Social audits and quality standards in garment manufacturing: SMETA, amfori BSCI, ISO 9001, ISO 14001
When a workwear brand chooses a manufacturer, it often asks for evidence on working conditions, quality and the environment. Four frameworks come up often, but they do not check the same things and do not work in the same way: here is what each one covers and who can request it.
Two families of frameworks
The first step is to separate two approaches.
- Social audits, such as SMETA and amfori BSCI, look at what happens in a factory at a given moment: working conditions, health and safety, wages, working hours, ethics. They result in a report and a corrective action plan. They are not certifications.
- Management system standards, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, set requirements for how a company is organised: how it manages its quality or its environmental impact, and how it improves. A company can have its conformity checked by an external certification body.
A social audit answers the question "how are workers treated?". An ISO standard answers the question "how does the company organise the control of its quality or its environmental impact?".
SMETA: the Sedex social audit
SMETA stands for Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit. The methodology is created and managed by Sedex. According to Sedex, it was born in 2004 when a group of UK retailers wanted to replace their separate audit procedures with a common method.
What it checks. SMETA comes in two versions:
- SMETA 2 pillar: labour standards (fair treatment, recruitment, workers' rights on site) and health and safety (physical and psychological risks on site).
- SMETA 4 pillar: the two pillars above, plus environment (waste, water, energy) and business ethics (corruption, conflicts of interest).
Sedex states that the 4 pillar version is used in around 70 % of SMETA audits.
Who requests it and who carries it out. In practice, it is usually a buyer who asks a supplier for a SMETA audit. The audit is carried out by an audit company approved by Sedex. It leads to a corrective action plan. Results can be shared with several buyers through the Sedex platform, which avoids repeated audits.
What it is not. SMETA is not a certification. As the TÜV NORD organisation points out, it is a verification that shows to what extent the site meets the requirements at the time of the audit.
amfori BSCI: the system for amfori members
amfori is a business association. amfori BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) is its system for managing social risks in the supply chain.
What it checks. The audit is based on 13 performance areas, grouped into four sets:
- social management and labour relations: social management system, worker involvement and protection, freedom of association and collective bargaining, no discrimination, violence or harassment;
- wellbeing and fair practices: fair remuneration, decent working hours, occupational health and safety;
- protection of vulnerable workers: no child labour, special protection for young workers, no precarious employment, no bonded labour and no trafficking;
- ethical practices: protection of the environment, ethical business behaviour.
Questions are rated "yes", "no", "partial" or "not applicable", and the audit leads to a rating from A to E. The amfori BSCI audit cycle is two years, and a C, D or E rating triggers a follow up audit.
Who requests it. amfori BSCI is reserved for amfori members. It is the members, usually brands and retailers, who invite their suppliers onto the platform and can request follow up audits.
What it is not. amfori is clear on this: amfori BSCI is not a certification. There is no "pass" or "fail" verdict, but a process of improvement.
ISO 9001: quality management
ISO 9001 sets the requirements for a quality management system. It aims at consistency, efficiency, customer satisfaction and continual improvement.
What it checks. The standard covers the management system: the way the company organises and monitors its quality. It does not replace the inspection of each order, which remains to be defined between the client and the manufacturer.
Who issues it. ISO writes standards but does not issue certificates. Certification is carried out by external bodies. These bodies can in turn be accredited by an accreditation body, which recognises their competence.
Who can request it. A company chooses to undertake the process. A buyer can also make it a condition in its supplier requirements.
ISO 14001: environmental management
ISO 14001 sets the requirements for an environmental management system. It helps an organisation measure its environmental impacts and reduce them in a structured way. According to ISO, it is designed for any type of organisation, whatever its sector.
Here too, external certification bodies are involved, not ISO itself.
How to read what a supplier shows you
- Ask for the report, not just the name of the framework. For SMETA, check whether it is the 2 pillar or 4 pillar version. For amfori BSCI, look at the rating obtained.
- Check the date. An audit describes a situation at a given moment.
- Separate work in progress from work completed. An ISO standard described as "in progress" means the company is preparing its system, not that it has passed the certification audit.
- Look at the corrective action plan. It shows how the site deals with the issues identified.
At Vestra
At Vestra, the SMETA 4 pillar, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 processes are in progress. The factory in Sidi Bou Ali, near Sousse, has 120 production staff on a 2,400 m² site. Every order goes through quality control before shipment, and the client follows each stage (materials, cutting, sewing, inspection, shipment) and finds its documents on the online client portal. Factory visits are possible by appointment.
To discuss your project, send your tech pack to sales@vestratextile.com.
FAQ
Are SMETA and amfori BSCI certifications?
No. They are social audits. They produce a report and an action plan, without issuing a certificate.
Can a supplier obtain an amfori BSCI audit without a client who is an amfori member?
amfori BSCI is organised around its members: they are the ones who invite their suppliers onto the platform. The starting point is therefore usually a member client.
Does ISO 9001 guarantee the quality of every piece?
No. ISO 9001 covers the company's organisation and processes. Inspection of each order remains defined between the client and the manufacturer.
Vestra Manufacturing, workwear manufacturer in Tunisia →
Sources
- Sedex, page SMETA (piliers, part des audits 4 piliers, sociétés d'audit agréées, plan d'actions correctives, partage avec plusieurs acheteurs, origine en 2004) : https://www.sedex.com/solutions/smeta-audit/
- TÜV NORD, « SMETA Sedex » (SMETA n'est pas une certification mais une vérification) : https://www.tuev-nord.de/en/services/auditing-and-certification/smeta-sedex/
- amfori, page amfori BSCI (13 domaines de performance, notation A à E, cycle de deux ans, réservé aux membres, pas une certification) : https://www.amfori.org/en/solutions/social/amfori-bsci
- ISO, page ISO 9001 (exigences d'un système de management de la qualité) : https://www.iso.org/standard/62085.html
- ISO, ISO 14001 Management environnemental : https://www.iso.org/iso-14001-environmental-management.html
- ISO, Certification (l'ISO ne délivre pas de certificats ; rôle des organismes de certification et d'accréditation) : https://www.iso.org/certification.html