Social Audits |
Protecting Brand Reputation & Elevating Ethical Sourcing
What is a Social Audit?
A social audit is a systematic, independent assessment that evaluates your company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, performance, and their broader societal impact. Social audits focus on labor practices, health and safety, environmental impact, and business ethics across your supply chain. They play a critical role in protecting your brand reputation and fostering ethical sourcing in an increasingly complex global landscape.
Social Compliance Audits for Brands, Retailers & Manufacturing Sites
· For Brands & Retailers: Social audit programs help you comply with global regulations, produce credible CSR reports, and defend your brand against concerns about site working conditions.
· For Manufacturing Sites: Social compliance audits demonstrate your commitment to responsible business practices and social accountability—strengthening your position with clients and business partners.
The Growing Impact of Social Compliance & Ethical Sourcing Audits
Consumers today demand transparency and responsibility from the brands they choose. As sustainable and ethical sourcing moves to center stage, social compliance audits are essential for mitigating risks exacerbated by complex supply chains and sourcing from developing economies. This trend is reinforced by evolving global regulations promoting accountability, transparency, and ethical business conduct:
· EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD)
· California Transparency in Supply Chain Act
· German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act
· Modern Slavery Acts (UK, Australia, Netherlands)
· Canada’s Forced Labor Reporting Law
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 offers a comprehensive suite of international social audit and certification solutions:
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 Audit & Compliance Solutions
· 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.
BUREAU VERITAS – YOUR TRUSTED PARTNER FOR SOCIAL AUDIT
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
