Sustainable Procurement
Procurement Policy
The following explains ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµâ€™s basic approach to procurement in its business activities.
- Basic approach to procurement
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- 1. Providing fair opportunities
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- We provide opportunities for competition among all of our business partners in a fair and equitable manner.
- 2. Economical rationality
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- When selecting a business partner, we make a full evaluation on the quality, delivery timing, cost, reliability, technology and development capability, proposal ability, and business stability, etc. of that partner, and then select the best business partner based on a suitable set of criteria.
- 3. Mutual trust
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- We establish relationships of trust with our business partners and also aim for mutual development.
- 4. Social trust
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- We are committed to ensuring adherence to all relevant laws and regulations when making procurement deals. We will also ensure the confidentiality of our business partners’ confidential information that we have gained through our procurement deals.
- 5.CSR procurement
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- We promote CSR procurement, while paying close attention to compliance with laws and regulations, occupational health and safety, human rights, environmental conservation, symbiosis with society, and information disclosure in a timely and appropriate manner.
- 6. Green procurement
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- We are committed to the procurement of products with a reduced environmental impact from business partners that engage in environmental activities, as part of our commitment to providing society with products that are friendly to global and local environments.
¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group Supplier Code of Conduct
The ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group Supplier Code of Conduct is our requirements regarding sustainability in its relationship with suppliers and applies to all suppliers who provide goods and services to the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group. ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group requires that suppliers respect and comply with the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group Supplier Code of Conduct in their business activities, both in contracts at the start of business transactions and when updating our supplier list on an annual basis.
- ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group Supplier Code of Conduct
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- Legal Compliance and Business Ethics
- Labour and Human Rights
- Global and Local/Regional Environment
- Others
Click here for the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group Supplier Code of Conduct
Anti-Bribery Activities
¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group asks suppliers for their understanding and cooperation regarding the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group’s approach to anti-bribery.
Click here for Request for Understanding and Cooperation in Anti-Bribery Activities.
Information security measures required of suppliers
¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group presents information security measures to suppliers that share confidential information held by the Group and asks them to implement information security measures. Through the proper management of confidential information, we aim to achieve stable business continuity and the continuous synergistic development of the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group, its suppliers and society.
- Information Security Measures Standards for Business Partners
- Information Security Measures Standards for Business Partners Check Sheet
Green Procurement
In order to provide society with products that are considerate of the global and local environment, we are working to procure goods with a lower environmental impact from suppliers that carry out environmentally considerate activities. To ensure that these activities are carried out effectively, we have set out our policy on green procurement in the "¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group Green Procurement Guidelines" and ask our suppliers for their understanding and cooperation. In addition, we have introduced the "Green Supplier Award System" from fiscal 2015 to commend suppliers who have made outstanding contributions in the field of environmental conservation, and we present awards every year. Furthermore, we ask our suppliers to conduct surveys on the content of chemical substances in order to comply with regulations, such as the European RoHS Directive and the European REACH Regulation.
- Click here for the Green Procurement Guidelines.
www.kubota.com/sustainability/environment/procure/
Handling of Conflict Minerals
CSR Procurement Self-Assessment
From 2018 onwards, ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group has been conducting CSR procurement self-assessments with our main suppliers, identifying areas for improvement at each company and providing feedback on the results. We ask suppliers to make voluntary improvements in areas where their scores are relatively low. We also provide support for improvements to suppliers who we judge to need it based on the results of the self-assessment, through interviews and visits.
In FY2023, we asked approximately 220 major suppliers in Japan to conduct self-assessments. ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group began this initiative in 2018 with suppliers in Japan, and in 2020, we began the similar initiatives at our bases outside Japan.
Promoting Optimal Regional Procurement and Supplier Quality/Productivity
With the rapid globalisation of our group business, procurement at production bases around the world is also increasing rapidly.
The ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group promotes optimal procurement in every region through the establishment of a global supply system. Moreover, the Group unites with major global suppliers to promote systematic improvement activities for the purpose of strengthening competitiveness by improving quality and productivity.
The annual ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Kaizen World Cup has been held since 2015 in order to vitalize improvement activities. In this World Cup, suppliers selected from various regions around the world present their company’s successful improvement cases as they compete for the status of World Champion.
Throughout the entire supply chain, ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ will continue its efforts to make the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ brand trusted and appreciated by its customers around the world.
¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group Supplier Hotline
¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group has established the "¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group Supplier Hotline" as a contact point where suppliers (including their officers and employees) can report and consult on any violations of laws, regulations, or the "¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Group Supplier Code of Conduct", or any violations of contracts with suppliers. Its operation is limited to cases and users in Japan.