Engaging in direct dialogue

We assess social and environmental risks by conducting the Supply Chain Sustainability Survey to confirm the status of compliance with various guidelines. The survey targets all of the NTT Group's critical suppliers that account for at least 90% of total procurement value, supplier of non-substitutable products and supplier of important products. Based on the results of these surveys, we began supplier engagement activities in fiscal 2021, including direct dialogues with suppliers. The direct dialogue covers subjects such as the environment, information security, and BCP as well as issues related to forced labor and human rights risks. In the dialogue meetings, we exchange opinions with all our suppliers, and check with our suppliers about how they are handling occupational health and safety at the workplace and other factors. With regard to human rights, we will conduct human rights due diligence based on the NTT Group Human Rights Policy that was revised in November 2021, as part of initiatives for correcting violations of forced labor or human rights. We will continue working with high ethical standards together with all of our suppliers and strive toward resolving the various issues related to human rights that exist in various countries and regions.

Becoming a member of JAC (Joint Alliance for CSR)

In July 2022, NTT became a member of the association of telecom operators, Joint Alliance for CSR (JAC) that involves conducting CSR audits of ICT suppliers around the world.
By becoming a member of JAC, NTT will be able to better coordinate efforts with global telecommunications carriers, and exchange intelligence on CSR-related conditions and challenges of each company in the supply chain and the best practices with the other JAC member companies, and thus will be able to promote supplier due diligence on a global level.
NTT is the first Asian telecommunications carrier to join the association and will contribute to realizing a sustainable society by building and maintaining a safe and secure supply chain.
The NTT Group will focus on enhancing CSR throughout the entire supply chain by holding meetings to exchange information with global telecommunications carriers, and by participating in JAC activities such as joint audits as a JAC member. In addition to supplier audits it conducts itself as a JAC member, NTT will continue to hold direct dialogue with all suppliers as part of supplier engagement activities.

• 

• 

Respect for human rights throughout the entire value chain

We will strive to build relationships of trust and cooperation with our stakeholders to better understand and respond appropriately from the perspective of those affected by our business.
As the NTT Group handles a wide variety of network and digital services worldwide, ensuring a sustainable value chain has become one of the most critical issues.
Various problems have arisen in the supply chain in recent years, such as long working hours, child labor, illegal dumping of chemical substances, and bribery. Therefore, companies are required to comply with social norms and laws in their procurement activities and fulfill their social responsibilities.
In response to this situation, NTT Group will ask all members of the value chain to comply with respect for human rights in the six areas of human rights and labor, health and safety, environment, fair trade and ethics, quality and safety, and information security, in order to fulfill our social responsibility in our procurement activities.
In the value chain, the NTT Group will identify the existence and risks of human rights violations, such as forced labor, inhumane treatment, child labor, discrimination, and wages below the minimum wage, and work toward eradicating human rights violations.