At HTC, we are committed to making innovative products in a responsible manner – respecting people, the communities in which we operate and the environment. Our global corporate responsibility standards and sustainability goals are designed to:
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Create a sustainable, rewarding work environment where employees thrive
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Minimize our environmental impact as we bring products to market
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Sustain a responsible supply chain that has minimal environmental impact and a supplier base that supports and adheres to our expected corporate and social standards
People
Our business success and ability to innovate is directly tied to the well-being of our most valuable asset, our employees. The character of our company and ability to create a sustainable, rewarding work environment is defined by personal integrity and honesty of our employees and we adhere to responsible, honest and ethical business practices.
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Human Rights
Human Rights
Committed to upholding fundamental principles of human rights for all our workers, we comply with all applicable employment laws everywhere we operate. Our respect for the protection and preservation of human rights is guided by the principles set forth in the
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
. Our relationship with our employees, customers and suppliers, and with the countries and communities in which we operate, reflect the principles, policies, code and accords set forth and referred to in this Human Rights Statement. Additionally, we promote freely chosen employment, and prohibit harassment, unfair treatment, discrimination, and workplace trafficking in persons.
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Working Hours
Working Hours
Providing a balanced work schedule consistent with local labor practices is our commitment to our employees. We comply with all local labor laws and follow standards established by the
Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC)
to limit excessive overtime. Suppliers are required to follow our Supplier Code of Conduct and implement at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in every seven-day period. All overtime work is voluntary and our employees are appropriately compensated.
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Health and Safety
Creating healthy and safe working environments is our commitment to our employees and we work closely with our suppliers to ensure they meet the same high standards. Employees receive ongoing health and safety training as required for their jobs and our manufacturing facilities are closely managed through proper design, engineering and administrative controls, preventative maintenance, safe work procedures, and ongoing safety training. Inspections are performed on a regular basis.
A workplace safety and accident prevention plan is updated on an annual basis to reflect current health and safety conditions. The plan includes managing hazardous materials, and reducing workplace injuries and hazardous materials. Certified under OHSAS18001:2007 for occupational health and safety management system, we have also implemented automation in certain parts of the assembly process in our own factories to reduce risk of repetitive strain injuries.
Key components of our Health and Safety guidelines:
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Complying with all applicable laws and regulations
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Providing appropriate controls, safe work procedures, preventative maintenance, safety equipment, and other protective measures to mitigate health and safety risks in the workplace
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Developing an emergency response policy to train, notify and evacuate employees in the event of an emergency
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Encouraging employees to participate in company-sponsored wellness programs. At our manufacturing facilities in Taiwan and China we offer gym membership, onsite health consultations and wellness screening services
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Non-discrimination and Harassment
Diversity is a core value of our global corporate culture and it helps us meet the changing needs of our customers, communities and partners. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in employment and personnel practices on the basis of race, sex, age, handicap, religion, national origin or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Hiring, transferring and promotion practices are performed without regard to the above listed items.
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No Child Labor
Child labor is a very serious issue and we take proactive measures to prevent the use of under-aged labor in both our own facilities as well as those of our suppliers. We mandate proof of age for employment to ensure we meet all local labor laws and requirements. Our Supplier Code of Conduct for suppliers restricts any form of unfair labor practices and clearly articulates our expectation that all factory workers are of the legal working age. In addition, we regularly conduct labor audits and communicate our expectations on fair labor practices to our suppliers.
Environment
Together with our employees, business partners, suppliers and customers, we aim to continuously find innovative ways to reduce energy consumption, eliminate waste, and reuse materials to minimize our impact on the environment and develop a sustainable footprint.
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Energy Use and Emissions
To reduce our environmental impact we adhere to all applicable local and international environmental laws and standards, including the ISO 5001 energy management standards, and effectively manage our carbon emissions, waste and greenhouse gas. We also monitor our greenhouse gas sources and emissions in compliance with ISO 14064-1 standards.
To reduce our emissions and lower our carbon footprint we have designed a very short supply chain and most of our suppliers’ factories are located close to our main manufacturing sites in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and Shanghai, China. We have a dedicated R&D team that is responsible for developing green designs and packaging with reduced toxicity and increased energy efficiency and recyclability. In addition, we enforce the standards in our Supplier Code of Conduct and conduct audits on meeting local environmental laws.
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Disposal of Hazardous Materials and Waste
Disposal of Hazardous Materials and Waste
The proper management of waste, chemicals and other materials is critical to the protection of the environment and the health and safety of our employees. We require our suppliers to comply with applicable laws and industry standards, such as the
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive
(EU WEEE) and the
Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(RoHS), to safely and responsibly collect, treat and dispose general industrial waste materials. We have several programs dedicated to assuring proper management and control of waste materials, including supplier compliance audits, factory inspections, and the safe handling and storage of chemicals and waste materials. For example, in response to the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, we rapidly implemented radioactive screening of inbound materials sourced from affected areas to eliminate any potential radiation exposure.
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Reuse and Recycling
For us waste reduction begins with reducing waste production at the source. We are committed to reducing the volume of industrial waste from our manufacturing processes and increasing resource recycling. This commitment has resulted in us maintaining an average annual recycling rate of 60 percent, which exceeds the standard of the EU WEEE. All packaging and waste materials such as cardboard boxes, containers and plastic packaging material are collected and separated for recycling. Further, we look for ways to reduce waste by introducing a pilot program to remove device charger from our sales packaging.
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Environmental Management and Reporting
We have obtained the ISO 14000 series of certifications for environmental management standards and other certifications to continually minimize our environmental impact and comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmental standards. Our certifications include:
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ISO 14001:2004 to set out the criteria for an environmental management system, which includes reducing cost of waste management and saving in consumption of energy and materials.
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ISO 14064-1:2006 to report greenhouse gas emissions and removals, which includes requirements for the design, development, management, reporting and verification of our greenhouse gas inventory.
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ISO 50001:2011 to promote continual improvement for energy saving, which includes legal and regulatory requirements compliance and best practices for energy efficiency measures.
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IECQ QC 080000 HSPM to maintain hazardous substance-free product design and manufacturing processes, which includes compliance with laws and industry standards and minimal impact on the environment.
Supply Chain
Supply Chain
As a condition of working with us, we require our suppliers to adhere to the principles and standards of HTC’s Supplier Code of Conduct with respect to people, health and safety and the environment. Download our
Supplier Code of Conduct
for more details. We conduct regular audits of suppliers to ensure compliance and closely monitor any supplier that is deemed to be at risk of breaching our Code of Conduct.
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Supplier Code of Conduct
Supplier Code of Conduct
HTC’s
Supplier Code of Conduct
(Code) describes our corporate and social responsibility requirements for suppliers. As a condition of doing business with HTC, we expect our suppliers (and their suppliers) to acknowledge and implement these requirements and ensure responsible business practices. We regularly assess compliance to these requirements and factor adherence to these requirements when making partnership selections.
The labor, environment, health and safety and ethics requirements outlined in the Code are consistent with internationally-recognized standards established by the
Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC)
, the
United Nations
, the
International Labor Organization (ILO)
. Our Code covers:
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Labor and human rights, including the prevention of child and involuntary labor, fair treatment and regulatory compliance.
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Health and Safety practices, including emergency preparedness planning and occupational safety policies.
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Environmental policies, including pollution prevention, waste management, recycling and regulatory compliance.
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Ethics and integrity, including conflict-free mineral sourcing policy, privacy and fair business practices.
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Management system, including legal and regulatory compliance, audits and assessment and documentation.
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Supplier Audit Program
Supplier Audit Program
Supplier audits are a critical component of ensuring the integrity of our supply chain. Therefore, we actively manage the auditing process and have a dedicated supplier audit team that travels to suppliers’ sites to ensure they are meeting local regulatory requirements and adhering to our
Supplier Code of Conduct
. Our supplier audit team is responsible for auditing our suppliers on a regular basis, including labor, environment and health and safety compliance. We follow industry-recognized and internationally-accepted standards such as the guidelines established for electronic companies by the
Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC)
. Suppliers that are identified as having compliance issues are informed and are immediately tasked to create remediation plans that address the identified issues.
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Responsible Sourcing
Responsible Sourcing
Our sourcing policy requires raw materials used in our products to be extracted, processed and produced in a responsible manner consistent with our environmental and ethical policies. The use of conflict minerals in the electronics industry is a significant issue, and since traceability remains difficult HTC has stopped sourcing minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African region altogether. We subscribe to the
EICC Code of Conduct
, which includes certification criteria on sourcing tantalum (also known as coltan), tin, tungsten and gold minerals in our supply chain. As a condition of doing business with HTC, our suppliers must also undergo regular reporting and auditing processes to demonstrate their full commitment to our responsible sourcing policy.
