Sustainable Supply Chain Management Policy

The products and services provided by suppliers may cause direct and tangible impacts on LITEON's products, services, and business activities. Meanwhile, the CSR practice of a supplier may cause indirect effects on LITEON's intangible reputation or turn into potential risks. As an important member of the global electronics manufacturing industry, LITEON makes continuous improvements in Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) to maintain the competitive advantages of LITEON and its suppliers as a whole. Therefore, LITEON selects responsible manufacturing and green products as the theme for its supply chain management strategies and sets SDG 8 and SDG 12 as the long term goals.

The Supply Chain Management Sub-committee under the LITEON Corporate Sustainability Committee takes traditional supply chain management and adds domestic and international regulations and electronics industrial benchmark—Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) guidelines to build a strong and sustainable supply chain management framework. The framework provides the basis for LITEON's sustainable supply chain management policy. Furthermore, LITEON extends the scope of sustainable supply chain management to economics and governance, environmental protection, social inclusion and other ESG issues. Issues such as labor rights, environmental protection, health and safety, and ethics and management systems are made key components in supplier evaluation, selection and audit. This approach establishes risk controls and identifies high-risk suppliers. Improvement measures are based on evaluation results and designed to help suppliers make progress on an ongoing basis. We hope to improve the performance of sustainable management on the supply chain and reduce operational risks on said supply chain. We also hope to develop partnerships based on sustainable growth.

 

Vision

All members of the supply chain are LITEON's important partners on the path to sustainability. With equal emphasis on quality, cost, delivery, services, management, and innovation and technology (QCDS-MIT), LITEON looks forward to working with the supply chain in fulfilling corporate social responsibility in economics and governance, environmental protection, and social inclusion (ESGs) to increase sustainable competitiveness for a sustainable future.

Strategy and Policy

  • Ensure effective identification and management of economic, environmental, and social risks to enhance sustainability of the supply chain

  • Strengthen responsible mineral management to ensure minerals from unqualified smelters in conflict-affected areas are not used and to build up responsible procurement practices

  • Enforcing responsible procurement practices to promote green supply chains and encourage suppliers to reduce environmental impacts in their business operations and products

 

Supply Chain and Localized Purchasing 

LITEON offers a diverse range of flexible products that are used widely in 5G, vehicles, power supply management, communication systems, IoT, personal and industrial computers and peripherals, consumer electronics, mobile and wearable devices, automotive electronics, LED lighting and advanced applications, cloud computing, and industrial automation. As a result, the supply chain model is a closely interconnected network of many different active entities.

Raw materials involved in the supply chain include IC, PCB, electronic components, cables, plastic parts, metal parts, packaging materials and so on. Statistics in 2024 show that LITEON cooperates with 2,594 raw material suppliers, with a total purchase amount of more than NT$70.1 billion.

 

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Note:

  • Direct purchase is defined as a purchase made directly from a manufacturer, dealer, or distributor.
  • Local or decentralized purchasing is determined by whether LITEON (places an order and receives the shipment) and the supplier (receives the order and dispatchs the shipment) are in the same geographic region and by whether the process contributes to the local economy, creates jobs, or reduces the carbon footprint during distribution/shipping.

 

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Framework 

LITEON lists three areas of sustainable supply chain management: sustainability guidelines, risk identification, and management systems. LITEON starts by establishing basic sustainability guidelines and requiring supply chain members to comply with the guidelines, uses risk identification tools to find high-risk factors and supplier industries, and then deploys various management mechanisms to manage the entire supply chain.

 

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Sustainable Supply Chain Management Guidelines

 

Regarding sustainable supply chain management, LITEON has implemented the Supplier Code of Conduct and Supplier Executive Certification of Compliance by adopting the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct and considering international regulations including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Supplier Code of Conduct and Supplier Executive Certification of Compliance requires all suppliers to conduct all business activities in compliance with the rules therein regarding labor rights, health and safety, the environment, business ethics, and management systems. It also requires suppliers to comply fully with the laws and regulations in the countries/regions where they operate their businesses. Meanwhile, LITEON requires first-tier suppliers to impose the same guidelines on suppliers on the next tier.Furthermore, regarding ethical corporate management, LITEON started requiring that all suppliers sign the "Integrity Commitment" in 2021. The commitment letter stipulates that no bribe shall be paid or any other inappropriate gains shall be provided or given between any supplier and LITEON employee to close a deal or perform a contract, and a supplier shall not engage in any conduct that directly or indirectly benefits a LITEON employee or stakeholder. Regarding product production, LITEON has the LS301 standards in place for products, materials and other green products provided by suppliers. The standards provide the restricted substance guidelines for green products and the responsible mineral management policy. Please refer to the Hazardous Substances Free Management



Sustainable Supply Chain Management Mechanisms 

Supplier Screening and Classification

LITEON divides suppliers into groups according to their attributes, and label them for sustainable management. LITEON suppliers can be divided generally into Tier 1 Suppliers and Non-Tier 1 Suppliers, Significant Suppliers (Significant Tier 1 Suppliers and Significant NonTier 1 Suppliers), and High Risk Suppliers as shown. 251013-174621.png (41 KB)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For effective supplier management, LITEON follows a set of screening criteria in the supplier selection process. In addition to the criteria for quality, cost, delivery, service, management, innovation, and technical capabilities (QCDS-MIT), LITEON implements green supply chain based procurement management system. If suppliers are unable to meet the minimum ESG requirements, they will be excluded from being contracted. The methodology for supplier screening:

  • Country-specific risk: This includes regulatory trends, biodiversity, and physical environmental risks, which are determined by the country of operation.

  • Sector-specific risk: The RBA framework (Responsible Business Alliance) is used to assess whether the supplier meets the standards.

  • Commodity-specific risk: This mainly focuses on the risk assessment of the top three high-carbon emissions and conflict minerals.


The following principles are applied to evaluate all suppliers (and new suppliers)

  • LITEON suppliers are required to sign Supplier Executive Certification of Compliance, and Integrity Commitment and promise compliance with LITEON Supplier Code of Conduct

  • LITEON's material suppliers must fully comply with local laws and regulations, and have risk control practices in place to ensure compliance

  • LITEON's suppliers should build up management systems for quality, environmental protection, health and safety, and for no use of hazardous substances

  • LITEON's material suppliers must comply with LITEON Standard of Controlled Hazardous Substance (LS301)

  • Suppliers should follow LITEON's Restricted Substance Management Plan and provide adequate and regularly updated declarations or proofs

  • Comply with LITEON's responsible mineral management policy and cooperate with LITEON to complete due diligence report


Identification of significant suppliers

For more effective supplier management, LITEON has identified a list of critical suppliers on which to direct its management efforts. The following principles were applied to identify critical suppliers based on the products, production processes, and sales characteristics of individual business groups in 2023.

  • Top 75% of direct materials by annual purchase

  • Exclusive or irreplaceable

  • Critical parts or components

  • Highly polluting production processes

 

In 2024, LITEON followed the principles above and identified 449 key suppliers, 0 of which might have potentially adverse effects on the environment. Meanwhile, LITEON took an extra step and implemented the "Supplier Qualification Evaluation Procedure" to introduce elements of the LITEON Code of Conduct, the LITEON Supplier Code of Conduct, and the Supplier Executive Certification of Compliance into supplier qualification evaluation. Audit results were divided into three categories, and included in the sourcing decision-making process for the purpose of facilitating continuous improvement. LITEON also conducted review meetings to monitor suppliers' CSR performance in various areas.

Status of Significant Tier 1 Suppliers and Critical Non-Tier 1 Suppliers

There are about 446 significant tier 1 suppliers in 2024, accounting for 11% of 2,594 total suppliers, and its purchase amount accounting for about 75%. In addition, about 112 significant non-tier 1 suppliers has been listed. The supplier types and procurement ratios are as follows,

 

Supplier Type

Number of Suppliers

Share of Procurement Amount (%)

  • Supplier
2,594 100%
  • Significant Tier 1 Supplier
449 75%
  • Significant Non-tier 1 Supplier
112 -

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audit and Assistance on Supplier ESG Aspects 

LITEON Supply Chain ESG Sustainability Risk Audit--Supplier "Labor, Health and Safety, Environment, Business Ethics and Management System" audit advanced planning: LITEON introduces the RBA (Responsible Business Alliance) Code of Conduct into the supply chain to monitor the extent to which suppliers are implementing labor rights, health and safety, environment, business ethics and management systems, and encourage suppliers to develop materials and processes that reduce environmental impact, or energy conservation and carbon reduction from process utilities, then increased attention and management of environmental issues including climate change and biodiversity. Therefore, over the years, based on the RBA requirements, we have reconciled LITEON's supplier audit form, with further review and evaluated suppliers in terms of corporate social responsibility for suppliers’ ESG sustainability.

 

Supplier Engagement Activities 

Supplier Meetings and Annual Projects are All Supervised by the Sustainable Supply Chain Sub-Committee.

LITEON has implemented a phased and hierarchical supplier engagement model, structured into basic and advanced levels according to defined stage-specific objectives. The basic level emphasizes the communication of LITEON’s supply chain management strategies and sustainability goals, while recognizing outstanding suppliers to reinforce strategic partnerships. The advanced level focuses on empowering suppliers’ sustainability management

abilities through capacity-building initiatives such as training programs, advisory support, and collaborative carbon reduction projects, promoting deeper integration of sustainable practices across the supply chain.

In 2024, LITEON supply chain negotiation activities were held a total of 20 times, including 1 physical supplier conference, 13 educational trainings and 6 project explanation meetings. LITEON has made every effort to synchronize physical and online participation in supplier conferences, education and training, and project discussions to overcome geographical limitations and reduce transportation time, costs, and carbon emissions.

These efforts have focused on topics such as climate change, energy conservation and carbon reduction, corporate carbon management, product green design/product carbon footprint, restricted substance regulations, biodiversity,

circular economy/waste resource recycling, and responsible minerals. LITEON has also referenced international trends and customer requirements to optimize its information.

  • Supplier incentives for outstanding performance

The business groups implement suitable supplier incentives according to the nature of their sourcing activities and the characteristics of their suppliers. For PMS/CIPS, suppliers with an outstanding QCDST (quality, cost, delivery, service, and technology) rating, a total transaction amount ranked in the top 30, or other outstanding performance that meets the criteria will be selected as outstanding suppliers, will be presented awards at the supplier conference.

Furthermore, MES presents special awards to suppliers that comply with the EU's RoHS Directive and have a complete IECQ QC080000 management system, an annual RSC audit score of more than 90, no missing data in the GMS system, no RoHS data exceeding the limits and with internal testing facilities and random risk assessment mechanisms, will be presented awards at the supplier conference. AEA grants one-year audit exemption to outstanding suppliers that have passed supplier audits for three years in a row. Other business groups organize similar supplier conferences and outstanding supplier award ceremonies.

  • The LITEON Supply Chain Energy Conservation Assistance Project

In 2022, LITEON invited eleven suppliers to jointly participate in the "LITEON Supply Chain Energy Conservation Assistance Project" of the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and set the goal of freeing up 2.5% of the energy-conserving space. During the project period, the seed personnel of the supplier Energy Conservation Alliance will conduct online courses through the "Ewant Open Education Platform" to improve the basic knowledge and skills in energy conservation and carbon reduction; and professional consultants and factories cooperate with suppliers to measure their air compressor, air conditioning, lighting, pumps, and other public systems to find potential for carbon reduction. The members of LITEON's supply chain energy conservation alliance are mainly large energy users, are required to save 1% of electricity each year, energy conservation improvement has been continued. As the public systems of the electronics industry are mainly composed of electricity consuming devices such as air compressors and ice water machines and pumps. Therefore, this project helps by giving priority to in-depth reviews of air-conditioning system efficiency, pump efficiency, and fan efficiency. After the one-year project period, LITEON's supply chain Alliance submitted a total of 77 specific suggestions for improvement, which have a power saving potential of 5.67 million kWh and an average energy conservation potential of 4.23% for each plant. It is estimated that carbon reduction reached 2,887 tons of CO2e.

 

Identification of Supply Chain Risk 

Supply chain management mechanisms

As part of the commitment to responsible production and the development of suitable members for a sustainable supply chain, LITEON employs 4 tools, assessment, assistance, communication, and collaboration, and the corresponding elements in the sustainable supply chain management framework to ensure all important issues in the framework are monitored by feasible procedures.

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Risk assessment process

LITEON treats supply chain risk management as one of the company's competitive advantages. In terms of the industrial sector, common economic, environmental, and social risks can generally be categorized roughly based on industry characteristics.

 

Aspects of risk assessment

LITEON assesses risks in three aspects: the economy, the environment, and society. The factors in the risk assessments include the following.

High sustainability risk factors and high sustainability risk supplier categories in LITEON's supply chain in 2024 were then identified by considering the factors above in terms of the market conditions in 2024 and the supplier categories of counterparties. The results are shown in the table below.

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LITEON Supplier ESG Sustainability Risk Audit Status

In 2024, LITEON adopted the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct to refine its Sustainability Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and piloted a digital platform through the Sustainable Supply Chain Transparency Management Program. This initiative introduced a two-way mechanism for tracking and managing improvement actions with suppliers. In addition, LITEON is continually strengthening its sustainable supply chain risk management by referencing sources such as international BSCI regulations, items required by customer ratings, and supplier audit findings and feedback as key references for risk identification and the formulation of improvement actions.

According to the 2025 audit results of LITEON’s supply chain ESG sustainability risk assessment, no suppliers were found to have committed serious violations or incidents requiring immediate reporting. In cases where suppliers are found to have committed severe violations—such as the use of child labor—LITEON adopts a zero-tolerance policy and requires immediate corrective and remedial actions to mitigate potential negative impacts. Furthermore, for suppliers with major non-compliance issues or those who receive a total ESG risk audit score below 60, LITEON mandates that corrective actions be completed within a specified timeframe.

 

Sustainable Supply Chain Transparency Management Project

Period: 2023-2024

Goals:

    • Implement a digital sustainability platform to ensure transparency and accuracy in supply chain ESG information and improve management.
    • Enhance the sustainable supply chain assessment by aligning with ISO 20400 guidelines.
    • Enhance internal and third-party audits to enhance inventory data quality.

 

Strategy:

  • Conduct supplier on-site assessments carried out by an independent accredited auditing body to enhance our risk assessment quality and reliability.
  • Third-party auditors to assess the current state of sustainable supply chain management
  • Enhance supplier ESG audit and risk assessment processes
  • Improve supply chain ESG data quality to support KPI/KPR development, ensuring effective decision-making, accurate disclosure, and compliance

 

Outcome:

  • Upgrade sustainable procurement document inventory, supplier grading, and Inventory of sustainable procurement documents and supplier standards
  • Two workshops on assessing stakeholder interests, life cycle issues, ESG risks, sustainable strategies, and KRI/KPI development with internal buyers and stakeholder
  • Supplier ESG Self-Assessment Questionnaire and guide
  • Report on supplier ESG review findings
  • Summary of supply chain risk assessment results
  • Strategies for improvement recommendations

 

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Targets 

LITEON is dedicated to building a supply chain centered on sustainable development. To uphold workplace safety throughout the supply chain, we have established supplier management guidelines and regulations that respect employee dignity, promote environmental protection, and ensure adherence to ethical standards. LITEON collaborates with suppliers to fulfill corporate social responsibility and create a sustainable supply chain.

To drive sustainability among our suppliers and uphold the commitment to responsible manufacturing for our customers, LITEON has implemented the Supplier Code of Conduct and the Responsible Mineral Sourcing Policy. Additionally, we require suppliers to sign management commitment statements (Supplier Executive Certification of Compliance) to verify their capability to meet LITEON's supply chain management (SCM) requirements.

In line with the above sustainable supply chain management policy, LITEON has developed a strategy and set targets to enhance supply chain management continually. The Supply Chain Management Subcommittee focuses on advancing three key supply chain management initiatives aligned with LITEON’s “Sustainability Strategy and Blueprint.” We are committed to promoting ongoing implementation and continuous improvements in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).



LITEON’s low-carbon supply chain milestone

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Responsible Raw Materials Management
Responsible Sourcing Policy

Environmental aspect: LITEON Natural Capital Policy

  • Committed to minimizing the negative impact of raw materials on the ecological environment, including reducing the mining of virgin materials and recycling materials to reduce waste generation
  • Increasing the use of recycled raw materials year by year and increasing the use of third-party verified raw materials
  • Avoid the use of raw materials from sites of global or national importance for biodiversity, avoid habitat destruction, reduce pollution, and avoid over-exploitation of natural resources 
  • Ensure that the raw materials used comply with international environmental protection and responsible minerals regulations 
  • Strengthen cooperation with external stakeholders, including working with academia and research institutes to develop sustainable raw materials

 

Social aspect: Conflict Minerals

As a responsible corporate citizen of the world, LITEON has declared and committed to refraining from the use of metals sourced from unqualified smelters in conflict mines. The company also requires that all its suppliers comply with LITEON's responsible mineral/metal sourcing policy:

  • Ensure the absence of "responsible minerals from unqualified smelters" in Congo and surrounding countries and regions in their products, and adhere to the applicable regional and international laws for responsible minerals.

  • Trace sources of all Gold (Au), Tantalum (Ta), Tin (Sn), Tungsten (W), Cobalt (Co), and Mica and other sources of responsible minerals published in the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) in all products; while all suppliers should complete a connection report to confirm sources of related minerals and should use a list of RMI compliant smelters/refiners to avoid mines directly or indirectly financing armed groups in conflict-affected regions.

  • Convey these requirements to their upstream suppliers.

 

Note: Responsible minerals/metals refer to minerals mined under armed conflict or human rights abuses, especially minerals mined by armed groups surrounding the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These minerals include coltan, cassiterite, wolframite, cobalt and gold, and can be refined into Tantalum (Ta), Tin (Sn), Tungsten (W), Cobalt (Co) and Gold (Au). In addition, mica mined from India and other regions are also known as responsible minerals, and can be used in electronics and other products.

 

Responsible Mineral Management Process

LITEON is committed to not using metal minerals from conflict areas and has joined the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) as a
member, requiring suppliers to comply with LITEON’s responsible mineral (metal) procurement policy.

 

  1. In accordance with the specifications of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) and using its Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (Note), the scope of the investigation includes Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (CAHRAs), CAHRAs to trace the origin of minerals such as Gold (Au), Tantalum (Ta), Tin (Sn), Tungsten (W), Cobalt (Co), and Mica.
  2. In order to ensure the source of the minerals used, promote mineral due diligence and comply with “Due Diligence Guidelines for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains in Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas” issued by the Organization for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD) Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.
  3. Communicate this requirement to its upstream suppliers to comply with customer requirements.

    Note: The conflict minerals template refers to the conflict minerals investigation template recently announced by RMI official website, including the Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT), the Extended Minerals Reporting Template(EMRT) and The Pilot Reporting Template(PRT).

 

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▶ For the comprehensive disclosure of our responsible mineral management, please refer to LITEON RESPONSIBLE MINERALS REPORT.