Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
Introduction from Richard Fabian,
President & COO of FUJIFILM Sonosite, Inc.

 

FUJFILM Sonosite, Inc. (“Sonosite”), a wholly owned subsidiary of FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation, is a manufacturer of bedside and point-of-care ultrasound equipment in the Medical Device and Imaging Technologies sector. We are a part of the group of companies owned by FUJIFILM Corporation (“FUJIFILM Group”). Our ultimate parent company is FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation. Both FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation and FUJIFILM Corporation have their head offices in Japan.

The FUJIFILM Group is dedicated to developing mutually beneficial partnership relationships with suppliers. Through our procurement policies and procedures the FUJIFILM Group fosters social and environmental responsibility, while encouraging fair trade and free enterprise in international markets.

The FUJIFILM Group is committed to improving our practises to combat any kind of slavery and human trafficking. Companies within the FUJIFILM Group are required to conduct their activities in accordance with the FUJIFILM Group Charter for Corporate Behaviour and the FUJIFILM Group Code of Conduct which cover a variety of ethical business principles including the prevention of slavery and human trafficking in the activities of such companies. As part of the FUJIFILM Group’s commitment to these principles, in June 2015 FUJIFILM Corporation adopted the FUJIFILM Corporate Social Responsibility Procurement Guidelines for suppliers (“Supplier Guidelines”) under which suppliers to FUJIFILM Corporation are requested to commit to ethical business principles in a number of areas where human rights can be affected. These include the prohibition of forced labor, child labor and inhumane treatment. In addition to the existing use in Asia, the Supplier Guidelines have now been adopted by FUJIFILM Group companies in North America as part of their supply chain management systems. The next step is to introduce the Supplier Guidelines to FUJIFILM Group companies in Europe.

In August 2017, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation announced the adoption of its Sustainable Value Plan 2030 (SVP 2030) in which its stated goal is to become a corporation that promotes social revolution through innovation involving all employees and action on social issues from a long-term perspective. In connexion with the 15 priority issues established in the four areas of the environment, health, daily life and work style, enhancing management of the entire supply chain from the viewpoint of Corporate Social Responsibility has been established as a particular priority area.

Organisation Structure

Sonosite has over 850 employees and direct operations in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Korea, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and India.

Our Business

Sonosite is the world leader in bedside and point-of-care ultrasound equipment, and an industry leader in ultra high-frequency micro-ultrasound technology. Sonosite systems are used by over 21 medical specialties and provide clinicians around the world with a cost-effective tool for improving patient safety and workflow efficiency. We are represented by 24 subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 100 countries.

Our Supply Chains

Our supply chains include products and services sourced from both domestic and foreign suppliers. To assist in the development and manufacturing of our ultrasound equipment, we source a wide range of products and services from our suppliers, including raw materials, packaging and development services. Our current foreign suppliers include both small and large scale providers, and are located in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, China, Germany, France, Great Britain, Japan, South Korea, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Our policies on slavery and human trafficking

We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. We comply with the FUJIFILM Group Charter for Corporate Behaviour and FUJIFILM Group Code of Conduct which reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and promoting this approach in our supply chains.

Our processes to prevent slavery and human trafficking

All FUJIFILM Group staff around the world are required to abide by the FUJIFILM Group Charter for Corporate Behaviour and FUJIFILM Group Code of Conduct in order to ensure that all FUJIFILM Group companies exhibit and promote ethical business activities. FUJIFILM Group companies are required to complete an annual checklist which requires them to answer questions on their measures to prevent forced and child labor in connexion with their compliance with the FUJIFILM Group Charter for Corporate Behaviour and FUJIFILM Group Code of Conduct.

For the products that we sell that are ultimately sourced from FUJIFILM Corporation (if any), FUJIFILM Corporation procurement staff are expected to identify and assess potential risk areas in the supply chain and work with suppliers in those areas in order to seek to establish that those suppliers act in accordance with the Supplier Guidelines.

As part of our own initiatives to identify and manage risk for products that we source ourselves and for services, our procurement staff work to mitigate the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring in our supply chains by obligating suppliers to permit and cooperate with any regulatory inspections of their facilities relating to the supplied products and/or services, or their production. Additionally, our suppliers warrant that all goods and services sold to us have been produced, sold, delivered and furnished in strict compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including equal employment opportunity and Affirmative Action.

Supplier adherence to our values and ethics

We promote action to ban slavery and human trafficking from our supply chain.

For the products that we sell that are ultimately sourced from FUJIFILM Corporation (if any), suppliers of those products are requested to commit to the ethical business principles set out in the Supplier Guidelines. Further, FUJIFILM Corporation aims to reflect those standards in cooperation agreements with suppliers and business partners. The FUJIFILM Supplier CSR Checklist that is used to assess compliance with the Supplier Guidelines is based on the CSR standards issued by the United Nations Global Compact and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and is revised in response to changes in legal regulations and social demands. Use of the FUJIFILM Supplier CSR Checklist in FUJIFILM Corporation and the FUJIFILM group companies within China has resulted in some suppliers being required to submit corrective action plans resulting in improvements in CSR standards at those suppliers. In relation to North America, a survey of 90% of North American suppliers was undertaken. By the end of March 2018, FUJIFILM companies in North America had achieved a 72% response rate. This remains an ongoing process.

For products that we source ourselves and for services, our suppliers warrant that all goods and services sold to us have been produced, sold, delivered and furnished in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Sonosite is committed to ethical behaviour. We adhere to our internal Standards of Business Conduct and Compliance with Law Programme which outlines the legal and ethical standards each employee has a personal obligation to uphold with each other, customers, vendors and the general public. Employees must operate as good corporate citizens, and comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations applicable to their respective businesses, including: requiring those with whom we do business to conduct themselves in accordance with applicable laws and regulations; remaining alert and sensitive to situations that could result in any fraudulent, illegal, unethical, improper actions by any employee, agent or representative; and upholding the principles and practises of equal employment opportunity, non-discrimination and workforce diversity.

As part of the FUJIFILM Group, we also share in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment to contribute to the sustainable development of society by putting into practise the FUJIFILM Group's Corporate Philosophy, and realising its vision through sincere and fair business activities. The CSR Promotion system consists of a committee at the highest level to ensure that the systems are implemented and adhered to. The following systems under the CSR programme are used for compliance with supply chain transparency laws and regulations:

 

Training

To ensure an understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we work with our procurement staff to ensure they act ethically and with integrity in their interactions with our suppliers and to implement and promote this approach in our supply chains.

Further steps

At a FUJIFILM Group level, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation published its Human Rights Statement in June 2018. This applies to all personnel in the FUJIFILM Group and all business partners associated with the provision of any products and services of any FUJIFILM Group company are also expected to comply with the Statement. Its publication will bolster awareness of the importance of human rights issues within the FUJIFILM Group through internal and external communication and further dissemination of the Statement. At the same time, FUJIFILM Group companies will be encouraged to cooperate with its partners and suppliers in conducting a more comprehensive assessment of the impact of potential human rights risks in each business field and to strengthen prevention and mitigation measures. As previously stated, it is also planned that FUJIFILM companies in Europe will start utilising the Supplier Guidelines during the current financial year.

Following a review of the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to ensure that there is no slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains, we intend to take the following further steps to combat slavery and human trafficking: adopt and support all corporate policies related to business ethics and respect for basic human rights, and periodically review our policies and procedures to help maintain compliance with internal policy and external laws.

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes the slavery and human trafficking statement for FUJFILM Sonosite, Inc. for the financial year ending 31 March 2018.

 

Richard Fabian
President & COO
FUJIFILM Sonosite, Inc.

Date: September 26, 2018