Sedex Introduces Changes to Organization of SMETA Audits

On November 1, 2018, Sedex introduced two changes to the way it organizes SMETA audits. Firstly, they introduced a unique reference code for each SMETA audit and, secondly, all audit companies conducting SMETA audits are now required to pay a fee to access SMETA or upload a non-SMETA audit onto the Sedex platform.

Sedex is a global organization whose operations cover a wide range of industries, including retailers, manufacturers, financial institutions, airlines and construction companies.

Members are split into three types:
1. Buyer (A) - for organizations that only wish to view and run reports on their supply chain. Fees are determined by annual sales turnover
2. Buyer/Supplier (AB) - for organizations that wish to view and run reports on their supply chain and share information with their customers. Fees are determined by annual sales turnover
3. Supplier (B) - for organizations that wish to share information with their customers. There is an annual membership fee for Supplier (B) members per site per year

The Sedex Stakeholder Forum (SSF) has created SMETA – a globally recognized social audit methodology that assesses responsible supply chain activities, including labor rights, health & safety, the environment, and business ethics (Sedex’s four pillars). It is designed to allow suppliers to share one audit with multiple customers and thereby reducing duplication of audits.

It has three elements:
1. A common Best Practice Guidance on conducting ethical trade audits
2. A common Audit Report format
3. A common Corrective Action Plan format

Version 6.0 of SMETA became effective on June 1, 2017. The popularity of the SMETA audit is demonstrated by the fact nearly 20,000 SMETA audits are uploaded to the Sedex platform every year.

SGS Sustainability Services
SGS helps organizations ensure that they and their partners have efficient and manageable processes and systems in place that comply with stakeholder requirements related to quality, health and safety, environmental management, corporate social responsibility and other areas of sustainable development. Learn more about SGS’s Sustainability Services. [www.sgs.com/en/sustainability]

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full SMETA Audits – An Introduction SafeGuardS. [www.sgs.com/en/news/2019/04/safeguards-03619-smeta-audits-an-introduction]

Subscribe here, www.sgs.com/subscribesg, to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Olina Cai
Marketing Executive
Tel: +86(0)755 2532 8137
Email: crs.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/en/sustainability

About SGS
SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 97,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.

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This release was published on openPR.