Visited the Côte d'Ivoire Natural Rubber Processing Plant in November 2022

Southland Kati Côte d'Ivoire (Group: Southland Global Pte. Ltd.)

In November 2022, we visited a natural rubber manufacturing plant in Côte d'Ivoire, a new supplier of our consolidated subsidiary, Marubeni Techno Rubber Corporation, to investigate its sustainability management status. No serious violations of our basic policy were found with regard to the status of sustainability management at the plant, including forced labor and child labor.

General Observance of Laws

• We confirmed that the company has a list of local laws and regulations and that the company is in compliance with such laws and regulations. We confirmed that the Quality Health Safety Environment Assistant constantly reviews laws and regulations and that information is shared within the organization as necessary.

Human Rights （Child Labor, Forced Labor, Contact Point, Labor Conditions, etc.）

• The company has a human rights policy in place of which employees are informed.
• To comply with the legal minimum working age (18 years or older), age verification using ID cards is conducted at the time of employment. During this on-site inspection, we confirmed that no employees were under 18 years of age by reviewing a list of employees.
• The company has a whistleblower protection policy in place and a whistleblower hotline, information for which can be accessed on its website. It was also confirmed that the policy is communicated to employees.
• The company has employment contracts with all employees that describe the terms and conditions of employment, including working hours, wages, overtime pay, and vacation time.
• We confirmed that employees are paid at least the minimum wage required by local laws and regulations.
• We confirmed that employee wages were generally in line with local living standards.
• Employees generally work a 40-hour week and when overtime is required, it is paid appropriately.
• In addition to two days off per week, annual paid leave of 30 days is guaranteed. We have verified vacation usage by reviewing the company records.
• A labor union has been established and a chairperson elected. We also confirmed that labor union meetings are held regularly.

Environment

• The company has obtained ISO 14001 certification.
• An environmental policy is in place and communicated to employees.
• The wastewater monitoring results confirmed that the discharge of wastewater is within the limits set by local environmental laws and regulations as the drainage channels and wastewater treatment pool on the plant site is well maintained.
• Air pollutant monitoring showed that the emissions were within local legal limits.
• The company has cleared its semi-annual administrative audits.
• We confirmed that a contract with a waste disposal contractor has been signed and that the waste disposal permit is still valid.

Occupational Health and Safety

• Occupational health and safety policies are in place and communicated to employees.
• We confirmed that personal protective equipment is provided.
• Hazardous work areas, machinery, and equipment are properly signposted.
• The chemical lock control was properly enforced.
• Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is in place for chemical substance management.
• We confirmed that fire extinguishers are well-maintained and none have expired.
• Emergency manuals are in place in case of fire, employee exposure to chemicals, etc.
• Training records confirm that evacuation drills are conducted every six months.
• The 5S methodology (sorting, setting-in-order, shining, standardizing, and sustaining discipline) is well known to the employees, and the premises, including the factory, are always kept clean.
• We confirmed that there is a clinic attached to the facility and that a nurse is on staff.
• Medical examinations are provided to employees before employment.
• Drinking water is provided to employees in the factory and laboratory.

Employee Training

• The factory has established an annual training plan that runs at the beginning of each fiscal year and training has been conducted on human rights, occupational health and safety, and the environment. We confirmed the status of training through training records and participant lists.

Fair Trade

• A policy on the prohibition of bribery is in place. All employees are informed of and trained in the policy and employees sign the policy annually.

Quality Control

• Quality control is properly implemented and ISO 9001 certification has been achieved.

Local Community

• We confirmed that we are supporting an elementary school near the plant with funds for the school’s operations.

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Supply Chain