BSCI - Business Social
Compliance Initiative
Overview of
BSCI
The BSCI is a non-profit
organisation with its
headquarters in Brussels.
It was launched more than five
years ago at a time of intense
exchange on how to achieve
convergence in the field of
corporate social
responsibility.
The BSCI offers companies a
common social management system
to improve working conditions in
supply chains worldwide.
The BSCI members implement the
BSCI Code concretely through a
combination of external
monitoring and collaborative
capacity building activities
that ensure sustainable
improvement in labour
practices.
Benefits
of the BSCI
The benefits of the BSCI as a
broad and comprehensive
monitoring system for social
standards in the supply chain
are numerous
Synergy effects, reduction of
multiple auditing thereby
reducing costs are one
characteristic
Factories/companies which are
being audited can improve their
competitiveness through improved
social standards as better
working conditions and an
improved management system leads
to better product quality,
higher productivity, fewer work
accidents, less sick leave
producing more highly motivated
workers and lower staff
turnover.
How to
become a BSCI member?
Companies which join the BSCI as
a regular member are provided
with all management instruments
of the BSCI i.e. Management
Manual, Audit Questionnaire,
Audit Report forms, Audit
Guidelines (being a tool for the
auditing companies), etc.
They would get access to the
supplier database. Moreover,
members will get access to the
members’ area in the BSCI
homepage and will be invited to
the BSCI Members Assembly,
working groups and also other
meetings of the initiative.
Which
auditors conduct the audits?
Presently, only independent
auditing companies that have
been accredited by Social
Accountability International (SAI)
and selected by the BSCI will be
entrusted with carrying out BSCI
social audits.
This assures the best possible
audit quality while avoiding
costly and bureaucratic
accreditation procedures. BSCI
is not a certification scheme
but a monitoring system using
SA8000 as best practice.
How to
become a BSCI member?
Audit
preparation
Each facility will be requested
to submit to us the records of
the BSCI self-assessment.
Based on those records the
auditors can get a basic
impression of the state of the
factory. The facility to be
audited will receive a list of
documents which will be needed
during the audit.
The documents need to be
available either in local
language or English.
The facility must also sign a
“Declaration of Consent”,
granting the auditing company
the right to take photos of the
facility, perform confidential
worker interviews, record the
findings in a database, send the
audit report to the BSCI member
etc.
Audit
on site
An audit will be performed at
the site of the facility with
the aim to verify the facility’s
compliance with the requirements
of the BSCI Code of Conduct
(Minimum requirements listed in
part B) as well as to identify
any gaps to the requirements of
SA 8000 (part C).
The audit starts with an opening
meeting during which the aim and
the processing of the audit will
be explained. After that the
auditors will inspect the
facility including manufacturing
areas, dormitory and canteen (if
available), will interview
management personnel and
workers, and will check records.
The audit will be finished with
a closing meeting.
Reporting and Registration in
the BSCI System
After the audit, the audited
facility will receive a written
report about the audit results.
The report will be issued in
English and will contain
pictures of the facility. The
audit results will be entered
into the BSCI database to ensure
mutual recognition of the audit
results by other BSCI members.
Re-audit
In case non-conformities have
been established during the
audit, the audited facility has
to initiate corrective actions.
The implementation and
effectiveness of those actions
will be verified during a
re-audit on site. The results of
this re-audit will also be
entered into the BSCI database.
Repeat
audit after 3 years
The registration in the BSCI
system is valid for a duration
of 3 years. To renew the
registration, a new audit as
described from item 2 onwards is
necessary.
Optional upgrade to SA 8000
BSCI encourages suppliers to go
beyond the minimum requirements
of the BSCI Code of Conduct and
to implement and get certified a
management system according to
the international social
standard SA 8000. A valid
certification to SA 8000 covers
all requirements of the BSCI
Code of Conduct and is
recognised by BSCI in order to
qualify a supplier in the BSCI
system without separate BSCI
audits. An SA 8000 certificate
is valid for a period of 3
years. During that time the
continued compliance with the
requirements of the standard is
monitored by means of
semi-annual surveillance audits.
To
know more about
BSCI and
BSCI Consultancy Services
please contact us on +91 9600001996
and mail to
info@nucleus-india.com
