• Communication with Suppliers
• Reporting System for Suppliers
• Internal Training

Epson regards suppliers as indispensable business partners and considers it its social responsibility not only to deliver quality products, but also to ensure respect for human rights, safe working conditions, and environmentally sound practices throughout the supply chain. 
Epson communicates with suppliers throughout the year in various forms and at various levels.

Epson holds an annual procurement policy orientation conference in Japan. These top-level forums for supplier engagement are always well attended. They provide an opportunity for us to help our suppliers better understand Epson’s business and to share important policies. Epson's president and chief operating officers explain the company’s strategies and business policies, while the officer responsible for supply chains requests cooperation with Epson’s Basic Procurement Policy and sustainable procurement practices. 

In FY2025, we held a procurement orientation conference in Japan, where we explained Epson's management policies and long-term strategies. We also reviewed with our suppliers our key sustainable procurement policies, including the visualization and reduction of GHG emissions (including Scope 3), respect for human rights, responsible mineral sourcing, and the enhancement of business continuity management (BCM).

In FY2026, we again held a procurement orientation conference. At this conference, we shared our long-term vision, ENGINEERED FUTURE 2035, as well as our business policies and procurement policies. In addition to sustainable procurement, we also promoted understanding of our stance on fair transactions and the maintenance of a stable supply.

Since 2016, we have been holding annual supplier CSR conferences in Japan, China, Indonesia, and other places where we have manufacturing sites. We use these conferences to explain CSR-related trends and Epson’s responsible procurement program, as well as to request our suppliers’ cooperation in our initiatives. 
In addition to asking them to comply with our Sustainable Procurement Policy and the Epson Group Supplier Guidelines, we also ask them to cooperate with our responsible minerals sourcing surveys and efforts to evaluate their CSR performance and emergency response capabilities (BCM). 

Supplier Participation

¹ "Others" includes Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, places where Epson has production sites.
² PT. Indonesia Epson Industry (IEI), a major production site, held a conference for employees of service suppliers who work on-site. In 2023, there were 346 participants, and in FY2025, there were 374.
³ Epson decided not to hold a supplier conference for CSR that year in Japan because it held 10 conferences, which were attended by 1,193 people, to explain changes to the Supplier Guidelines, as well as an environmental seminar.

In addition to using supplier CSR conferences to explain societal expectations and Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) requirements, we hold well-attended supplier seminars and conferences to further promote understanding. We also survey suppliers to better understand their needs and incorporate the insights gained into our seminars and conferences.

Epson believes that, rather than making CSR activities an end in themselves, it is essential that suppliers act of their own volition based on a solid understanding of the purpose underlying these activities. Recognizing that human rights require particularly close attention and that societal expectations evolve, we organize seminars led by external experts to provide specialized knowledge. 
In addition, we are building an "Epson green supply chain." To foster understanding and gain supplier support for this effort, we hold conferences and seminars led by external experts on reducing environmental impact.

¹ SAQ: Self-Assessment Questionnaire

Epson strives to ensure ethical corporate conduct by establishing reporting hotlines and encouraging suppliers to use them to report grievances or discuss potential issues. In accordance with applicable laws and Epson's internal regulations, personal information is handled with the utmost care, and robust measures are in place to protect users of the reporting hotlines,  including the strict prohibition of any form of retaliation. Anonymous reporting is also accepted.

• Suppliers can use the hotlines to report:
  - actions that violate or may violate laws, regulations, or the Epson Supplier Code of Conduct (human rights, health and safety, environment, ethics, and management systems) ;
  - suggestions or complaints relating to health and safety; and
  - concerns relating to responsible mineral sourcing 
  

• How to report:
  - For suppliers of domestic Japanese Epson Group companies: Link
  - For suppliers of Epson Group companies outside Japan: Use the reporting channel of the local company. Reporting channels: Link(PDF,440kb)
  
  As of April 2025, stakeholders can use the Global Stakeholders Hotline to submit reports.
  Global Stakeholders Hotline: Link
  
  For consultations and reports concerning human rights, stakeholders can also use a grievance-handling platform provided by the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER).
  JaCER: Link

The Epson Group's Management Philosophy advocates respect for the individual and teamwork. Meanwhile, Principles of Corporate Behavior outlines standards of conduct for creating a corporate culture by fostering employee independence and confidence through professional development. We believe it is particularly important to understand laws and regulations related to procurement compliance and socially responsible procurement. For this reason, Epson has created a multi-level program to provide employees and partners with training.

Epson provides basic online training for all employees, as well as  procurement compliance training for procurement staff.

Procurement Compliance Training (In Japan)

¹ Training completion rate = Actual number of participants / Target number of participants
² This includes 1,155 people who completed training at sales companies that have stepped up their procurement compliance training.

Procurement Compliance Training (Global)

The procurement staff and managers at our overseas production sites receive compliance training that covers procurement fraud prevention, anti-bribery, and socially responsible procurement.

Online Training (Japan)

¹ Up to 2025, the course covered the Act against Delay in Payment of Subcontract Proceeds, etc. ("Subcontract Act"). From 2026, it covers the Act on Ensuring Fair Transactions for SMEs ("SME Fair Trade Act"), etc.

Epson offers specialized training programs for procurement personnel who work directly with suppliers. The courses in the programs are structured along the RBA Code of Conduct and the RBA Validated Assessment Program (VAP) audit standard, covering sections A through E (labor, health and safety, environment, ethics, and management systems).  External consultants are invited to give some training courses that require specialized expertise.

¹ The Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT) for 3TG (tin, tantalum, tungsten & gold) and the Extended Minerals Reporting Template (EMRT) for other minerals, including cobalt and mica, provided by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)
^*RBA Code of Conduct　　　RBA (VAP) audit