Compliance Audit & Ethical Sourcing Audit Services -
Protecting Brand Reputation
What is a Social Audit?
A social compliance audit is a systematic, independent assessment of labor practices, health and safety, environmental impact and business ethics across your supply chain. Bureau Veritas delivers social compliance audit, ethical sourcing audit and supply chain due diligence audit services — so brands, retailers and manufacturers can protect brand reputation and meet evolving regulatory requirements including EU CSDDD, German LkSG and Modern Slavery Acts.
Social Compliance Audits for Brands, Retailers & Manufacturing Sites
· For Brands & Retailers: Our social compliance audit programs help brands and retailers meet EU CSDDD, German LkSG, UK Modern Slavery Act and other global due-diligence requirements, produce credible CSR reports and defend brand reputation against working-conditions concerns.
· For Manufacturing Sites: Social compliance audits demonstrate your commitment to responsible business practices and social accountability—strengthening your position with clients and business partners.
Why supply chain due diligence audits matter in 2026
Consumer expectations and a new wave of supply chain due diligence regulation are reshaping ethical sourcing. Social compliance audits and ethical sourcing audits are now essential for managing reputational and legal risk across complex, multi-tier supply chains:
· EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD) (national transposition by July 2026)
· California Transparency in Supply Chain Act
· German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (in force since Jan 2023, threshold 1,000+ employees from Jan 2024)
· UK Modern Slavery Act
· Australia Modern Slavery Act
· Netherlands Child Labour Due Diligence
· Canada’s Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (S-211, in force Jan 2024)
Bureau Veritas is accredited for a wide range of international standards, helping you navigate and comply with the global regulatory landscape, facilitating ethical sourcing across your value chain.
Our Social Audit Solutions
Bureau Veritas delivers a comprehensive suite of accredited social compliance audit, ethical sourcing audit and supply chain due diligence audit solutions across SMETA, BSCI, WRAP, SLCP, RBA, BVPAS and Higg FEM/FSLM:
SMETA |
| Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit A globally recognized social audit verifying ethical labor practices and responsible production throughout the supply chain. Read More |
WRAP |
| Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production Certification Focuses on responsible workplace conditions in the apparel, footwear, and sewn goods industries. Read More |
SLCP |
| Supply Chain Labor Convergence Program An industry-wide approach that streamlines social audits and reduces redundancy for global supply chains. Read More |
amfori BSCI |
| amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative A comprehensive social audit methodology that assesses working conditions against industry best practices. Read More |
RBA audit |
| Responsible Business Alliance Audit Standard Promotes ethical labor practices in the electronics industry. Read More |
BVPAS |
| Bureau Veritas Portal Audit System A customizable social audit standard that can be tailored to meet your specific needs. Read More |
Benefits of our social compliance audit & ethical sourcing audit solutions
· Demonstrate EU CSDDD, LkSG and Modern Slavery due-diligence readiness with audit evidence regulators and investors recognise.
· Gain deeper insights into new or existing supplier conditions.
· Promote ethical and sustainable sourcing: Ensure products are made in safe, humane, and legal conditions.
· Safeguard your brand reputation: Reduce risk of ethical sourcing scandals with transparency and accountability.
· Address stakeholder concerns proactively: Build trust with investors, consumers, and partners.
· Strengthen supplier relationships: Foster collaboration and commitment to high standards.
· Complement your supply chain initiatives: Integrate audits with testing and inspection for holistic risk management.
2026 supply chain due diligence — what is changing
EU CSDDD national transposition deadline is July 2026, with first-wave application from July 2027 for 5,000+ employee companies. Germany's LkSG covers 1,000+ employee firms since Jan 2024, with fines up to 2% of global turnover. Canada's S-211 forced-labour reporting is in force, and France's Duty of Vigilance Law continues to expand civil-liability claims.
Our social compliance audit and ethical sourcing audit services map directly to these regimes — SMETA 4-pillar, BSCI, WRAP, SLCP and BVPAS evidence covers the labour, environmental and business-ethics scope examiners assess.
Request a CSDDD & LkSG audit-readiness review
BUREAU VERITAS – YOUR TRUSTED PARTNER FOR SOCIAL AUDIT
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OUR COMMITMENT & DEEP KNOWLEDGE IN SUSTAINABILITY
20+ Years Experience
We’ve been at the forefront of Social AuditFounding Members of International CSR schemes such as APSCA, Sedex, amfori, SLCP and more. We help to shape industry standards and future policies.
Rank #1 out of 140 companies in the Profession Service Industry category for sustainability performance (Dow Jones Sustainability Indices 2023). We walk the walk.
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UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO SUPERIOR SERVICE DELIVERY AND SOLUTION OFFERINGS
Dedicated Social Auditors with in-depth experience and consistency for better assessments.
Approved Auditor for a Large Number of Schemes allows us to stay up to date in the sector. We can easily regrade any report to help clients benchmark and reduce audit fatigue.
Superior Operational & Technical Governance enables us to provide best-in-class service to our global clients and reduce suspension risk as schemes increase their governance.
Dedicated Program Managers for you to streamline communication and keep you informed throughout the audit process.
One-Stop Supply Chain & Sustainability Solution: we address the whole span of your needs from sustainability to supply chain management, through our cross-functional specialists' teams. -
WORLDWIDE REACH, GLOBAL CONSISTENCY & UNMATCHED INTEGRITY
Global Network & Local Insights: Auditors in key sourcing regions provide cultural understanding and reduce travel costs.
Top 2 Global Presence & Audit Volume for efficient audits with minimal disruption.
Your Requirements, Aligned Globally: Our unified teams provide consistent, scalable services worldwide to minimize risk and simplify communication for you. You can receive the same high level of support globally.
Independent Integrity Team for monitoring ethical conduct and objective audit reports. -
LEVERAGE DATA & DIGITAL TOOLS FOR EXCELLENCE
Extensive Data & Industry Knowledge: We leverage our insights from accessing 200,000 factories annually to benchmark your performance.
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OUR DIGITAL TOOL EMPOWERS YOUR SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS AND SIMPLIFY YOUR JOB:
BV OneSource: Our digital platform assesses your supply chain's social maturity and identifies areas for improvement.
BV Clarity: Our digital platform assesses your supply chain's social maturity and identifies areas for improvement
BV Academy: Facilitate organization learning of Social Compliance with our self-paced online platform. Elevate knowledge of your team, and your supplier networks around topics of sustainability and supply chain management.
