In a significant move to tackle labour exploitation at multiple levels of its global operations, TPV Technology, the world’s leading display supplier, has formed strategic partnerships with two specialist NGOs, The Mekong Club and the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM). The collaborations are designed to strengthen the company’s efforts to combat modern slavery and ensure the ethical sourcing of raw materials.
A dual-front approach to human rights
TPV Technology, the parent company behind brands including TP Vision, MMD Monitors and Displays, AOC, and PPDS, stated that these new memberships form part of its long-term commitment to social sustainability and human rights. According to Stefan van Sabben, Global Director of CSR and Sustainability at TPV, the company’s responsibility extends throughout its worldwide network of locations and suppliers. “We believe in working both as a community and as a part of communities to amplify our efforts,” he said.
The partnerships also align with the company’s ongoing work to meet the requirements of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which mandates that companies identify and mitigate human rights and environmental impacts in their operations and value chains.
Combating modern slavery with The Mekong Club
The first partnership is with The Mekong Club, a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2011 in Hong Kong that works with member companies to eradicate modern slavery, forced labour, and human trafficking. Its membership spans multiple industries and includes global brands such as Mattel, Decathlon, Unilever, Amazon, and The Walt Disney Company.
Stefan van Sabben commented that membership would provide TPV with expert guidance and tools to help ensure forced labour is never used within its business or supply chains. “To address modern slavery challenges across sectors and industries, collaboration with other organisations is key,” he said, adding that TPV looks forward to exchanging ideas with other businesses serious about making a difference.
This focus on fundamental labour rights is underpinned by TPV’s existing adherence to standards set by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA). The ILO’s conventions, which TPV follows, cover the elimination of forced labour, the abolition of child labour, and freedom of association.
Securing ethical minerals with the EPRM
The second partnership addresses risks at the very start of TPV’s supply chains. The company has joined the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM), an initiative established in 2016 that focuses on the human rights and environmental challenges linked to mineral extraction and processing.
A key area of the EPRM’s work is artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in conflict-affected and high-risk areas. These informal mining operations are often associated with poor working conditions, environmental damage, and severe human rights abuses, including child labour. The EPRM brings together companies, governments, and civil society organisations like Solidaridad and Pact to improve conditions and promote the responsible sourcing of minerals such as tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold.
Other corporate members of the EPRM include Royal Philips, NXP, Samsung, Intel, and Fairphone. Marcella Klinker, Sustainability Specialist – Human Rights and Supply Chains at TPV Technology, said joining the partnership reinforces the company’s commitment to “continuously strengthening our mineral due diligence practices” and developing initiatives for more responsible supply chains.
Deepening a longstanding commitment
TPV’s engagement with the EPRM builds on a well-established framework for ethical sourcing. The company publishes an annual Conflict Minerals report and is committed to not purchasing materials known to contain minerals that finance armed groups in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This effort aligns with the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, which imposes due diligence obligations on importers of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold. TPV has been a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) since 2015 and joined the International Tin Supply Chain Initiative (ITSCI) in early 2023. Since December 2023, the company has actively funded and supported ITSCI’s responsible mining governance projects in the DRC, a commitment recently renewed for a further three years.
These extensive supply chain programmes come as TPV Technology continues to navigate a challenging global market. According to its 2023 Annual Report Summary, the company saw its total operating revenue decline to RMB 54.597 billion, an 11.77% year-on-year decrease. However, net profit attributable to shareholders rose significantly by 220.19% to RMB 278 million, with the company maintaining a leading market share in monitors despite a decline in that segment’s revenue.
