Both the BSCI and Sedex/SMETA are part of the corporate social responsibility side of the business, with concerns about labour, health and safety, the environment, etc. Both BSCI and Sedex/SMETA have only audit reports that are uploaded to the system and can be shared and accessed by clients, neither has a certificate.
And what is the difference between them?
I. For different regions.
Sedex is generally socially responsible for the UK and BSCI for the EU. Both Sedex and BSCI have their own member buyers and generally the member buyers under them recognise their reports.
2. The content of factory inspections is not identical.
BSCI certification is a social responsibility audit conducted by the Business Social Compliance Initiative for global suppliers who are members of the BSCI organisation. BSCI factory inspections mainly cover issues such as compliance with the law, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, prohibition of discrimination, compensation, working hours, etc.
Sedex factory inspections also fall under the category of social responsibility inspections, which focus on labour, health and safety and environmental aspects of suppliers, but also have their own special features, such as the maximum working hours per week requirement.
3. Membership groups are not identical.
BSCI incorporates over 1,000 members from 11 countries, mostly European retailers and buyers. The Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) is an initiative that requires companies to use the BSCI monitoring system to continuously improve social responsibility standards in their manufacturing facilities worldwide.
The UK and other relevant countries require their affiliated factories to pass Sedex inspection. Major Sedex members include TESCO, P&G, ARGOS, BBC, M&S, etc. Sedex is a not-for-profit organisation based in London, UK, and membership is open to companies from anywhere in the world. Sedex has gained the favour of many large retailers and manufacturers. Many retailers, brands, suppliers and other organisations require the farms, factories and manufacturers they work with to participate in the Sedex Member Ethical Business Audit (SMETA) to ensure that their operations meet the requirements of the relevant ethical standards.
The complete difference between BSCI and Sedex
1. Application method
BSCI applications require a BSCI member client approval, known as a Take RSP, otherwise companies cannot make the application themselves.
Sedex/SMETA can be applied for by registering yourself as a Sedex member, or by applying without registering as a Sedex member. SMETA is relatively easy to apply for.
2. Type of audit
There are three main types of BSCI audits: notified, semi-notified and no notification at all. The default is a semi-notified audit with a four-week window.
Sedex/SMETA audits are divided into 2 Pillar and 4 Pillar which have two more aspects than the former, environmental and ethical business trade, and are basically notification audits, depending on the customer's requirements.
3. Auditing body
The BSCI has a defined number of authorised auditors, currently more than a dozen, and is frequently subject to change.
Sedex/SMETA does not have a clear authorised auditing body and is mainly based on the requirements of the client. For example: Walmart requires SMETA auditors to be APSCA members, while Disney only recognises SMETA reports from the eight auditors it has identified.
4、Audit conclusion
The BSCI audit will be followed by a clear audit grade, for example, the current BSCI default pass grade is C. Individual clients have added special requirements on top of this, such as LidI, Aldi, etc.
Sedex/SMETA does not have a uniform audit conclusion, and the final judgement is made by the client based on the audit question points, which are followed up by Desktop and Follow-up.
As a led light factory and in order to meet the requirements of our customers, we apply for BSCI and Sedex audits every year and have the reports uploaded to the platform website.
Website: https://www.adayoled.com
HUIZHOU FORYOU OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
Add: Foryou Industrial Park Area B -- Plant NO.6 No.1North Shangxia Road,Dongjiang High-tech Industry Park, Huizhou City,Guangdong Province
Tel: 0086-752-5300601
Fax: 0086-752-5300099
Email: [email protected]
