Panasonic response to Globalworks Lund AB reports
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The report published by Globalworks Lund in June 2023, "SUPPLY CHAIN SCREENING Forced Labour at Battery and Electric Bus Manufacturers in China" makes reference to Panasonic sourcing from suppliers involved in alleged human rights violations.
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The report also alleges that Panasonic contributed to human rights violations by participating in poverty alleviation programs and hiring workers from impoverished areas.
From 2018 to 2020, a Panasonic Group company in China employed workers from impoverished areas through a poverty alleviation program. When hiring, the company explained the job description and working conditions to the workers, and provided appropriate onboarding training when employed. The working conditions were equivalent to those for other employees and complied with local laws. The Panasonic Group places social contribution as the basis of its business philosophy, and Panasonic Group companies in China have been supporting impoverished areas since starting business in the country in 1987. The employment program of workers from impoverished areas was also part of the social contribution initiatives, along with scholarship programs, vocational training, and donation of our products to schools in impoverished areas.
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