Toyota Tsusho Corporation ("Toyota Tsusho") announced today that 10 years have passed since the establishment of the Global Code of Conduct & Ethics (COCE), the shared standard of values for the Toyota Tsusho Group.

Toyota Tsusho has identified "Begin everything we do with ensuring safety and compliance, and continue to be an organization trusted by society" as one of its material issues*1 and has made the performance of duties in accordance with the COCE its basic policy for compliance. The COCE provides a concrete and easy-to-understand expression of the Behavioral Guidelines*2 that supports the Corporate Philosophy and was formulated by pooling the wisdom of Group employees in Japan and overseas. Following a resolution by the Board of Directors in April 2016, the COCE was established on July 1 of that year and announced at Group companies worldwide, after which awareness-raising activities began.
To ensure that the COCE is well-known and embedded throughout the entire Group, Toyota Tsusho has built a global network and, together with the global members, has continuously carried out various awareness-raising activities. These include messages from the President & CEO, distribution of the "COCE booklet" in 23 different languages to all Group executives and employees, COCE pledge activities (conducted annually for all Group executives and employees), and training sessions for executives and employees at different levels.
Now, 10 years after its establishment, the COCE has progressed from the phases of being made well known and implemented to the phase of becoming embedded and being put into practice. By ensuring that every executive and employee worldwide understands and practices the COCE as a "compass for the future" that guides their daily work and decisions, the Group will continue working as one to realize its Corporate Philosophy of "Living and prospering together with people, society, and the planet, we aim to be a value-generating corporation that contributes to the creation of prosperous societies" and its Mission of "Passing on a better Earth to the children of the future."

The video produced to further embed the COCE and put it into practice is available in this Video Library, so please take a look.
　https://www.toyota-tsusho.com/english/about/stream/

１）COCE

Click here for the full text:
https://toyota-tsusho.disclosure.site/en/themes/15/

２）Background to the Establishment

As a global company, Toyota Tsusho recognized the need to establish and clearly communicate shared standards for value judgments across Toyota Tsusho Group companies worldwide. This would enable all executives and employees, with their diverse values, cultures, and backgrounds, to work as one in conducting business toward the realization of the Corporate Philosophy. Based on this recognition, the Group began working to establish the COCE.

３）COCE's 10-Year Journey

Since its establishment and announcement on July 1, 2016, the Group has worked to raise awareness of and implement the COCE as the shared standard of values for the Toyota Tsusho Group. It has now entered the embedding and practice phase.

The COCE was announced at Group companies worldwide. The Group established a global COCE promotion network and began awareness-raising activities and COCE compliance pledge activities for all Group executives and employees. These activities have been conducted annually ever since.

Through global meetings of personnel responsible for the COCE, the Group enhanced its COCE training programs (card games, group work, quizzes, etc.). It also expanded its initiatives through COCE events (such as "COCE Days," featuring intensive programs of keynote speeches, various live seminars, and e-learning) and other activities.

The Group expanded COCE events to more regions and promoted jointly hosted events spanning multiple regions. It also revised the COCE booklet nearly 10 years after its initial publication and reintroduced the COCE as a "compass for the future." The Group expanded opportunities for executives and employees to take personal ownership of the COCE (including messages from the President & CEO, management executives, and the presidents of Group companies, as well as company-wide communications sharing the content of dialogue sessions).

４）Toward Further Practice

Toyota Tsusho will continue promoting sound and fair corporate activities through the global COCE promotion network to realize its Corporate Philosophy and Mission.

1. In addition to events held at Toyota Tsusho, sites worldwide will hold various internal events commemorating the 10th anniversary of the COCE's establishment to reiterate to executives and employees worldwide the importance of putting the COCE into practice.
2. Global members will further expand the joint development and delivery of training programs and opportunities for dialogue on the COCE.
3. Examples of the COCE in practice will be shared throughout the Group to help executives and employees take personal ownership of the COCE in their daily work and decision-making and translate it into action.
4. Management will continue issuing messages on the importance of putting the COCE into practice.

• *1For information on Toyota Tsusho's materiality issues, please see the following page.
  https://toyota-tsusho.disclosure.site/en/themes/9/
• *2Toyota Tsusho's Behavioral Guidelines
  As a good corporate citizen,
  • We will strive for open and fair corporate activities;
  • We will be socially responsible and strive for conservation of the natural environment;
  • We will be creative and strive to provide added value;
  • We will respect people and strive to create an engaging workplace.