The ongoing monitoring of working conditions within our global supply chain is paramount as garment manufacturing continues to expand across borders, spanning an ever increasing range of local customs, legal systems, and national traditions.
To ensure ongoing compliance and maintain supply chain transparency, our team
s and global supply partners are supported by a number of industry leading compliance monitoring specialists.
The compliance programs managed by these 3 organisations all operate around their own set of values. These represent a series of principles that summarise the expectations we have for any vendor we trade with. They cover multiple aspects and categories from Civil liberties and remuneration, to environmental and community wellbeing considerations.
All 4 organisations are broadly aligned, drawing from and referring to international conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights, OECD Guidelines, UN Global Compact and International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions and Recommendations relevant to improve working conditions in the supply chain.
Sedex is a membership organisation that provides one of the world’s leading online platforms for companies to manage and improve working conditions in global supply chains. The SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) is a web-based system designed to help organisations manage data on working practices in their supply chain. SMETA audits use the ETI Base Code, founded on the conventions of the International Labour Organisation, as well as relevant local laws. SMETA audits can be conducted against two or four auditing pillars. The two pillars mandatory for any SMETA audit are Labour Standards and Health & Safety. The two additional pillars of a 4-pillar audit were introduced to further deepen the social responsibility aspect of SMETA audits.
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A non-profit organisation dedicated to the improvement of working conditions in the supply chain, with factories audited against the BSCI base code.
The code has 11 principles again founded on the conventions of the International Labour Organization. Amfori work with vendors following step-by-step approach that enables companies to monitor, engage, get empowered and receive support to put sustainable trade at the heart of their business.
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WRAP is the world's largest independent certification program focused on the apparel, footwear, and sewn products sectors.
WRAP take a collaborative approach to social compliance certification working with our facilities to ensure that they remain in compliance within their 12 Principles. Requiring that all facilities actively engage in the process themselves and see to it that effective management systems are maintained to ensure ongoing compliance.
THE KEY PRINCIPLES MONITORED WITHIN OUR SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY COMPLIANCE PROGRAM
Employment is freely chosen
Freedom of association
Safe and hygienic conditions
Child labour shall not be used
Living wages are paid
Working hours are not excessive
No discrimination is practised
Regular employment is provided
No Inhumane or
harsh treatment
If you would like to learn more about the way we select, monitor and manage our suppliers please click below and we will happy share further details of our policies.
Want to know more about the background that led to the ILO Declaration and the creation of the base codes we use today to assess vendors? Click below to be taken to the ILO website