Illustrative situation
A factory tells a buyer that it holds a BSCI, Sedex or WRAP audit. The retail customer asks for proof that suppliers are audited, and the buyer must decide what to ask for and what the answer means.
Main answer
When a factory mentions an audit, ask which scheme it belongs to, which site was audited, the date, the scope and whether you can see the report itself. An audit report is a snapshot of one site on one date and is one input into supplier selection, not a certificate that everything is fine.
What the names refer to
BSCI, Sedex and WRAP are different social-compliance or responsible-sourcing programmes. They differ in who runs them, how audits are conducted and how results are shared. Some are platforms where a factory shares reports with customers, others are certification schemes. Do not assume the names are interchangeable, and check the programme’s own website for how its audit or membership works.
Questions that clarify what you have
Scheme and type. Is it an audit report, a membership, or a certificate? Site. Is the audited address the one that will make your order, not only the head office or a sister factory? Date and validity. When was it done, and when does it expire or need renewal? Scope. Which topics were covered, such as working conditions, safety and environment? Findings. Were there non-compliances, and have corrective actions been closed?
What audits do not cover
An audit rarely tests your product quality, and a clean report does not tell you whether the factory can make your fabric to your tolerance. It also does not cover subcontracting unless that was in scope. Ask directly whether any part of your order is made elsewhere, and require agreement before any change.
What to do with a report you receive
Read the summary first, then the findings and the corrective-action status. Note any item still open and ask the factory when it will be closed. Keep the report with your supplier file and set a reminder for its expiry. If you work for a retailer or brand with its own code of conduct, compare the report against that code rather than assuming that an audit under one programme meets another’s requirements.
When your customer asks
If a retailer needs a specific scheme, ask the retailer which programmes it accepts before you choose a supplier, because moving later can cost time. Read the factory’s own sustainability information on Sustainability and the process page on How it works.
Fact, recommendation, uncertainty
- Established fact
- BSCI, Sedex and WRAP are separate programmes with different structures, and an audit describes one site at one time.
- Recommendation
- Ask for scheme, site address, date, scope and corrective-action status, and ask about subcontracting.
- Uncertainty
- What a particular audit proves depends on its scope and date, which only the report can show.
Sources and further reading
No single official source defines this, so this answer is a recommendation based on how production and buying are commonly organised. Confirm every figure and term in your own quotation.
More perspectives from the team
Three further views on the same question, each by function. They add conditions and limits to the main answer; they are editorial notes, not customer reviews.
Sino Finetex Editorial Team Sourcing
Ask your own customer which schemes it will accept before you shortlist suppliers. Put an obligation in the contract to tell you about subcontracting. Limit: a report from a different site is not evidence about the factory that makes your order. Add a clause that the factory must tell you if its audit status changes or lapses during your order.
Sino Finetex Editorial Team Product selection
Do not let an audit alone decide supplier choice for a product that needs specific capability, such as seamless knitting. Ask for relevant product evidence as well. Limit: a strong audit and weak product skill is still a poor match. If the audit covers only a different building, ask whether your order could be made in the audited site or whether the other site is acceptable to your customer.
Sino Finetex Editorial Team Quality & care
Ask whether the audit included any quality-management review, and how the factory handles corrective actions on products. Limit: labour compliance and product quality are different systems and need different checks. Ask how the factory trains staff on your quality criteria, which an audit may not check.
Related products
- Products
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- Capabilities
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- how-does-it-work
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- FAQs
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