ICS Audits

As an accredited auditing body for Initiative Clause Sociale (ICS), SGS can perform ICS audits to assess supplier’s compliance with the ICS code of conduct. The scheme, launched in 1998 by the French Federation of Retailers (FCD), is member-exclusive.

From the beginning of the initiative, the ICS’s main objective has been to encourage suppliers to comply with universal human rights principles, as well as with local labor regulations in their production units. The ICS code of conduct covers the same worker issues as SA8000, but has no requirement for a management system. It was established as an improvement scheme aiming to help promote the social compliance of manufacturers.

The ICS code is used for direct imports only and does not cover goods produced by large brand names. Members share a common database which lists the general findings about suppliers which have been audited.

The ICS code of conduct

The code covers eight key areas:

1. Child labor
2. Forced labor
3. Discrimination
4. Disciplinary practices, harassment and abuse
5. Freedom of association 
6. Working hours and overtime
7. Remuneration and benefits
8. Health and safety

Assessment of performance in each area is then broken down into four separate sections:

1. Unscored informative questions (e.g. applicable local laws, industry conditions and factory-specific information)
2. Critical questions (unsatisfactory answers which result in immediate disqualification for the area in question)
3. Compliance questions (which in principle can be answered by Yes = acceptable or No = unacceptable)
4. Best practice (in which exceptional procedures - beyond local law or local industry standards - are identified)

All audits are then generated using a scored reporting format and are uploaded to a central database.

SGS has a long and distinguished involvement in sustainability auditing against the requirements of various global industry codes and standards. We are one of the very few internationally-recognized social compliance audit firms to be appointed by Initiative Clause Sociale (ICS).

As a member of ICS discover how SGS can help you and your suppliers assess compliance with ethical sourcing requirements.

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