Social Compliance Audit
Your buyer wants a social audit and you don't know which one they'll accept. We settle that first, then audit to it and hand you the report and the CAP.
900+
Completed
72h
Deployment
Aligned
ISO 17020
38%
Pass Rate
Understanding the Service
What Is Social Compliance Audit?
Most social audits are bought because a customer asked for one, and the expensive mistake is auditing to the wrong scheme. We agree the standard with you first — BSCI, SMETA or SA8000 — then assess working hours, wages, health and safety, child and forced labor, and environmental management against it.
A fashion brand lost its largest European retail account after a social-media investigation revealed worker overtime violations at its Chinese supplier. The factory had passed its own internal checks.
James Liu
Founder & CEO
Our Protocol
What Our Inspector Checks
Every checkpoint verified on every inspection.
Working hours compliance verification
Fair wages and overtime premium audit
Health and safety systems assessment
No child labor / no forced labor verification
Environmental management evaluation
Corrective action plan with timeline
Worker dormitory conditions (if applicable)
Emergency preparedness assessment
Grievance mechanism review
Management system documentation audit
Use Cases
When You Need This Service
Selling to European retailers (CSDDD due diligence)
Major US retailer requirements (Walmart, Target, Costco)
Brand reputation protection
ESG reporting and compliance
New supplier qualification
Process
How It Works
From booking to report in 5 simple steps.
01
Define Standards
Select audit standard: BSCI, SMETA 2-Pillar, SMETA 4-Pillar, or SA8000.
02
Pre-Audit Documentation
Factory submits documentation for preliminary review.
03
Full-Day On-Site Audit
Facility inspection, document review, management interviews, confidential worker interviews.
04
Findings & Scoring
Non-conformances categorized by severity with photographic evidence.
05
Corrective Action Plan
Detailed remediation timeline with follow-up audit scheduling.
From $500/audit — BSCI, SMETA, SA8000
Money-back commitmentDeliverables
What You Receive
Full compliance audit report
Non-conformance findings with severity
Worker interview summaries (confidential)
Corrective Action Plan (CAP)
Follow-up audit schedule
Compliance certificate (if passed)
Inspection Report
PASSED232 000
PASS
132
FAIL
156
PENDING
Key findings
Dimensional variance — 2 units exceeded ±0.3 mm tolerance on housing width. Classified as Major per ISO 2859-1.
Working-hours and safety checks passed — no critical or major non-conformances found.
Common Concerns
Honest Answers to Tough Questions
Your buyer isn't asking whether the factory believes it's compliant. They want evidence gathered by someone who doesn't work for the factory — worker interviews, payroll records, photographs — written to the scheme they named.
The audit is priced against the order it protects. Where a buyer has made a valid BSCI, SMETA or SA8000 report a condition of the purchase order, the audit is not a cost — it is the condition of the revenue.
Depends on your buyers. BSCI is common for European retailers, SMETA for Sedex members, SA8000 for the highest-rigor requirements. We help you determine the right fit before the audit is booked.
Failure is not the end — every audit ships with a Corrective Action Plan and a follow-up schedule. We re-verify the closed findings so your factory can reach a passing, buyer-ready status.
The BSCI audit gave our retail partners the documentation they required.
— Sourcing Director, Fashion & Apparel Brand
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Depends on your buyers. BSCI is common for European retailers, SMETA for Sedex members, SA8000 for highest-rigor requirements. We help you determine the right fit.
One to two days on-site depending on factory size and audit scope, plus 72 hours for report preparation and the Corrective Action Plan.
You receive a Corrective Action Plan with timelines and a follow-up audit schedule. We re-verify closed findings so the factory can reach a passing, buyer-ready result.
Phasing in. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU 2024/1760) reaches the largest companies first, on a timetable still being transposed. Suppliers are asked for evidence now.
Semi-announced and fully unannounced audits are both available. Unannounced visits show conditions as they really are day-to-day, which many buyers now require for credible compliance evidence.
What's Next?
Combine with Factory Audit for complete supplier due diligence covering both quality and ethical compliance.
Download sample report
First-time importer?See our starter guide
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