Compliance Audits

The BSCI is based on the labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other important international regulations like the UN Charta for Human Rights, as well as on national regulations. This initiative aims at continuously improving the social performance of suppliers, ultimately enhancing working conditions in factories worldwide.

The BSCI monitoring system :

• Provides standardized management tools for all companies in all countries

• Supplies a database: information pool to optimize coordination of the process 

• Is open to retailers, importers, and manufacturers

• Involves all stakeholders in Europe and supplier countries

• Report valid for two years.

The Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) is a leading supply chain management system that supports companies to drive social compliance and improvements within the factories and farms in their global supply chains. BSCI implements the principle international labour standards protecting workers’ rights such as International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions and declarations, the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and guidelines for multinational enterprises of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 

BSCI works to tackle these challenges by offering one common Code of Conduct and one single Implementation System that enable all companies sourcing all types of products from all geographies to collectively address the complex labour issues of their supply chain. To ease the implementation of the BSCI Code of Conduct, we develop - with the input of participating companies and stakeholders - a broad range of tools and activities to audit, train, share information and influence key actors towards improving labour conditions in the supply chain of participating companies.

• One single Code of Conduct

• One single Implementation System

• Various tools and activities to support companies and producers

• For all retailers, importers and brand companies

• For all types of products

• For all sourcing countries

We are neither an auditing company nor an accreditation system: We provide companies with a social auditing methodology and report. We do not organise audits ourselves but provide a network of external accredited, experienced and independent auditing companies. Also, as part of the BSCI approach, social audits only represent one pillar of activity, complementary to capacity building and strong relations with all stakeholders of the supply chain.

We are not a certification scheme: BSCI's approach supports companies towards embedding more responsible business practices which are shared with their business partners to gradually improve working conditions in their supply chain.

The BSCI System Manual defines and establishes a special emergency procedure to be followed by auditors when a Zero Tolerance issue -such as flagrant human rights violations or unethical behaviour that compromises the integrity of the BSCI audit- is identified during a check. In case of Zero Tolerance issue found but missed by the auditing company, the QC executor is requested to report the case to the BSCI secretariat for further investigation.

Code of Conduct Service is performed based on the Social Accountability Standards or Code of Practices as per client requirements.

The aim of Social Accountability -code of conduct, human rights, ethical requirements, audit and monitoring is to ensure that the business partners or the supply chain abide with the brand or the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and the code of practices. To validate transparency, consistency, and integrity, most companies use a 3rd party like auditors to conduct social accountability compliance audits.

Main elements that are verified in a typical code of conduct audits are :

• Child labour
• Forced labour
• Health & Safety
• Freedom of assessment
• Discrimination
• Disciplinary practices
• Working hours
• Environment

Fair Trade is related to trade partnership and contributes to sustainable development by offering optimum trade conditions to and safeguarding the rights of, marginalized producers & workers- especially in the South. And, we are providing Fairtrade certification services from Delhi, India. At UCSPL, ours is a crew of skilled individuals, who work together to help clients comply with the ‘Ten principles of Fair Trade’ while involving in production, trade or any other activities of income generation. The system is set to give a fair deal to artisans, farmers and producers who are remaining marginalized from the mainstream of domestic as well as international trade.

For further discussion, contact us anytime.

Fair Trade is “a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South.” Fair Trade is the alternative mode of trade, which aims to extend sustainable livelihood to the less privileged people living in developing and under developed countries.
Those who practice fair trade comply with the ‘Ten principles of Fair Trade’ while involving in production, trade or any other activities related to income generation. The standards are set to give a fair deal to artisans, farmers and producers who are remaining marginalized from the mainstream of domestic as well as international trade. The compliance of the standards leads towards realization of fair price for their products in international as well as domestic market.

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) states that the raw fibre must be organic farming certified and all the manufacturing methods involved must be checked on the defined parameters. The aim of the standard is to ensure a quality system, and reduction of energy. According to this standard, organic textiles require 95% minimum of fibres coming from organic agriculture (with 5% maximum of synthetic or artificial fibres) and textiles containing organic fibres require 70% minimum of fibres coming from organic agriculture (with 10% maximum of synthetic or artificial fibres, this threshold to 25% for footwear and sportswear). If you are seeking professional aid that can help you process all the formalities and assist in acquiring certification, contact us anytime. We are based in Delhi, India.

The Global Organic Textile Standard  (GOTS) integrates all of the textile processing stages, from the fibre to the finished product: the raw fibre must be organic farming certified and all the manufacturing processes involved must be inspected. The aim of this standard is to guarantee the traceability, the use of chemical friendly with the environment and the consumer's health, to ensure a quality system, a reduction of energy and to respect some social criteria.

Two labels for this standard according to the composition of the product to be certified :

• Organic textiles : It requires 95% minimum of fibres coming from organic agriculture (with 5% maximum of synthetic or artificial fibres).

• Textiles containing organic fibres : It requires 70% minimum of fibres coming from organic agriculture (with 10% maximum of synthetic or artificial fibres, this threshold to 25% for footwear and sportswear).

Operating from Delhi, India, UCSPL is licensed to provide Oeko Tex certification services. The STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® is a worldwide consistent, independent testing and certification system for textile products -raw, semi-finished, and finished- at all processing stages as well as necessary material used. The system is used for certifying raw and dyed/finished yarns, woven and knitted fabrics, accessories, such as buttons, zip fasteners, sewing threads or labels, ready-made articles of various types (garments of all types, domestic and household textiles, bed linen, terry products and much more). Oeko Tex Certification is used to certify human-ecologically safe products and production conditions to companies from the entire textile chain. So, turn to our services and experience professional aid and faster processing. 

Since 1992, OEKO-TEX has offered independent, third-party certification of human-ecologically safe products and sustainable production conditions to companies from the entire textile chain.

The STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® is a worldwide consistent, independent testing and certification system for raw, semi-finished, and finished textile products at all processing levels, as well as accessory materials used. Examples of articles that can be certified: raw and dyed/finished yarns, woven and knitted fabrics, accessories, such as buttons, zip fasteners, sewing threads or labels, ready-made articles of various types (garments of all types, domestic and household textiles, bed linen, terry products and much more).

Certification : The precondition for the certification of products in accordance with OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is that all parts of an article meet the required criteria - in addition to the outer fabric, for example, also the sewing threads, inserts, prints etc., as well as non-textile accessories, such as buttons, zip fasteners, rivets etc.

Additional preconditions are the existence and application of operational quality assurance measures, as well as the legally binding signing of undertakings and conformity declarations by the applicant.

As an accredited Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) monitor with over 10 years’ experience, QSI is ideally placed to assist you in conducting a WRAP audit. This will verify your compliance with WRAP principles on lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing.

WRAP is an independent, non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion and certification of lawful, humane, and ethical manufacturing throughout the world.

Set up in 2000, WRAP is the world’s largest labour and environmental certification program for labour-intensive consumer products manufacturing and processing. WRAP is supported by 25 international trade associations, including the International Apparel Federation, which represents 36 national associations and over 150,000 individual companies.

The WRAP principles cover basic practices that address labour practic, factory conditions, and environmental & customs compliance. They consist of 12 elements :
Compliance with laws and workplace regulations

• Prohibition of forced labour
• Prohibition of child labour
• Prohibition of harassment or abuse
• Compensation and benefits
• Hours of work
• Freedom of association and collective bargaining
• Health and safety
• Prohibition of discrimination
• Environment
• Customs compliance
• Security

The wrap certification process : Certification may be granted for six months or one to two years, depending on the final audit results and the length of time that the facility has held certification successfully.

• Application : Manufacturer first contacts WRAP for an audit request and sends back the completed application form and fee to initiate the certification process
• Self-Assessment : The facility must adopt generally accepted international workplace standards, local laws and workplace regulations following the procedures described in the WRAP Handbook and provide evidence that they have been implemented for at least 45 days (not less than 90 days for new applicants).
• Monitoring : The facility then chooses and contacts a WRAP accredited auditor firm to get audited. The report and recommendations are sent to both the facility and WRAP
• Evaluation : WRAP staff may notify the facility that it needs to correct certain procedures and have the monitor make an additional inspection and report or may recommend to the Certification Board that the factory be certified.
• Certification : The Certification Board studies the recommendation of the staff, including the monitor’s report, and votes to award or withhold certification.

QSI has WRAP accredited auditors in most major sourcing countries and we are able to provide consistent monitoring and reporting to support certification recommendations. With over 10 years’ experience of undertaking WRAP audits, we can guide you through the process while ensuring that professional audit standards are maintained.

Discover how WRAP auditing from QSI can help you and your suppliers maintain compliance with ethical trading requirements.

C-TPAT (Customs–Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) is a voluntary, joint government-business partnership to help add to supply chain and increase border security.

C-TPAT is a United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiative that stands for Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. C-TPAT is a voluntary program where participants work to protect supply chains from the concealment of terrorist weapons including weapons of mass destruction.

This partnership is for organizations involved in the global supply chain including United States importers, customs brokers, terminal operators, carriers and foreign manufacturers.

Companies wishing to be C-TPAT participants must complete an application and conduct a self assessment of their supply chain security procedures against the C-TPAT criteria or guidelines jointly developed by CBP and the trade community. Upon satisfactory completion of the online application, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection C-TPAT Supply Chain Security Specialist will contact the participant to begin the validation process.

C-TPAT was launched in November 2001 and began with seven initial participants. According to U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP), there are more than 10,000 certified partners. Nearly half of this number are importer

Benefits of C-TPAT Audit 

• The potential benefits from C-TPAT certification is a measurable increase in the speed of freight and a reduction of fees.  These benefits are assisted by :
• Access to the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) lanes at land borders
• The ability to move to the front of inspection lines
• A lesser potential of CBP examinations and an exemption from Stratified Exams (SEs)
• Shorter wait times at the border
• Access to the C-TPAT Status Verification Interface (SVI)
• A CBP Supply Chain Security Specialist (SCSS) assigned to the company
• Eligibility for other U.S. Government pilot programs such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Secure Supply Chain (SSC) program
• The potential to participate in the Importer Self-Assessment Program (ISA)
• And others

Process for C-TPAT Audit
There are three steps to C-TPAT certification :

• The first step is for the company to conduct and fully document a security risk assessment
• The second step is for the company to submit a basic application via the C-TPAT Portal system
• The third step is for the company to complete a supply chain security profile which explains how the company is meeting C-TPAT’s minimum security criteria

Upon satisfactory completion of the application and supply chain security profile, CBP reviews the submitted materials. The CBP C-TPAT program will then have up to 90-days to certify the company into the program or to reject the application. If certified, the company will be validated within three years of certification.