SMETA – Social responsibility management system?
SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) is a methodology for ethical and responsible business practice. As initiative with multiple stakeholders, SMETA is designed to minimize the duplication of efforts and to provide to SMETA members and company’s suppliers, an audit format, which they could easily check and share. SMETA reports are published in the SEDEX System, ensuring transparency and efficient sharing of the information.
Audit Methodology of SMETA
SMETA audits use the ETI base code, that is based on the conventions of International labor organization, as well as on local laws. SMETA audits can be performed under two or four pillars of audit. The two pillars are the labor standards and health and safety – thеse pillars are obligatory for every SMETA audit. The two additional pillars of the audit with 4 pillars are the business ethics and the environment. They were implemented to deepen the social responsibility of SMETA audits.
A SMETA 2-pillar audit contains the following modules:
- Labor Standards
- Health and Safety
- Additional Elements:
* Management Systems.
* Entitlement to Work.
* Subcontracting and Homeworking.
* Environmental assessment (shortened scope)
A SMETA 4-pillar audit comprises the above mentioned elements, as well as:
- Environmental assessment (extended scope)
- Business ethics
SMETA audits are performed in conformity to the newest guidelines for best practices (SMETA 6.1). Surveillances on site are performed, interviews are conducted with the management of the company and the workers, working papers are checked and the ascertainments are represented in a SMETA audit report. Based on the audit report, expert auditors could help making the plan for corrective actions for SMETA (CAPR), a plan that outlines the improvements, which company could make, so to achieve compliance with the requirements.
What are the benefits of implementation of social responsibility management system SMETA?
- Achieving greater transparency in the supply chain
- Constant improving the relationships with suppliers
- Independent check and verification of ethical conformity with conventions and legal requirements
- Eliminating the necessity of many certificates – SEDEX is internationally accepted methodology
- Reinforcement of company’s position and the image of company’s brand, regarding the ethical compliance