BSCI Supplier Participation Requirements

The role of suppliers in the implementation of BSCI

The goal of BSCI participants is to improve working conditions in their suppliers' factories and farms by implementing the BSCI development-oriented system. Good cooperation between BSCI participants and their suppliers is of great strategic importance to ensure a sustainable supply chain.

How do suppliers participate in BSCI?

The rights of BSCI participants (buyers) are not open to factories or manufacturers. If your company is a BSCI participant, you can participate in the BSCI system according to the following procedures.

Your company's main contact is the BSCI participant who asked you to implement the BSCI Code of Conduct: your customer. During the implementation of BSCI in your factory, you need to contact BSCI participants and make sure you have all the necessary information on your customer representatives in order to communicate effectively. Before taking any action, please download the Producer Starter Kit document and read it carefully.

BSCI Code of Conduct: Ensure you have received the BSCI Code of Conduct from your BSCI client. Sign it and display it on the factory premises to be audited in the appropriate local language.
Confirm the audit date: Contact your BSCI client to confirm the audit date. You or your client can book an audit with an audit company listed in the BSCI approved audit company list.
Create your record: Your BSCI customer will create an account in the BSCI supplier database with your factory name. The database system will automatically forward you the information to log in to the database, including the account number (DBID) belonging to your factory and the relevant password, so that you can log in to your record.
Complete the BSCI Self-Assessment: As preparation for the initial audit, use the account number and password sent to you by email after your BSCI participant customer created your account in the BSCI database to enter the system and complete the self-assessment questionnaire. The self-assessment allows you to understand the extent to which your factory complies with the BSCI requirements and can prepare you for the BSCI social responsibility audit.
Conducting the Audit: The audit company will schedule a date to visit your factory and review the facilities and records. Worker and management interviews are an important part of the process. The length of the audit will be related to the number of workers. Please cooperate with the audit company and provide information in a timely and accurate manner.
Audit report: After the BSCI audit is completed, the audit company will send you an audit report. Within 10 days after the audit, the audit company should upload the audit report to the database record, and you can log in to the system to view it. Please read the audit report carefully, check the extent of your factory's compliance with the BSCI Code of Conduct and implement corrective actions.
Follow-up and Improvement: Your BSCI contact person will follow up with you directly during the process. If you need additional help in implementing the BSCI Code of Conduct, BSCI regularly organizes capacity building activities in many supplier countries, and suppliers will receive invitations from customers to participate in training courses. You can also contact a consulting company or trainer to help you design an appropriate management system. The BSCI Consultant Company Directory lists the contact information of some training and consulting organizations with expertise and experience in implementing the BSCI system for reference.
Best Practices: We consider the SA8000 standard developed by Social Accountability International (SAI) as the best practice; if your factory has passed SA8000 certification, you do not necessarily need to undergo a BSCI audit. You only need to send a copy of your valid certificate to your BSCI participant customer, and the file will be uploaded to the BSCI database for archiving.