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Summary
Kamtec's Partner Code of Conduct proposes the most optimal operating systems for legal and regulatory compliance, as well as labor/human rights, safety/health, environmental, ethical, and management systems, to our partners.We hope our partners comply with this Code of Conduct to help increase corporate value, achieve sustainable management, and find opportunities for mutual growth. Kamtec may change this Code of Conduct as necessary. Kamtec or a third party agency hired by Kamtec may, after due diligence by our partners and within the scope permitted by law, evaluate our partners' compliance with this Code of Conduct and recommend improvements. Afterwards, partners will establish a plan and implement the improvements through mutual consultation. If any of the items in this Code of Conduct conflicts with the laws of a corresponding country, the laws of the country take precedence.
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Labor/Human Rights
1) Prohibition of discrimination
① Partners must not discriminate in hiring, promotion, training, or other treatment of their executives and employees on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, family status, social status, or political views.
② Partners must not discriminate against their executives and employees in the payment of their wages and the operation of their benefits systems.
③ Partners must not require conditions that are not necessary for performing the duties when recruiting or hiring executives and employees.
2) Provision of wages and benefits
① Partners must pay wages that comply with laws and systems of the countries in which they operate. Partners must pay the wages by the set dates and provide pay stubs, etc., written in the language that their executive or employee understands.
② Partners must provide a pleasant work environment for their executives and employees, and must make all efforts to operate a benefits system that improves the quality of life.
③ Partners must conduct compulsory education or training as stipulated by the laws and systems of the countries in which they operate. Also, partners must make all efforts to help their executives and employees develop their careers and strengthen their capacities.
3) Working hours management
① Partners must comply with the legal work hours of the countries in which they operate, and must manage work hours that include breaks.
② Partners must refrain from requiring overtime that their executives and employees do not want, and must provide fair compensation in cases of unavoidable overtime.
③ Partners must guarantee their executives and employees on average at least 1 day off a week.
4) Humane treatment
① Partners must respect the privacy of their executives and employees and refrain from ordering them to do unnecessary work outside of work hours.
② Partners must notify their executives and employees in advance when collecting their personal information and must obtain their voluntary consent.
③ Partners must prohibit workplace bullying among executives and employees, which is the act of causing physical or mental distress to others or worsening the work environment beyond the appropriate scope for work by taking advantage one's position or relationship in the company. Partners must take necessary measures on behalf of the victims of workplace bullying such as by disciplining the aggressor or transferring them to a different work place.
5) Guarantee of freedom of association
① Partners must guarantee the freedom of association and collective bargaining for their executives and employees, and must allow the establishment and operation of legitimate collective bargaining groups.
② Partners must faithfully engage in discussions with the representatives of their executives and employees on collective bargaining matters.
③ Partners must individual executives and employees to free propose bargaining matters in the absence of their representatives.
6) Prohibition of child labor
① In principle, partners must prohibit child labor in any form, and must verify the age of their executives and employees and job applicants through legal documents such as identification cards and birth certificates.
② If a partner does employee minors, the partner must not assign them to high-risk work in terms of health and safety, and must take measures so that the minors' educational opportunities are not limited due to the labor.
③ Partners must not receive goods and services from other business partners that are involved in child labor or violate related laws, and must take appropriate measures if the above is revealed as fact.
7) Prohibition of forced labor
① Partners must assign their executives and employees to work according to the labor standards laws of the countries in which they operate, and must prohibit any form of forced labor or compulsory labor against their executives and employees' will.
② Partners must not require the submission of identification cards, visas, etc., that my restrict the personal activities of their executives and employees, and must not engage in physical or mental binding such as assault, intimidation, or confinement.
③ Partners must not receive goods and services from other business partners engaged in forced labor through physical or mental binding or debt, and must take appropriate measures if the above is revealed as fact.
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Safety/Health
1) Establishment of the occupational health and safety assessment system
① Partners must comply with health and safety-related laws and regulations of the countries in which they operate, and must obtain and maintain all health and safety-related certifications and licenses necessary to operate their business.
② Partners must operate an occupational health and safety assessment system that consists of organizational, planning, procedural, and results inspection to prevent any health and safety accidents that may be caused by the operation of their business.
2) Safe management of machinery, instruments, and facilities
① Suppliers must regularly inspect and evaluate the safety of their potentially harmful or dangerous machinery, instruments, and facilities.
② Partners must install and manage safety equipment, safety barriers, emergency devices, etc., in order to prevent any potential accidents caused by the use of potentially harmful or dangerous machinery, instruments, and facilities used in the workplace.
③ Partners must provide each individual executives and employees with protective safety gear. The safety gear must be easy and convenient to use by their executives and employees, and they must be maintained and managed to fulfill their functions.
3) Response to emergencies
① Partners must establish plans to respond to emergency situations such as natural disasters, pandemics, fires, and accidents. Also, partners must prepare manuals instructing on how to report, respond, and take follow-up actions in emergency situations.
② To prepare for emergency situations, partners must conduct training in accordance with the laws of the countries in which they operate, their own established plans, and their own prepared manuals.
③ Partners must have escape routes, guiding lights, fire detectors, alarms, and firefighting equipment in preparation for emergencies, and must regularly check whether or not they work as intended.
4) Accident management
① Partners must establish a system that gauges the status of industrial accidents or illnesses.
② In the event of an industrial accident or serious illness, partners must take necessary measures such as immediately stopping the work and evacuating their executives and employees.
③ If an industrial accident or serious illness occurs, partners must investigate the cause and make all efforts to prepare improvement measures.
5) Safety diagnoses
① Partners must regularly conduct safety risk assessments in the work place for the purpose of checking whether or not their executives and employees are exposed to accident risks and harmful factors. Partners must notify their executives and employees of the assessment results, and must make improvements on their machinery, instruments, and facilities based on the assessment results.
② Partners must provide their executives and employees with information on the accident risks and harmful factors in their workplaces based on the safety risk assessment results. The relevant information must be written in the languages that their executives and employees understand, and must be easily accessible.
③ Partners must not assign high-risk work in terms of health and safety to pregnant women, minors, etc., and must make all efforts to create a work environment free of difficulties for disabled, immigrant, and other socially disadvantaged executives and employees.
6) Health management
① Partners may provide rest areas, bathrooms, dining areas, etc., to their executives and employees, and if they are provided, must strive to maintain their cleanliness.
② Partners may provide dormitories to their executives and employees, and if they are provided, must provide safety signs, lighting, air conditioning and heating, etc. Also, the dormitories must be equipped with appropriate devices to restrict access to non-residents.
③ Partners must regularly conduct general health check-ups or special health check-ups for their executives and employees in accordance with the health check-up laws and regulations of the countries in which they operate. Also, if necessary as a result of the health check-ups, partners must take appropriate measures such as transferring the executives and employees to other workplaces, changing their tasks, or reducing work hours.
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Environment
1) Establishment of the environmental management system
① Partners must comply with the environmental laws and regulations of the countries in which they operate, and must obtain and maintain all environment-related certifications and licenses necessary to operate their business.
② Partners must operate an environmental management system that consists of organizational, planning, procedural, and results inspection to mitigate any environmental impact cause by the operation of their business.
2) Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions management
① Partners must establish a system that gauges their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
② Partners must make all efforts to reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
3) Water resource management
① Partners must establish a system that gauges water usage and wastewater discharge.
② Partners must make all efforts to reduce water usage and increase recycling capacity. Also, discharged pollutants in water must be managed in accordance with legal or stricter internal standards.
4) Air pollutants management
① Partners must establish a system that gauges the emission of air pollutants.
② Partners must minimize the emission of air pollutants through appropriate methods. Also, discharged air pollutants must be managed in accordance with legal or stricter internal standards.
5) Waste management
① Partners must establish a system that gauges the discharge of waste.
② Partners must minimize the discharge of waste to landfills or incineration through appropriate measures. Also, partners must make all efforts to expand reuse and recycling, and to recover discarded raw materials and components.
③ Partners must make all efforts to minimize the remnants that have environmental impact when waste is sent to landfills or incinerated by considering the entire life cycle of the products they manufacture.
6) Chemical substances management
① Partners must make all efforts to safely manage the transfer, storage, use, and disposal of chemical substances handled over the course of their business operations. Also, partners must indicate or disclose any information that identify the hazards or dangers of any handled chemical substances.
② Suppliers must make all efforts to check whether or not any substances harmful to the human body or the environment are contained in the raw materials and components that are procured, produced, sold, and distributed.
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Ethics
1) Transparent management and anti-corruption
① The executives and employees of partners must comply with the standards for the highest level of integrity in the countries in which they operate.
② The executives and employees of partners must not take bribes, blackmail, embezzle, mediate, or solicit using their positions in the company, and must not intentionally pay unfair wages or compensation by exploiting weaknesses or flaws.
2) Prevention of conflicts of interest
① Partners must handle their work with a sense of responsibility in accordance with their established work regulations.
② The executives and employees of partners must not promise, suggest, permit, or provide means for the purpose of unfair or inappropriate gains. This includes any actions that damage the company for the personal gain of executives and employees or any promises of personal gain through third parties..
3) Prevention of unfair dealings
① Partners must comply with the fair trade laws and standards of the countries in which they operate.
② Partners must not engage in any acts that may undermine fair competition through unfair dealings such as by abusing market dominance or trading positions.
③ Partners must not agree to conduct any acts that restrict competition with other businesses regarding the prices, supply, trade areas, and trade conditions of goods and services.
④ Partners must not obtain information from competitors, partners, or other institutions through unlawful means, and must not use or disclose any information obtained illegally by this company or a third party.
4) Prevention of counterfeiting
① Partners must not manufacture or use unauthorized raw materials or components, and must not use or sell counterfeit raw materials or components.
② Partners must regularly check whether or not counterfeit raw materials or components are being used or manufactured in their workplace, and if confirmed, partners must immediately notify the government or their clients.
③ Partners must make all efforts to confirm if the raw materials and components manufactured are being used and distributed in accordance with their purposes of business or conditions of their contracts.
5) Compliance with export restrictions
① Partners must comply with country-specific laws and international regulations regarding export restrictions.
② Partners must not do business with countries, regions, or individuals subject to export restrictions or economic sanctions.
③ Partners must check if they are complying with the laws and regulations related to export restrictions and economic sanctions, and if necessary, cooperate with Kamtec to identify the current situation.
6) Information protection
① Partners must not leak the trade secrets or information that requires protection from their clients or other business partners, and must not store or use information from these clients or other business partners acquired during the course of business without their advance permission or approval.
② Partners must respect the intellectual property rights of their clients and other business partners, and must take appropriate measures to protect the intellectual property rights acquired from the clients or other business partners. At the same time, partners must regularly check if such intellectual property rights are being infringed.
③ Partners must only collect and use personal information within the scope that does not deviate from the original purpose of collection and use of personal information, and must obtain advance consent if there are any changes to the above.
7) Responsible purchasing of materials
① Partners must implement a process to verify the origin and refineries of all minerals and raw materials including conflict minerals such as tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold.
② Suppliers must make all efforts to check for any social and environmental issues, such as serious human rights violations, ethical violations, or negative impacts on the environment, at the origin or refineries of minerals and raw materials in accordance with the relevant process.
③ If a partner mainly handles minerals and raw materials, the partner must make all efforts to confirm through internal procedures or obtain external certifications proving that they have no relation to issues such as human rights violations, ethical violations, or negative impacts on the environment in the process of mining or processing the minerals or raw materials.
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Management System
1) Disclosure of the company statement
① Partners must signal their will to fulfill this Code of Conduct or corresponding levels of social responsibility both internally and externally.
② Partners must share their will to fulfill this Code of Conduct or corresponding levels of social responsibility within the company through the management's New Year's messages, internal guidelines, internal bulletin boards, etc. Also, it is recommended that partners disclose the above to the public through their websites, business reports, promotional materials, etc.
2) Appointment of persons in charge
① Partners must appoint a person in charge of social responsibility activities.
② Partners must appoint a manager that supervises the establishment and implementation of social responsibility activity plans.
3) Risk inspection
① Partners must make all efforts to identify all the possible ethical, environmental, labor/human rights, and health/safety risks that may occur over the course of business.
② If a partner discovers a significant risk, the partner must prepare and implement measures to mitigate that risk.
4) Education and communication
① Partners must educate their executives and employees on the matters presented in this Code of Conduct and the matters covered by laws, regulations, and systems in relation to this Code of Conduct.
② Suppliers must share their implementation plans and results on matters presented by this Code of Conduct with their executives and employees.
5) Information management
① Partners must accurately record and manage the current status and risk-related information in the areas of ethics, labor/human rights, and health/safety.
② Partners must make all efforts to transparently disclose information, unless prohibited by law, if such information is requested by the laws and regulations of the countries in which they operate, industry organizations, significant clients with business contracts, etc.
6) Operation of a grievance handling system
① Partners must operate a grievance handling system that their executives and employees can use to check or identify legal or regulatory violations or file reports if their individual rights and interests are infringed upon in the areas of ethics, environment, labor/human rights, and health/safety.
② Partners must protect their executives and employees from unreasonable measures, such as dismissals, threats, retaliation, or ridicule, for filing reports. Also, partners must thoroughly protect the identity of the whistleblowers.
7) Business partner (subcontractor) management
① Partners must encourage all of their contracted business partners (subcontractors) to manage the ethical, environmental, labor/human rights, and health/safety factors in the planning, design, sales, and manufacturing of their goods and services.
② If a partner confirms that their business partner (subcontractor) has violated a law or regulation in the field of ethics, environment, labor/human rights, or health/safety, or has become aware or a related risk, the partner must make all efforts to recommend or pressure the business partner (subcontractor) to make improvements.
8) Compliance with this Code of Conduct
① Partners must provide information on their compliance and level of compliance with this Code of Conduct when Kamtec or a third party hired by Kamtec inspects their documents or conducts on-site visits.
② Partners must prepare and manage appropriate documents that prove their compliance with this Code of Conduct, and such documents must be prepared based on the reality and facts of business operations.
③ Partners must make all efforts to establish and implement plans for timely improvements of weaknesses or violations derived from document inspections or on-site visits to check compliance with this Code of Conduct.