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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 toinfo@nucleus-india.com