Responsible Minerals Procurement
The Group will not tolerate any violation of human rights or environmental damage in its supply chain. Recognizing that responsible mineral procurement is a social issue that needs to be resolved, the Group has formulated and established the "Policy for Responsible Mineral Procurement," "Promotion System," and "Procurement Process," and is conducting procurement activities in accordance with global standards such as RBA and RMI*1. Every year, due diligence is conducted on the results obtained through CMRT*2 and EMRT*3 surveys, and efforts are made to identify risks and make improvements.
Responsible Minerals Procurement Policy
The Group does not use materials in its products that derive from conflict minerals illegally mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo or neighboring nations.
We have established management systems in accordance with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence* Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (CAHRAs) and have measures in place to prevent purchases from suppliers subject to such risks as human rights violations, environmental destruction, or conflict.
Should we discover that conflict minerals used to fund armed groups are being used in our products, we will notify customers promptly and take corrective action.
We also ask partners to respect Socionext Group policy on this matter and to take action to ensure it is followed.
Practical Measures
Our production management group plays a central role in ensuring responsible minerals procurement in accordance with the Socionext Group CSR Procurement Guidelines. We conduct annual due diligence based on the results of CMRT and EMRT surveys to identify and rectify any risks.
Responsible Minerals Procurement Review (Process)
●Development of Management system
In accordance with company practice, we have worked with the relevant departments in Japan and elsewhere to establish systems for procurement and for conducting risk surveys for the 3TG*, cobalt, and mica used in our products.
As well as calling on partners to consent to our responsible mineral's procurement practices, we also ask them to submit written agreements.
We promulgate our responsible minerals procurement practices both internally and externally, through sustainability training resources as well as our website.
We require our partners to deal only with smelters and other processing smelters and refiners that are RMI certified.
To build knowledge, deepen understanding, and raise awareness, we provide our procurement staff responsible for conducting investigations with training on responsible minerals procurement.
Details of investigation outcomes are managed and archived in accordance with company rules.
●Identification and Assessment of Supply chain risks
Each year, our group identifies which of the purchased parts and materials used in our products require investigation and we then conduct investigations of our partners using the CMRT and EMRT templates provided by the RMI for this purpose.
We collect and analyze the data provided by partners to identify the supply chain down to the level of individual processing facilities. When conducting the investigation, we also strive to identify all countries of origin by asking partners to identify the nations in which the minerals were mined.
Our due diligence of processing facilities includes checking for received the latest RMAP and other third party audits.
●Development and Implementation of Strategies for dealing with Identified risks
For ongoing risk minimization, we develop plans for responsible minerals procurement on an annual basis, keep up to date with the latest information, and conduct due diligence when necessary.
If processing facilities have not completed RMAP or other third-party audits, we work with partners to request that they do so.
When customers raise concerns about specific processing facilities, we assess the allegations, inform partners of the risk, and work with them to take appropriate action. If the correction is not made, the transaction will be reviewed and other actions will be taken.
Annual reporting of Supply chain due diligence
The Group annually publishes details of our responsible mineral's procurement initiatives on our website.
[3TG: Survey Results for the Fiscal Year Ended March 2025]
No. of partners investigated: 19
No. of partners that replied to inquiries: 19 (100% response rate)
No. of identified smelters and refiners: 221 across all minerals (of which 215 traders had obtained RMAP certification from RMI)
| 3TG | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY ended March 2025 (19 companies) | |||||
| Total | Gold | Tantalum | Tin | Tungsten | |
| No. of smelters or other processing facilities | 221 | 90 | 33 | 66 | 32 |
| No. of RMAP-certified (conflict-free) smelters or other processing facilities | 215 | 86 | 33 | 65 | 31 |
| No. of RMAP Active facilities | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
| No. of other RMI-certified facilities | 5 | 3 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Percentage of RMAP-certified facilities | 97% | 96% | 100% | 98% | 97% |
| Inquiry response rate | 100% | - | - | - | - |
[Cobalt & Mica: Survey Results for the Fiscal Year Ended March 2025]
No. of partners investigated: 11
No. of partners that replied to inquiries: 11 (100% response rate)
No. of identified smelters and refiners: 53 across all minerals (of which 44 traders had obtained RMAP certification from RMI)
| Cobalt & Mica | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| FY ended March 2025 (11 companies) | |||
| Total | Cobalt | Mica | |
| No. of smelters or other processing facilities | 53 | 49 | 4 |
| No. of RMAP-certified (conflict-free) smelters or other processing facilities | 44 | 41 | 3 |
| No. of RMAP Active facilities | - | - | - |
| No. of other RMI-certified facilities | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| Percentage of RMAP-certified facilities | 83% | 84% | 75% |
| Inquiry response rate | 100% | - | - |