SEDEX Certification
The “Supplier Ethical Data Exchange” (SEDEX) is a not-for-profit membership organization based in London, UK, for businesses committed to the continuous improvement of ethical performance within their supply chains.
Companies join SEDEX in order to use the SEDEX web-based system, participate in SEDEX governance, working groups, network and engage with other SEDEX members, utilize SEDEX value-added services.
SEDEX focuses on the following four pillars and members commit to improving their supply chain performance accordingly.
- Labour Standards
- Health & Safety
- Environment
- Business Integrity
The tool used by SEDEX is named SMETA (SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit). It incorporates 3 elements:
- A best practice guidance on conducting ethical trade audits
- An audit report format
- A corrective action plan format
SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit
SMETA stands for SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit and is one of the most widely used ethical audit formats in the world. It combines the best practices in the field of corporate social responsibility. The concept describes a methodology based on the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code.
SEDEX allows more time and resources to be spent on making improvements rather than on completing multiple audits and unnecessary paperwork.
The reports available on SEDEX, and specifically the SEDEX Risk Assessment Tool, can help assess the likelihood of issues occurring in your supply chain and improve supplier relationships.
The SEDEX model encourages increased supplier engagement, helping you to drive ethical and responsible improvements within your supply chain.
SMETA is not a new code of conduct or standard to which audits should be conducted; it is rather a compilation of best practice in ethical trade audit technique, intended for experienced auditors to help them to conduct high-quality audits that will be accepted by multiple retailers and brands.
