SMETA Audits

SMETA Audit for Ethical Business Practices Across Your Supply Chain

Meet key ethical and operational standards in critical areas of business practices within your supply chain.

QIMA’s SMETA audit evaluates a company's adherence to labor standards, health and safety, environmental performance, and business ethics. Our audit can focus on two or all four of these pillars and is designed to promote responsible sourcing and ethical trading.

On this page you can find out more about:

• SMETA Audit Expertise

• The SMETA Audit Methodology

• SMETA 2-Pillar Audits

• SMETA 4-Pillar Audits

• SEDEX Virtual Assessment

• QIMA Benefits

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SMETA Audit Expertise

SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) is an ethical audit methodology covering all aspects of responsible business practice. SMETA is the most used social audit in the world. It was designed to enable businesses to evaluate working conditions within their supply chain.

SMETA audits also serve as a practical tool to assess and improve CSR performance and provide evidence to support favorable ESG ratings.

QIMA is a certified Sedex partner, approved to carry out SMETA audits. Our qualified and experienced auditors assist you in achieving compliance with ethical standards at all levels of your supply chain.

We specialize in providing the standards and frameworks needed to monitor your suppliers effectively. Our SMETA social and ethical audits help reduce risks of human rights abuses, such as forced labor, and improve the overall health and safety of workers in your supply chain.

We offer four SMETA tools to help you secure your supply chain:

1. Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) - Suppliers can submit a self-assessment to evaluate their practices.

2. Sedex Virtual Assessment - A remote evaluation of workplace conditions..

3. Third-Party SMETA Audit - An in-person examination in accordance with Sedex protocols.

4. Corrective Action Plans - Tailored recommendations provided as needed following an in-person audit.

The SMETA Audit Methodology

QIMA is proud to be one of only 51 APSCA members authorized to conduct official SMETA audits.

SMETA audits are based on the ETI Base Code, which is founded on the conventions of the International Labor Organization, as well as relevant local laws. SMETA audits can be conducted against two or four auditing pillars. The two mandatory pillars for any SMETA audit are Labor Standards and Health & Safety. The additional two pillars in a 4-pillar audit are Business Ethics and Environment. These were introduced to further enhance the social responsibility aspect of SMETA audits.

SMETA 2-Pillar Audits

The SMETA 2-pillar audit gives you an indication of your supplier’s adherence to ethical working standards. It includes two auditing pillars, Labor Standards and Health & Safety. The SMETA 2-pillar audit comprises the following modules:

• Labor Standards

• Health and Safety

• Additional Elements:

  • Management Systems

  • Entitlement to Work

  • Subcontracting and Homeworking

  • Environmental Assessment (shortened)

The 2-pillar SMETA audit can be a good starting point for auditing and addressing issues within your supply chain.

SMETA 4-Pillar Audits

The SMETA 4-pillar audit is the full SMETA audit. It includes the Labor Standards and Health & Safety modules of the 2-pillar audit, plus the Environmental Assessment and Business Ethics modules. 

The full SMETA audit covers:

• Labor Standards

• Health and Safety

• Environmental Assessment (extended)

• Business Ethics

SEDEX Virtual Assessment

We are authorized to conduct Sedex Virtual Assessments and can help you take the right actions to strengthen your supply chain and improve your CSR/ESG ratings.

Sedex Virtual Assessments offer a remote alternative to the standard SMETA Audit. Based on the SMETA audit methodology, these remote assessments use video conferencing technology to connect an auditor with the factory site.

The virtual assessment initiative was launched in July 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and delays in on-site audits due to difficulties in gaining physical access to factories.

While a Virtual Assessment may be a suitable solution to reduce risk when physical access to a factory is not possible, it should not replace a complete in-person audit to verify social and labor conditions. An in-person audit should always be performed when possible.

Before a virtual assessment can take place, we must first:

• Confirm reliable internet connectivity

• Ensure suitable facilities for assessments and worker interviews

• Verify accessibility to all site areas

• Assess if the site operates at sufficient capacity to reflect true conditions.

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More Resources

• Ethical Audits

• amfori BSCI Audits

• Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (FSLM)

• WRAP Audit & Compliance