Sedex is an acronym for Supplier Ethical Data Exchange. Sedex is a web-based database that helps companies store information about labor practices across their business and their customers share that information. The Sedex Member Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) is one of the most widely used business ethics audit formats in the world.
Certification benefits
1. It can avoid repeated certification, such as being recognized by toy retailers as a toy manufacturer, becoming a preferred supplier, and improving the safety of production and health of products.
2. It can greatly reduce the number of customers’ audits and avoid the costs caused by repeated audits, such as time costs and value costs.
3.SEDEX certification can also effectively prevent the goods that have been exported to Europe and the United States from being audited repeatedly, which greatly saves time and cost, eliminates AVE audit, and continuously improves the competitiveness of products in the European market.
SEDEX Member
Sedex is the world’s largest supplier ethical information exchange platform. It has more than 50,000 members and is present in more than 150 countries
Audit scope
- Employment Freely Chosen
- Freedom of Association
- Safety and Hygienic Conditions
- Child Labor
- Wages and Benefits
- Working Hours
- Discrimination
- Regular Employment
- Harsh or Inhumane Treatment
- Environment & Business Integrity (Optional)
Audit Requirement
- Compliance with labor laws and regulations: Sedex factory audit requires companies to comply with the labor laws and regulations of the country or region in which they are located, including minimum wage standards, working hours, overtime pay, employee benefits, etc. In addition, companies need to ensure that employees’ rights and interests are protected in terms of recruitment, training, promotion and separation.
- Working environment and safety: The auditor will check whether the production facilities, working environment and equipment of the enterprise meet the safety standards and whether there are safety risks. In addition, companies need to provide effective safety measures and training to ensure the personal safety of employees.
- Moral and ethical standards: Sedex factory audit requires companies to comply with moral and ethical standards, including prohibition of child Labour, forced Labour and discrimination. Companies need to ensure that employees participate in work on a voluntary, equal and fair basis and are treated with dignity and respect.
- Supply chain management: Enterprises need to establish an effective supply chain management system to ensure that suppliers and subcontractors also meet the requirements of Sedex factory audit. This includes conducting regular audits and assessments of suppliers and subcontractors, as well as taking steps to address potential issues.
Application process
- Registered members
The factory fills in the factory information on SEDEX official website, registers and pays the membership fee of 1200 yuan a year. (Official website registration is mainly to upload reports later, so that customers can understand the factory information; Do not register if you do not need to upload reports)
- Initiate an application
The customer initiates an application to the designated audit agency or the factory itself initiates an application to the audit company.
- Submit the application form
After the audit application is initiated, the audit agency will send the application form to the factory to fill in and submit.
- Pay the audit fee
The factory pays the relevant expenses to the audit agency (such as audit fees, travel expenses)
- Review schedule
After the audit company receives the audit fee, it will issue an audit questionnaire and confirmation letter to the factory, which will be filled in and returned by the factory. According to the audit questionnaire replied by the factory, the audit company shall formulate an audit plan and make an audit task plan within the company, including the arrangement of auditors and audit dates.
- Implement audit
On the specified audit date or audit notice period, the auditor of the audit company goes to the audited factory to conduct the audit. (About 7 working days after the audit, the factory will receive the SEDEX official report from the audit agency)