The Business Social Compliance Initiative(BSCI) is a company driven initiative to implement and create sustainable improvements in social standards in production facilities world wide with the BSCI monitoring system. BSCI members come largely from the retail sector, but it is also open to manufacturers and importers. The BSCI focuses on monitoring as an ongoing process to improve social standards. Audits are one mechanism in this monitoring system, but the key to real and sustainable improvement is acting in partnership with suppliers to achieve it. The BSCI and its members follow a positive, non-confrontational approach to compliance and want to heighten supplier's and manufacturer's awareness of their social responsibilities and occupational health and safety issues. The BSCI aims to reward the suppliers' good will and willingness to cooperate.

Assessment Process The initial audits in the BSCI are conducted in a uniform manner. Standardised qustionnaires and evaluation schemes are used for every audit. This ensures fair treatment of all suppliers, and at the same time ensures that the quality of the audit remains at a consistent high level.

An audit is comprised of the following parts:

Part A:  Recording Master Data:  Business and Master data of supplier company                                                                                                                             Part B: BSCI Audit: Recording and evaluation of compliance with minimum social and environmental requirements. Part B audit and implementation of corrective actions arising from Part B are compulsory.                                                                                                                        Part C:  Recording and assessment of best practice for industry, Part C audit is compulsory, implementation of corrective actions arising from Part C is voluntary. It is not a requirement  for starting or maintaining business relations with the  retail companies participating in the BSCI. It is, however, recommended for those companies that have the potential to reach SA 8000 or equivalent certification standards. 

Assessment Process Diagram

Benefits of BSCI

 Various  social audits have probably been conducted at most supplier's facilities in recent times. Suppliers may be wondering, " Why another social audit? Why do we need another new procedure? And how do social audits benefit us?"

The relevent question is probably not whethher or not suppliers will introduce social standards, but rather: How can suppliers ensure sustainable compliance with social standards and profit from them at the same time?

The BSCI monitoirng system was developed to reduce the audit burdon on suppliers. It is a unified process, which means that there is no need for multiple audits to be conducted to diverse standards for different trading companies participating in the BSCI. This provides the audited companies with savings both in cost and time taht would otherwise be consumed by lenghty and repetative audits. The audit requirements are the same regardless of the country in which the companies are located and audit results are recognised and accepted by all BSCI member trading companies.

Furthermore, there is a corelation between the social performance of a company and its employees' productivity. Poor social performance reduces the output capability of employees, thus hurting the company's bottom line.

The assistance from retail companies and expert service providers associated with the BSCI aim to achieve sustainable implementation and improvement of social performance for suppliers.