Published : 06/30/2023

Regulatory changes, goodie suppliers supervised and audited

- Categories : Custom-made goodies

Evolving with regulations! This is the challenge faced by many suppliers and companies, who see the law changing and framing their activity, often for very good reasons.

When you think of factories and the manufacture of products on a production line, the image is far from angelic. In a society where individual responsibility towards the environment is becoming increasingly important, change is also taking place on many levels, and is increasingly being demanded of companies by consumer pressure.

Verification of working hours, compliance with health and safety standards, decent pay, respect for the environment during production: these are just some of the criteria monitored during audits aimed at ensuring a certain level of compliance by suppliers in terms of products and working conditions in factories, particularly in Asian countries.

AUDITED SUPPLIERS

Audits are increasingly requested and managed by non-profit organizations.

2 organizations stand out for this type of approach:

SEDEX, an organization that defines compliance standards for suppliers and buyers, and the BSCI, a system designed to make the supply chain transparent and ethical. These organizations aim to provide companies with the keys to compliance with current regulations. They set up information platforms and provide accreditation to competent companies, which can then be mandated to carry out supplier audits.

SEDEX audit

In figures, Sedex represents 74,000 companies worldwide who have chosen this organization to create more socially and environmentally sustainable supply chains. Sedex or Supplier Ethocal Data Exchange is the ethical data exchange platform for suppliers.

The advantages of this approach are

- Better supply chain visibility.

- Anticipate and assess supply chain risks to protect the brand and the company , optimizing internal resources while following legislation to improve performance.

- Know sustainable development legislation to avoid penalties and fines while protecting the brand.

The audit linked to this organization is the SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit), which covers :

- Health and safety
- Labor standards
- Environment
- Ethics

The validation of this type of audit by a supplier helps to reassure and convince importers.

The BSCI audit

The BSCI appoints accredited bodies to manage the audits, which must comply with a set of specifications. The BSCI awards suppliers a grade from A to E. Once suppliers have been audited and meet the 13 principles, the results are valid for 1 year.

- P 1 : Social management system
- P 2 : Worker participation and protection
- P 3 : Rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining
- P 4 : No discrimination
- P 5 : Fair pay
- P 6 : Decent working hours
- P 7 : Occupational health and safety
- P 8: No child labor
- P 9: Special protection for young workers
- P 10: No precarious employment
-P 11: No bonded labor
- P 12: Environmental protection
- P 13: Ethical business conduct

Each principle is rated from A to E, from exceptional to unacceptable.

The BSCI generates commitments to ethical sourcing, assurance on the conditions of supply chain workers, and strongly suggests improving the brand's CSR report and fulfilling the legal obligations set by the International Labour Organization and the UN Charter on Human Rights.

Marketing Création favors production with suppliers who comply with local laws and are BSCI-audited, with a minimum C rating (Acceptable) and at best an A rating (Exceptional). This approach has been in line with our CSR intentions for over 5 years now.