Supply chain transparency

We want to see certain social standards met in our supply chain. We are working towards sourcing all our products from suppliers with a valid social audit according to an independent standard like BSCI or SMETA. XD Connects has been a member of amfori-BSCI since 2018 to help achieve this ambition. We have been a member of Sedex since 2018; our printing facility has an annual SMETA audit.

We work closely with our suppliers to make sure they understand the BSCI Code of Conduct and that we expect to see improvement in their social audit results over time.

We also value transparency as a way to empower our customers to consider impact in their choices. Customers can filter for products sourced from factories with a valid social audit. These products can be identified by the amfori-BSCI logo on their product page.

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A : BSCI audit consists of 13 Performance areas including the right of freedom of association and collective bargaining, decent working hours, occupational health & safety, no child labour, no precarious employment etc. The audit cycle is 2 years, there is an interim audit (after 1 year) that looks at only areas where points for improvement were noted in the last audit.

Q : Does BSCI perform the supplier audits?
A : No. External auditing companies follow BSCI training and receive authorization to conduct audits according to the BSCI standard. This removes any potential conflict of interest.

Q : Why does XD Connects not have a BSCI audit?
A : BSCI audits are mostly useful for production facilities (factories or farms). XD Connects is an office so the added value of such an audit is limited. We do, however, conduct an annual Ecovadis assessment focused on our ESG performance and a risk assessment for the office (RI&E).

Q : Is there any certification comparable to BSCI?
A : At XD Connects we accept the following social audits from our suppliers: BSCI, SMETA, and SA8000.

Q : Often mentioned alongside social audits are ISO9001 and ISO14001. What are these?
A : ISOs are not the same as social audits like BSCI, SMETA, or SA8000. ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization; they provide standards to ensure conformity across many different sectors. A company can adopt and implement these standards and apply for an ISO certification. ISO9001 concerns certification of quality management standards. ISO14001 concerns certification of environmental management standards.

Interested to learn more? Check out the Social Audit unit in our ESG Learning Portal.