our business. We strive to create the environment where human rights are respected across the supply chain through the human rights due diligence process.
Process
We conduct human rights due diligence on an ongoing basis in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. To respect human rights and build a sustainable supply chain, we identify and assess adverse impacts on human rights in our supply chain, prevent and mitigate those impacts, track and evaluate the effectiveness of our responses, disclose the information, and communicate with our stakeholders.
1. Identify and assess adverse impacts
We regularly identify and assess potential human rights risks. Before taking measures to prevent or mitigate adverse impacts on human rights, we utilize specialized information and insights provided both from inside and from outside the Group, including public information about human rights offered by non-governmental organizations and government agencies; identify human rights risks within our business area through discussion and consultation with ESG rating agencies and our stakeholders; and analyze problems and the degree of impacts on human rights.
2. Prevent or mitigate adverse impacts
(1) Joint efforts with our suppliers
To prevent or mitigate our suppliers from causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts, we have set out expectations for our suppliers regarding respect for human rights, working environment, etc. in the Kobe Bussan Group Supply Chain Code of Conduct. In cases where cooperation for improvement is not received in response to a serious human rights abuse or where the adverse impact cannot be resolved, we will consider suspending business with the supplier as a last resort. Through our suppliers, we also expect and encourage our suppliers' business partners to understand and support respect for human rights.
*The Kobe Bussan Group Supply Chain Code of Conduct is available in Japanese, English and Chinese.
(2) Joint efforts with our franchisees
We work to prevent adverse impacts on human rights of employees and customers of our franchisees. In doing so, we regularly request franchisees to thoroughly comply with laws and regulations regarding respect for human rights and working environment, to develop a compliance system, and to remedy the system as necessary. Through our franchisees, we also expect and encourage franchisees' business partners to understand and support respect for human rights.
3. Track and evaluate the effectiveness of our responses
We track and evaluate the effectiveness of our suppliers' efforts to act in line with our expectations by conducting a self-questionnaire survey. Specifically, the status of their efforts is comprehensively evaluated based on the answer from them. When we find a supplier with a high risk of noncompliance, we request the supplier to prevent or remedy the problem and conduct on-site audits as necessary. Another purpose of this survey is to encourage our suppliers who have answered the questionnaire to understand their own risks and problems and make a plan to prevent or remedy them.
4. Disclose the information
(1) Details of joint efforts with our suppliers
In 2024, we prioritized human rights risks from a geopolitical perspective and surveyed all overseas tier 1 suppliers about the status of their efforts to address respect for human rights, occupational health and safety, environmental considerations, and anti-corruption.
| Measurement item | Year |
|---|---|
| 2024 | |
| Number of tier 1 suppliers surveyed | 470 suppliers |
(2) Details of joint efforts with our franchisees
In 2024, we distributed a questionnaire to all Gyomu Super franchisees and requested them to thoroughly comply with laws and regulations regarding respect for human rights including harassment prevention, occupational health and safety, prohibition of misleading representations, and protection of personal information as well as to develop the compliance system.
| Measurement item | Year |
|---|---|
| 2024 | |
| Number of stores covered by the request | 1,058 stores |
To Secure Talented Employees
The Kobe Bussan Group focuses on developing human resources to enable our employees to display each potential and grow together with the company. In addition, we strive to secure talented employees by proactively disclosing information about recruitment.
(Available in Japanese only)
