Legal Notifications
We have zero tolerance policy with regard to modern slavery and human trafficking. We are committed to monitoring, developing and improving our operations to combat slavery and human trafficking.
We seek to ensure there is no modern slavery human trafficking or other abuse of human rights in our business operations or in any of our supply chains.
As a member of the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation group of companies, we apply the Mitsubishi Electric Group Human Rights Policy1 and Mitsubishi Electric Group Code of Conduct2. These include our continuing commitment to respect international standards related to human rights and to respect the law, to act with highest integrity, and always to conduct ourselves with respect for human rights.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and it’s UK group businesses, have a whistleblowing system in place for its staff in regard to cases related to human rights infringements. This includes protection for whistleblowers.
Mitsubishi Electric Air Conditioning Systems Europe Ltd. (“M-ACE”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.
Our UK operations include:
The manufacture and supply of air conditioning and heat pump systems.
After sales customer support of air conditioning and heat pump systems.
The development of new products together with product trials and quality assurance approvals.
As of 31 March 2021, we employ over 1,490 staff in the UK and our annual turnover to 31 March 2021 was above £250 Million.
All raw materials and components are sourced from supply partners, both domestically and internationally, in compliance with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation’s “CSR Procurement Policy”3.
All products/materials/components supplied achieved through audits, commercial qualification, credit rating investigations and regulatory compliance (e.g., RoHS, REACH). Supplier Audits and Supply Agreements are refreshed annually to maintain a “Fully Approved” status.
All of our third party suppliers are subject to quality and commercial qualification, routinely complete compliance declarations, host factory audits and agree to binding supply agreements.
Our standard Terms and Conditions of Purchase include Corporate Social Responsibility compliance undertakings from the supplier to apply policies to ensure the supplier and any sub-contractor to the supplier:
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have been seeking consent from suppliers to agreement on initiatives for social issues including human rights issues. In addition, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have continued to promote efforts and give instruction to understand human rights violation risks by suppliers (i.e., forced labour using foreign labourers, dangerous and hazardous labour).
We rely on each Mitsubishi Electric Group Supplier’s own due diligence processes for risk assessment and verification and its contractual compliance requirements as applicable to its sub-contractors to support compliance within the procurement supply chain.
As part of these processes, M-ACE and Mitsubishi Electric Group Supplier each apply:
(i) the Mitsubishi Electric Group Human Rights Policy, as implemented on 20 September 2017: This confirms that protection of human rights and support for internationally agreed human rights are imperatives for the Mitsubishi Electric Group's business activities.
Accordingly, as members of the Group, we recognise our duty to prevent any complicity with human rights violations. Our policy commitment includes the following:
(ii) the Mitsubishi Electric Group Code of Conduct states:
Respect for Human Rights:
“1. We respect human rights and ensure we adequately understand relevant laws and regulations of the countries and regions in which we conduct business. We strive not to violate any human rights.
2. We request cooperation from various stakeholders involved in the whole value chains of our business activities, products and services to help promote respect for human rights in society at large.
3. If we receive and complaint or consultation regarding human rights from various stakeholders, or if we see or hear any behaviour that infringes human rights from various stakeholders, or if we see or hear any behaviour that infringes upon human rights in Mitsubishi Electric Group activities, we promptly contact the department in charge so that measures can be taken to resolve it.”
During the term:
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has a continuing programme for the evaluation of the CSR initiatives of “business partners” (i.e. third party suppliers). Mitsubishi Electric Corporation’s policy is to evaluate all new suppliers.
During the term:
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation completed CSR evaluation surveys with a significant number of existing and new suppliers; resulting in a number of suppliers being given guidance to encourage their subcontractor suppliers to take up CSR compliance practices.
Under globally sustainable procurement, target costing and cost co-creation by enhancement of partnership (G-STEP) strategy toward strengthening the purchasing structure, the Mitsubishi Electric Group aims to achieve the lowest cost ratio ever starting in fiscal 2021. In this effort, we will develop and promote the following measures with the following aim: "We will contribute to the realization of sustainability through all corporate activities. By doing so, we will make further efforts to enhance economic and social value so as to raise our corporate value," which is the Group’s business goal, through sustainable and stable procurement. In cooperation with the Materials Planning Office in regional corporate offices in China, Asia, Europe and the Americas, we implement purchasing strategies through conferences of procurement officers and other such meetings to promote optimal procurement activities suited to each region.
In addition to this initiative, we will also promote activities to mitigate any perceived risks regarding a range of issues related to labour practices and environmental problems in the procurement supply chain and thereby strengthen our business continuity plan (BCP).
We apply a proportionate approach to our Due Diligence processes for risk assessment and verification with regard to slavery and human trafficking. For our risk assessment we take into account the relevant products, components, packaging materials and services, production location and supply chain data.
We also take into account a supplier’s self-declaration of compliance and any compliance policy and/or other compliance representations.
Should we identify any higher risk supplier then we would consider deeper verification processes to assess compliance and for remedy of any non-compliance.
During the term:
Every M-ACE employee receives a copy of the Mitsubishi Electric Group Code of Conduct, and must conform to those Guidelines and with all applicable laws.
We have briefed our purchasing staff with regard to the requirements of the legislation, our corporate policies and this Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement.
During the financial year ending 31 March 2021 we have disseminated an eLearning compliance training module based upon the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 to many members of staff.
In addition, outside of the UK, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have been conducting a CSR-related eLearning program that includes themes on human rights for employees of Mitsubishi Electric and domestic affiliated companies. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have created an English version of contents and conducted the program at overseas affiliated companies as well. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation plan to continue to conduct the program on a regular basis while revising the content in light of the trends on CSR and human rights trends.
Subject to the impact of covid-19 during the period, where practicable, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation conducted ongoing training programs; face to face group training sessions related to human rights (and harassment) for new employees and newly appointed managers.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation publish commentaries with the theme "What are human rights?" in the company and Group newsletters several times a year. The latest commentaries, “Provision of human rights consultation” and “Impacts of the Japanese government’s ‘National Action Plan (NAP) on Business and Human Rights,’” were published in the August 2020 and April 2021 issues, respectively.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation will continue raising employee awareness of human rights within the Mitsubishi Electric Group.
This statement outlines the steps we have taken during the past year to seek to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place (i) in any of our supply chains, and (ii) in any part of our own business.
This statement is approved by our Board of Directors and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 March 2021 as required by section 54(1) of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 for ‘Transparency in supply chains etc.’.
This statement is for publication on the Mitsubishi Electric UK website. The website’s homepage carries a prominent link to this statement.
Masao Nagano
President and Director
Mitsubishi Electric Air Conditioning Systems Europe Ltd.
Issue date: 1st September 2021