For a modern business, an ethical supply chain is no longer an optional. Today, consumers, governments and NGOs are putting increasing pressure on brands and retailers to ensure transparency throughout their supply chains. Social accountability is an important element of a company’s sourcing and marketing strategy, which helps ensure better product quality, foster consumer loyalty, and emphasize good corporate citizenship
ICS offers comprehensive ethical audit programs that can be conducted according to international standards, your company’s in-house specifications or our own Best-In-Class Protocol.
All ICS ethical audit programs cover the following aspects:
- Hygiene, health and safety
- Waste management
- Child and young labor
- Labor practices, including forced labor, worker representation, disciplinary practices and discrimination.
- Working hours and wages
2.1 Client-Specific Ethical Audit Protocols
If your company already has a social accountability program in place, ICS can tailor its existing ethical audit programs to suit your needs and ensure the compliance of your suppliers to your specific requirements.
2.2 Ethical Audits to International Standards
Our professionally certified auditors can conduct ethical audits according to all major internationally recognized social audits standards, including:
- SA 8000
- SMETA (Sedex)
- ETI (ILO)
- Initiative Clause Sociale (ICS)
- WRAP
- BSCI
2.3 ICS Ethical Auditors
ICS has adopted an approach based on the key competences of auditors – attitude, skills and knowledge – in line with the reference tools developed by the Global Social Compliance Programme (GSCP).
All ICS auditors are professionally certified and undergo regular training to stay up to date with the latest standards and regulatory requirements. The average ICS ethical auditor has performed 500 audits.
2.4 Why Perform an Ethical Audit?
- Ensure decent working conditions and human rights throughout your supply chain
- Comply with statutory requirements (e.g. Modern Slavery Act 2015)
- Prevent unauthorized subcontracting
- Receive an accurate picture of ethical compliance in your supply chain
- Foster cooperative relations with your suppliers
- Improve brand image and increase consumer loyalty