ICS Factory Audit-Social Clause Action

ICS Factory Audit-Social Clause Action

Background of ICS
In the autumn of 1998, members of the French Federation of Commerce and Sales proposed the "Social Clause Action (ICS)" based on the ILO convention and inspired by the SA 8000 standard. The proposal is mainly aimed at direct suppliers of non-food consumer products in the source countries. From the beginning, the ICS program used a unified audit questionnaire with a rating system and systematically used external independent audit companies. At the same time, ICS has been opened to other French retailers and has carried out many audits, and has been continuously improved with the attention of the world's largest social trade organization.

ICS Code and Objectives As stated in the ICS Code, the objective of the ICS program is to promote and support continuous improvement in all aspects related to social, health/safety, and overall working conditions in factories supplying ICS members. The ICS Code explains the core requirements for ICS members, while the "Industry Code of Conduct" that members themselves are free to follow may stipulate additional or improved provisions. The main conclusions of all audits initiated by ICS members will be registered in the ICS database and shared among ICS members to avoid unnecessary duplication of audits.

ICS Structure In principle, representatives of all ICS member companies meet every two months to jointly follow up the pace of global implementation of ICS proposals and decide on development initiatives. The ICS Permanent Secretariat is responsible for handling all organizational and coordination matters.

Members commit to promote the implementation of ICS programs and comply with established rules in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of Rights and Responsibilities. Basic information is shared in order to monitor audit findings and drive continuous improvement of working conditions in source countries.