What is Social Compliance Consulting?

Social compliance is the entirety of a company´s efforts to comply with social and environmental sustainability principles throughout its supply chain. These activities, which are a social responsibility component, are also critical for protecting and improving corporate reputation. Every company with corporate sustainability awareness should take a firm stance on environmental compliance, business ethics, human rights, transparency and accountability in its supply chain as well as in all its processes. For this, it is extremely important to work with suppliers who have the same awareness and competence.

Providing the products and services procured through responsible suppliers provides companies with convenience and flexibility in areas such as customer satisfaction, brand management, financial sustainability. In this context, companies prefer to work with suppliers who have passed social compliance audits. For this reason, companies that want to be suppliers of big brands should successfully leave the social compliance audits / ethical audits and obtain a social compliance certificate.

Today, there are different social compliance audit methodologies that are valid at the international level. We can list some of them as follows:

* ICS (Compliance and Sustainability Initiative)
* SEDEX / SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit)
* ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative)
* WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Manufacturing)
* ILS (International Labor Standards)
* Amfori BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative)
* SAI (International Social Responsibility) / SA8000

In addition to these, some brands have developed their own supplier code of conduct and created a unique social compliance control mechanism. We can list some of them as follows:

* DISNEY FAMA
* URSA (Responsible Sourcing Control) – Unilever
* INDITEX

Aşan Danışmanlık helps supplier companies to fulfill the necessary conditions in order to provide products and services to big brands by passing social compliance audits. Companies that receive certification, training and consultancy services from Aşan Danışmanlık on social compliance consultancy can prepare for audits very well. You can get support from Aşan Danışmanlık in all processes such as compiling the information and documents requested from the companies during the audits, providing the necessary trainings to the employees at all levels, especially the senior management, closing the findings detected in the audits quickly and accurately, etc.

Social Compliance Audit Scope

Each social control mechanism may have different criteria and evaluation list. However, in general, we can say that similar issues are analyzed in each audit. During the social compliance audits, the studies, policies, documents and approaches of the companies on the following subjects are evaluated:

* Workers should not be forced to work for any reason within the supplier (freedom to work).
* Child labor should not be used. The minimum age of employees should be determined according to local laws and/or international agreements.
* Employees should be given rights such as being a member of s, participating in actions, being a party to collective bargaining agreements.
* The requirements of local labor laws and international standards on occupational health and safety must be fulfilled.
* There must be a valid environmental management system, waste management policy, recycling mechanism, etc. within the scope of environmental compliance.
* Working hours should be determined according to local laws and international employment contracts.
* A fair wage policy should be implemented. Employees should not be paid less than the minimum wage and necessary fringe benefits should be provided.
* Under no circumstances should discrimination be made on any of the issues such as religion, language, race, gender, ethnic origin, political opinion, etc.
* Business ethics principles must be followed. Institutional policies and mechanisms should be established to prevent attempts such as corruption and bribery.
* Each process carried out must comply with the law.

Aşan Consulting is the right solution partner for you to meet the requirements of Amfori BSCI, ETI, SA8000, ICS, SMETA and other social compliance audits. You can contact us for more detailed information about our social compliance audit consultancy services.