Compliance with BSCI and SAI guidelines
Charles Vögele is committed to socially fair production methods throughout the group, so a proactive approach is essential for the Charles Vögele Group. As far back as in 1996, Charles Vögele Group issued binding rules for its suppliers as part of its own Supplier Code of Conduct. With the aim of ensuring compliance with this Code in manufacturing countries, in 2004 Charles Vögele Group became a founder member of the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). Today, the BSCI Code of Conduct is a fixed component of all Charles Vögele’s supplier contracts.
BSCI
The BSCI Code of Conduct is based on the International Labour Organization’s con-ventions, the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Con-vention on Children’s Rights, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the UN Global Compact, and the OECD’s regulations for multinational companies. The BSCI Code of Conduct follows the principle that companies producing goods for Charles Vögele must follow all the laws and regulations that apply in their home country. In particular, the Code contains detailed contractual stipulations covering the environment, discrimination, forced labour, child labour, working hours, wages, working conditions, accommodation and freedom of assembly. It is up to the suppliers to ensure that their subcontractors also follow the Code.
SAI
SAI publishes and administrates the internationally recognized SA8000 Social Standard and focuses on improving employment conditions for white collar employees, manual workers and contract workers. It sets out minimum standards for international companies in terms of employment and workplace conditions.
Benefits of the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI )
Many of the BSCI’s 950 current member companies have signed up to the initiative, even though they had previously worked with their own codes of conducts, each of which differed slightly from the others. The aim of the initiative is to avoid duplication in the testing of suppliers that work for several producers. Auditing is carried out using a uniform questionnaire formulated to reflect SA8000 guidelines. The resulting data is recorded centrally in the BSCI database and then made available to members. This procedure creates a rational, uniform platform for auditing, and helps manufacturers and their clients save valuable resources. The whole process ensures compliance with a comprehensive set of minimum standards.
Downloads
BSCI Annual Report 2007, english
BSCI audits and training
Our suppliers are audited according to BSCI standards and helped to implement improvements. All suppliers to Charles Vögele Group are given the BSCI Code of Conduct and must confirm their compliance with BSCI standards.
Charles Vögele invites all its suppliers to introductory workshops. Charles Vögele helps suppliers implement the BSCI Code of Conduct by paying the costs of the initial audit. Charles Vögele also offers suppliers active training support so they can achieve the standards demanded by the BSCI Code of Conduct. Staff in our procurement offices are asked to give suppliers help and advice to support their efforts to implement the standards.
Subsequent supplier audits are carried out by independent, SAI-certified companies on behalf of either Charles Vögele itself or other BSCI members. The audit will rate suppliers as “good”, “improvement needed” or “critical”. In the case of “improvement needed”, measures are defined in collaboration with our local staff.
Local Charles Vögele employees also help suppliers implement these measures. A re-audit takes place within a year to give an independent assessment of how successful these measures have been. In the case of a “critical” audit judgement, Charles Vögele holds meetings with the suppliers to emphasize the importance of the issue and, hopefully, to sort out the problems together with the management.