The Brother Group Principles of Social Responsibility

The Brother Group Global Charter (Global Charter) was established in 1999 and lays the foundation for Brother's global activities. All Brother companies and employees must base their decisions and actions on the guidelines set out in Global Charter. In order to meet the requirements of Global Charter, particularly with regard to responsibilities towards stakeholders including customers, Brother has implemented an active CSR management program.
As the role of corporations has become more significant in achieving a sustainable society, the demands and expectations of stakeholders towards the Brother Group have increased.
In response, Brother has adopted "Principles of Social Responsibility" (the "Principles") to publically express how we fulfill our social and ethical duties.
Rigorous implementation of the Principles will ensure that Brother meets its social responsibilities in the countries and regions where we operate and will enhance Brother's CSR management.
We aim to make Brother an even more globally recognized and unified corporate brand which is truly trusted by our customers and stakeholders. Moreover, we hope that Brother will enjoy a long and successful future in a sustainable and ethical society.

A. Fair working conditions

1. Non-discrimination and Non-harassment
   The Brother Group does not tolerate acts of discrimination or harassment. In particular, the Brother Group does not:
   1. unlawfully discriminate against anyone based on, for example, race, sex, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, political affiliation, union membership, marital status, nationality, ethnic background, religion, or disability; or,
   2. violate a person's dignity by engaging in harassment or abuse (on any grounds or in any form), corporal punishment, mental or physical coercion or threat of any such treatment.
2. Fair and lawful labor practices
   The Brother Group strives to comply with all local laws and regulations, instructions of competent authorities or appropriate local industry practices in relation to working conditions including hours, wages and benefits (including minimum wages) and overtime hours.
3. Freedom of association
   The Brother Group respects the rights of employees in each country in which we operate to associate freely with others, join or not join labor unions, seek representation and join workers' councils in accordance with local laws and regulations.
4. Child and forced labor
   The Brother Group does not tolerate or engage in illegal labor practices. In particular the Brother Group does not:
   1. use forced labor or involuntary prison labor;
   2. require Associates to hand over government-issued identification, passports or work permits to Brother as a condition of employment (except temporary hand over for identification confirmation or government formalities);
   3. knowingly employ any persons below the age for completing compulsory schooling in accordance with local laws;
   4. knowingly employ persons under 15 years old (or 14 where the law of the country permits); or
   5. assign Associates under the age of 18 to work that is likely to jeopardize their health or safety.
5. Clearly defined disciplinary policies
   The Brother Group shall clearly define disciplinary policies and procedures and communicate these policies and procedures to its employees.
6. Whistleblowing system
   Each Brother Group company shall establish a whistleblowing system and encourage Associates to report any violations of these Principles, other company policies, local laws and regulations. The Brother Group does not authorize Associates to retaliate against persons for making a good faith report of a violation and, where appropriate and if permitted by local laws, shall ensure the anonymity of any whistleblowers.

B. Health and Safety

1. Health and safety at work
   The Brother Group will comply with all laws and regulations applicable to providing a safe and healthy workplace for our Associates.
   The Brother Group protects the health and safety of Associates in the workplace by:
   1. evaluating and controlling potential safety hazards including physically demanding work, electrical and other energy sources, fire, vehicles, and exposure to chemicals and other biological and physical agents;
   2. providing properly designed and well maintained workplaces and appropriate protective equipment;
   3. implementing safe work procedures and systems and providing ongoing training and systems designed to prevent, manage, track and report occupational injury and illness; and
   4. implementing strategies and response procedures for emergency situations and events including evacuation procedures, drills and recovery plans.
2. Sanitation, food and housing
   The Brother Group will provide Associates and any third parties who work at our premises with clean toilet facilities and clean water, and where provided, food preparation and eating facilities will be sanitary.
   Where provided, dormitories shall be well maintained, clean and safe, and equipped with appropriate emergency exits, hot water for showering, adequate heat and ventilation and personal space, all according to applicable local standards.

C. The Environment

In order to help society to achieve sustainable development, the Brother Group shall adopt its environmental protection policy and strive to reduce the impact of our business on the environment in all aspects of our activities and at every stage of a product's lifecycle, from design, development, manufacturing, customer usage, and disposal, to reuse and recycling. The Brother Group will obtain any environmental permits and licenses required and comply with all applicable international and domestic environmental laws and regulations including restrictions on the use of certain substances.

The Brother Group will act with the highest integrity and ethics in all aspects of our activities.

E. Management System to implement these Principles

The Brother Group will establish a management system to implement these Principles as follows:

1. each Brother Group company shall implement its own code of conduct which, together with other company rules, satisfies the standard set by these Principles and require its Associates to comply with such code;
2. each Brother Group company shall, according to its organization, clarify the department responsible for implementation of its code of conduct;
3. each Brother Group company shall give regular training to its employees with respect to compliance with its code of conduct;
4. each Brother Group company shall perform periodic auditing to ensure conformity with these Principles; and,
5. each Brother Group company shall correct in a timely fashion any deficiencies identified by periodic audits.

The senior management in charge of the legal section at Brother Industries, Ltd shall be responsible for ensuring implementation of these Principles by each company of the Brother Group and the management systems as well as reviewing the status of the management system on a regular basis.

Brother Group is committed to complying with relevant laws and regulations in the countries and regions in which we operate in our Brother Group Code of Conduct.

Bribery and corruption are prohibited by the laws and regulations in most countries where we operate as acts that hinder economic and social development. In our Brother Group Principles of Social Responsibility, we promise our stakeholders that we shall not engage in any form of corruption, extortion or embezzlement. However, in recent years, laws and regulations governing bribery and corruption have become increasingly stringent, and in consideration of such circumstances, we are implementing this policy to further promote our anti-corruption efforts.

Article 1 (Scope)
This policy applies to all officers, employees, part-time employees, expatriate employees, and temporary employees of Brother Group (hereinafter referred to as "Brother Group Officers and Employees").

Article 2 (Compliance with Applicable Laws)
Brother Group Officers and Employees shall comply with the laws and regulations related to prevention of bribery that is applied in the countries and/or regions in which Brother Group operates.

Article 3 (Prohibition of giving bribery to government officials, etc.)
Brother Group Officers and Employees shall not, for the purpose of improperly influencing or rewarding the behavior of someone to obtain or retain business or a commercial advantage, or for any other improper purpose, directly or indirectly through third parties, corruptly give, offer, promise, or authorize payments of money or anything of value, including gifts, hospitality, entertainment, and other benefits (including kickbacks), to a government official. A government official includes local or foreign government officials, employees of government-owned or -controlled entities, officers and employees of public international organizations, any political party official or candidate, members of royal families or persons in a similar position acting in an official capacity on behalf of a national, state, or local government, including uncompensated officials if they have actual influence in awarding government business or technical or marketing consultants who also hold a government position.

Article 4 (Prohibition of giving bribery to non-government officials)
Brother Group Officers and Employees shall not, for the purpose of improperly influencing or rewarding the behavior of someone to obtain or retain business or a commercial advantage, or for any other improper purpose, directly or indirectly through third parties, corruptly give, offer, promise, or authorize payments of money or anything of value, including gifts, hospitality, entertainment, and other benefits (including kickbacks), to any person other than a government official, unless the giving of such money or anything of value are within bounds of good standard business practice, the Brother Group policy, and the applicable laws or regulations of the country or region concerned.

Article 5 (Prohibition of accepting bribery)
Brother Group Officers and Employees shall not, for the purpose of obtaining personal gain or advantage, or for any other improper purpose, directly or indirectly through third parties, demand any person to give money or anything of value, including gifts, hospitality, entertainment, or other benefits (including kickbacks), unless the accepting of gifts, hospitality, entertainment, or other benefits are within bounds of good standard business practice, the Brother Group policy, and the applicable laws or regulations of the country or region concerned.

Article 6 (Accurate Records)
Brother Group Officials and Employees shall properly maintain and manage accurate and complete records of all payments and other expenses made to third parties and shall endeavor to detect and promptly report fraudulent activity or the possibility of such misconduct.

Article 7 (Violation)
Brother Group Officials and Employees who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary proceedings based on Brother Group employment rules and other internal rules and policies.