BRCGS ANNOUNCES PUBLICATION OF ITS ETHICAL TRADE AND RESPONSIBLE SOURCING PROGRAM

BRCGS are delighted to announce the launch of the new Ethical Trade and Responsible Sourcing Program and the publication of the Ethical Trade and Responsible Sourcing (ETRS) Standard and Risk Assessment. The Program has been developed to help suppliers to identify risks within their organization and their supply chain and to demonstrate that the goods and/or services that they sell are produced ethically and that raw materials are sourced responsibly.
The BRCGS Ethical Trade and Responsible Sourcing Standard provides a formal framework for an independent evaluation of the management system of an organisation and its capability and capacity to deliver against the principles of ethical trade and responsible sourcing.
The Risk Assessment, on the other hand, has been developed to provide a "health check" of the management system of an organization against 5 Vital Signs associated with Ethical Trade and Responsible Sourcing. It is not a Social Audit and can be done at the same time and by the same auditor as the technical audit - for example BRCGS Food Safety or Packaging. It can also be "bolted on" to any other technical audit provided the auditor has obtained and passed the relevant training.
The Risk Assessment helps sites understand their ETRS risks so that they can work on improving their performance. It also provides an independent assessment, the results of which can be shared with key customers - both existing and new or prospective.
The content for both the Core Standard and the Risk Assessment has been developed by a multi-stakeholder working group and looks at Legislation covering these issues. Although this differs in detail worldwide, it generally requires sites to comply with:
• relevant conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the requirements of the Ethical Trading Initiative's (ETI) base code and the UN's guiding principles for business and human rights
• local and national labour and health and safety laws and regulations
• local and national legislation relating to anti-bribery, anti-corruption, fraud, information security and data protection.
The requirements of the Program are derived from and formulated around six key principles. These are that:
• senior management is committed
• the management system has the necessary capacity and capability to effectively implement and uphold the requirements of this Program
• labour standards are fair and equitable
• the workplace is safe and healthy, and the welfare of workers is assured
• basic human rights are recognised and upheld
• corporate governance is effective.
"The BRCGS Ethical Trade and Responsible Sourcing program has been developed - in part - as a response to changes in buying behaviors and consumer assurance demands but mostly in recognition of the important role people play and the impact they have on sustainability. Rather than replacing existing knowledge, our program has been developed to build on and add value to it and we look forward to working with our key stakeholders as we bring this program to life and deliver assurance that not only evaluates compliance today but also considers business performance to help secure tomorrow"
Mike Wilson BRCGS Global Head - Ethical Trade and Responsible Sourcing

Company: BRCGS

Company URL: https://www.brcgs.com/