Principles of Corporate Behavior
Epson will fulfill its social responsibility by living up to the principles below and effecting continuous improvements based on the Management Philosophy, Exceed Your Vision, and the underlying spirit of "integrity and effort" and "creativity and challenge" that we have embraced since the founding of the company.
The subject of the principles is "we" (i.e., Epson). This signals our commitment as a company to observing these principles. It also serves as a declaration that all Epson personnel, including executives, managers, and employees, should conduct themselves in line with these principles.
Principles of Corporate Behavior and the Epson Global Code of Conduct
Principles of Corporate Behavior is based on Epson's Management Philosophy and describes the values and principles that Epson expects all officers and employees to share, as well as the conduct that each is expected to practice. The Epson Global Code of Conduct, which provides an interpretation of these, was created to remind officers and employees to think first about our customers and the public good, and to always be mindful of conducting themselves in line with the Principles of Corporate Behavior.
Epson Global Code of Conduct (PDF,980KB) - Issued April 2019, revised April 2024
Principles of Corporate Behavior
Issued September 2005
Revised April 2024
- Principle 1: Pursuing customer satisfaction
- Principle 2: Preserving the natural environment
- Principle 3: Fostering diverse values and teamwork
- Principle 4: Creating a safe, healthy, and fair work environment in which human rights are respected
- Principle 5: Ensuring effective governance and compliance
- Principle 6: Ensuring the security of people, assets, and Information
- Principle 7: Working with business partners for mutual benefit
- Principle 8: Prospering with the Community
- Principle 9: Initiating honest dialogue with our stakeholders
- Closing: The spirit of "integrity and effort" and "creativity and challenge"
Principle 1: Pursuing customer satisfaction
We continue to win more Epson fans by being attentive to customers' needs at all times and delivering safe and reliable products and services that delight and enrich the lives of our customers worldwide.
- 1.1 We will produce quality products and services that reflect universal design principles and will be easy to use for the greatest number of people.
- 1.2 We will foster a culture of learning from our mistakes and will build business processes to prevent problems from recurring, to prevent them from happening in the first place, in order to create value.
- 1.3 We will continue to provide innovative products and services that benefit society and that have high customer value by conducting R&D and improving our manufacturing capabilities from a customer perspective.
- 1.4 We will remain attentive to customers, respond to them quickly, appropriately and with sincerity and care, and do our best to solve their problems.
- 1.5 We will improve the quality of all work and gain strong customer trust by being mindful that compliance and product safety are top priorities.
Epson Global Code of Conduct - 1: Pursuing customer satisfaction
Principle 2: Preserving the natural environment
We integrate environmental considerations into our corporate activities and actively strive to meet high conservation standards when fulfilling our responsibilities as a good corporate citizen.
- 2.1 Harmony with the environment is one of the highest priorities of the Epson Group's management. When conducting business activities, we will keep future generations in mind, and consider how they might best be sustained.
- 2.2 We will strive to minimize our own as well as society's environmental impacts across the entire life cycle of our products and services, from manufacturing to transport, use, and disposal.
- 2.3 We will participate in environmental preservation and restoration projects as a member of society.
- 2.4 We will promote environmental awareness and provide information to our employees to enhance their understanding of environmental issues.
Epson Global Code of Conduct - 2: Preserving the natural environment
Principle 3: Fostering diverse values and teamwork
We take full advantage of the value of a diverse workforce and create synergies between individuals and organizations to increase organizational power and achieve our goals through teamwork.
- 3.1 We will instill in our employees, and practice, the ideals of our Management Philosophy.
- 3.2 We will put Epson in the best position by hiring a diverse workforce and utilizing their unique skills effectively.
- 3.3 We will respect the individuality of employees and maintain relationships between the company and employees based on trust.
- 3.4 We will develop our employees by creating systems that allow individuals to utilize their skills effectively.
- 3.5 We will state and share the purpose and objectives of actions, show proof that objectives have been achieved, and align the actions of the company and the individual.
- 3.6 Everyone in the organization will understand the purpose of actions, their role, and work as a part of a team.
- 3.7 We will embrace a culture in which objectives are achieved by involving others, discussing issues until a mutual understanding and consensus are reached, and building and maintaining mutual trust.
- 3.8 We will create a culture in which employees take pride in their work, work with confidence and actively promote teamwork.
Epson Global Code of Conduct - 3: Fostering diverse values and teamwork
Principle 4: Creating a safe, healthy, and fair work environment in which human rights are respected
We respect basic human rights and create a cheerful, safe, healthy, and fair work environment that is free of discrimination.
- 4.1 We will not tolerate any violation of human rights.
- 4.2 We will not engage child labor or forced labor.
- 4.3 We will promptly take corrective action against undesirable behavior including any harassment, violence, devaluation of the individual or any behavior resulting in loss of trust.
- 4.4 We will eliminate any forms of discrimination against gender, nationality, religion, race and disability.
- 4.5 We will support employees by facilitating a proper work-life balance.
- 4.6 We will adhere to and maintain the proper health and safety standards at all sites around the world.
- 4.7 We will support the efforts of employees to monitor and improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
- 4.8 We will establish practices that create a fair and open work environment and build a corporate culture that values individuals' rights and that facilitates equal opportunities for all.
Epson Global Code of Conduct - 4: Creating a safe, healthy, and fair work environment in which human rights are respected
Principle 5: Ensuring effective governance and compliance
We institute effective corporate governance and internal controls, and we observe laws, regulations, and other rules and maintain the highest ethics in all activities.
- 5.1 We will establish and maintain an effective system which governs our corporate entities and internal controls to ensure that management is transparent, fair, agile, and decisive.
- 5.2 We will implement systems of compliance to ensure that we observe and respect all applicable laws and regulations, internal rules, and business ethics, and will respond to the needs of society.
- 5.3 We will establish whistleblower systems that can be used anonymously to report concerns of violations of laws and regulations, internal rules or of business ethics. We will not tolerate any retaliation against whistleblowers who report for justifiable reasons.
- 5.4 We will not tolerate any form of bribery, corruption, dishonest marketing, cartels, insider trading, or conflict of interest. We will conduct all transactions in accordance with these principles, promoting fair and open competition in the marketplace.
- 5.5 We will maintain a good, mutually cooperative relationship with governments and their administrative bodies. We will not make company donations of any kind to politicians or political parties, nor will we participate in events or campaigns aimed at political fundraising.
- 5.6 We will not involve ourselves in or have contact with any anti-social movement or group that promotes activities that are illegal or threatening to public order and safety.
- 5.7 We will establish a system to investigate the source of minerals used in our products and supply chain and will take actions to responsibly source minerals to avoid using any minerals that could be involved in human rights abuses, conflicts or environmental degradation.
- 5.8 We will employ best practices in risk management to prevent risks from materializing and minimize impact in cases where they do materialize.
Epson Global Code of Conduct - 5: Ensuring effective governance and compliance
Principle 6: Ensuring the security of people, assets, and Information
We protect the safety and security of people and company assets, and we exercise strict care in the management of all information.
- 6.1 We will establish and maintain systems to ensure the safety and security of Epson personnel, as well as visitors or contractors on our premises.
- 6.2 We will carefully handle all group tangible and intangible assets (financial, intellectual, and those regarding infrastructure, brand, and proprietary information) and respect the assets of others.
- 6.3 We will take reasonable and necessary precautions to protect the confidentiality of proprietary business information including the privacy of customers, employees and other stakeholders.
- 6.4 We will only use our company assets (all forms stated above) for appropriate business purposes. Unauthorized use will not be tolerated.
Epson Global Code of Conduct - 6: Ensuring the security of people, assets, and information
Principle 7: Working with business partners for mutual benefit
We ask our suppliers, sales channels, collaborators, and other business partners to live up to the highest standards of ethical conduct, and we strive to build responsible value chains.
- 7.1 We respect the autonomy of our business partners and strive for mutual benefit.
- 7.2 We hold our business partners to the same strict standards that Epson upholds with regard to human rights, labor conditions, the environment, compliance, ethics, information security, and quality. We support their endeavors towards improvement as needed.
- 7.3 We refrain from engaging in illegal or unethical business practices in our relationships with business partners, and we require our business partners to adopt a similar approach in their dealings.
Anti-Bribery, Anti-Corruption, and Competition Law (Antimonopoly Act) Guidelines for Business Partners
Epson Group Basic Procurement Policy
Epson Global Code of Conduct - 7: Working with business partners for mutual benefit
Principle 8: Prospering with the Community
We actively contribute to the communities in which we operate, as well as the international community, facilitating mutually beneficial relationships.
- 8.1 We respect the cultures and traditions of the countries and regions in which we operate.
- 8.2 We will engage in open dialogue within our communities and actively contribute to them.
- 8.3 We nurture a culture in which our employees are encouraged to participate in volunteer programs and other activities as members of society.
Epson Global Code of Conduct - 8: Prospering with the Community
Principle 9: Initiating honest dialogue with our stakeholders
We maintain open lines of communication with our stakeholders, thoughtfully considering their views and suggestions.
- 9.1 We will respect other cultures and traditions while striving to engage in principled, ethical communication.
- 9.2 We will communicate openly and honestly with our stakeholders, and will establish appropriate systems for the disclosure of information.
- 9.3 We will utilize appropriate and useful tools to communicate information to our stakeholders.
- 9.4 We will provide opportunities and establish appropriate systems to engage in dialogue with stakeholders.
- 9.5 We will utilize the opinions and suggestions of our stakeholders as a vital resource for corporate management.
Epson Global Code of Conduct - 9: Initiating honest dialogue with our stakeholders
Closing: The spirit of "integrity and effort" and "creativity and challenge"
We take a broad, global view of the social and market situation when implementing these principles, respond with integrity to the expectations of our customers and society, develop our strengths, exercise the effort to overcome our weaknesses, and continue to create new value.
Epson Global Code of Conduct - Closing: The spirit of "integrity and effort" and "creativity and challenge"