Social Standards And Ethical Codes

BSCI is an initiative of the Foreign Trade Association (FTA). All BSCI participants are also FTA members and share the common FTA vision of “Free Trade. Sustainable Trade.” To fulfil this vision, BSCI has been given specific governance bodies through which BSCI companies are invited to actively take part, to develop and to implement an excellent system for improved working conditions in the global supply chain.

BSCI “2.0” is the implementation system of the BSCI Code of Conduct. It aims at fostering improved working conditions in the global supply chain by supporting strong internal management systems that include responsible business practices and management of expectations all along the supply chain.

TWO CORE CONCEPTS

Two main concepts that underpin BSCI 2.0 implementation and enable participants to integrate social responsibility into business processes and relationships with their business partners are:

• Due Diligence: Through BSCI 2.0, companies are advised on how to implement a systematic risk-based approach to proactively identify, prevent and address adverse human rights impacts detected in the supply chain
• Cascade Effect: As purchasing activities offer leverage for influencing social change in supply chains, BSCI helps companies to engage with business partners at each level to maximise the opportunity

THREE PILLARS OF ACTION FOR A STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH

BSCI drives improvements in labour conditions at producer level through three fundamental pillars: monitoring, empowering and engaging. BSCI participants unite through the initiative and commit to developing actions along each pillar to generate lasting improvements in their global supply chains. For more details Read: http://www.bsci-intl.org/content/one-implementation-system-bsci-20

Ethical trade means that retailers, brands and their suppliers take responsibility for improving the working conditions of the people who make the products they sell. These workers are mostly employed by supplier companies around the world, many of them based in poor countries where laws designed to protect workers’ rights are inadequate or not enforced.

Companies with a commitment to ethical trade adopt a code of labour practice that they expect all their suppliers to work towards. Such codes address issues like wages, hours of work, health and safety and the right to join free trade unions.

WHY IS ETI NEEDED?

‘Doing’ ethical trade is much harder than it sounds. Modern supply chains are vast, complex and span the globe. Labour issues are themselves challenging. For example, what exactly is ‘a living wage’? What should a company do if it finds children working in a supplier’s worksite? Evicting children from the workplace can, paradoxically, make their lives worse.

ETI brings corporate, trade union and voluntary sector members together in a unique alliance that enables us to collectively tackle tricky issues that cannot be addressed by individual companies working alone.

Read more: http://www.ethicaltrade.org/

SEDEX, the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange, is a not-for-profit membership organisation dedicated to driving improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. SEDEX offers a simple and effective way of managing ethical and responsible practices in your supply chain. Read more: http://www.sedexglobal.com/

Fairtrade is an alternative approach to conventional trade and is based on a partnership between producers and consumers. When farmers can sell on Fairtrade terms, it provides them with a better deal and improved terms of trade. This allows them the opportunity to improve their lives and plan for their future. Fairtrade offers consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty through their everyday shopping.

When a product carries the FAIRTRADE mark, it means the producers and traders have met Fairtrade Standards. The Fairtrade Standards are designed to address the imbalance of power in trading relationships, unstable markets and the injustices of conventional trade.

WRAP has a well-known name in social compliance and a key independent supply chain partner for dozens of companies around the world. Its comprehensive facility-based model has made it the world’s largest independent social compliance certification program for the apparel / textile industry.

Read more: http://www.wrapcompliance.org/

The U.S. Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism (C‐TPAT) seeks to safeguard the world’s vibrant trade industry from terrorists, maintaining the economic health of the U.S. and its neighbours. The partnership develops and adopts measures that add security but do not have a chilling effect on trade, a difficult balancing act.

When cargo is imported, CBP assigns an undisclosed risk value to each shipment; assessing such risk factors as: country of origin, supplier, type of product, developed intelligence. When a C-TPAT certified company imports cargo, CBP deducts points from the risk value. This results in the imported cargo being placed in a preferred category. Even if the shipment is selected to be inspected, the process is faster if the shipment is being imported by a C-TPAT certified U.S. importer. All of this translates into reduced inspection fees, customs fees, cargo fees, increased speed to market and an immediate positive effect on a company’s bottom line.

Read more: http://c-tpat.com/

The Global Security Verification (GSV) Standard is a program established by Intertek to help importers as well as suppliers in assessing their security measures based on international supply-chain security requirements.

Intertek’s Global Security Verification program integrates multiple global supply-chain security initiatives, including C-TPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism), PIP (Partners in Protection) and AEO (Authorized Economic Operators). Our mission is to partner with international buyers and suppliers to drive the development of a global security-verification process, resulting in increased safety assurance, risk control, efficiency and cost savings for all participants.

Read more: http://www.intertek.com/business-assurance/supplier-management/security-verification

ISO 26000 standard provides guidance rather than requirements, so it cannot be certified to unlike some other well-known ISO standards. Instead, it helps clarify what social responsibility is, helps businesses and organizations translate principles into effective actions and shares best practices relating to social responsibility, globally. It is aimed at all types of organizations regardless of their activity, size or location. The standard was launched in 2010 following five years of negotiations between different stakeholders across the world. Representatives from government, NGOs, industry, consumer groups and labour organizations around the world participated in its development, which means it represents an international consensus.

 Read more: http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/iso26000.htm