The Global Social Compliance Programme (the GSCP)

The GSCP is a business-driven programme for companies whose vision is to harmonise existing efforts in order to deliver a shared, global and sustainable approach for the continuous improvement of working and environmental conditions in global supply chains.

To this effect, the GSCP is developing a set of reference tools and processes that describe best practices (based on the relevant international standards, where they exist) and provide a common interpretation of fair labour and environmental requirements and their implementation.

These reference tools, which will be openly available, can then voluntarily be either:

This approach has been designed to provide a framework to build comparability and transparency between existing systems and schemes. This will allow for more consistency and will facilitate the mutual recognition of audit results and processes.

Suppliers will be able to focus better, in partnership with buying companies, on developing their own systems to deliver fair labour and environmental conditions.

The Programme is not a substitute to existing tools and processes.

Environmental Module – Draft Reference Tools on Environmental Audit Process and Methodology

The Draft Reference Tools on Environmental Audit Process and Methodology include:

A draft reference environmental Audit Process
The draft reference environmental Audit Process aims at providing best practice guidance for each step of the Audit Process. The aim is to foster a common interpretation of what is expected before, during and after an environmental audit and to bring consistency to the way audits are prepared, conducted and followed-up.

A draft reference environmental Self-Assessment Questionnaire (in appendix 1)
The draft reference environmental Self-Assessment Questionnaire aims at providing best practice guidance for self-assessment questionnaires. The purpose is to detail the minimum set of questions that should be answered by the audited site where the self-assessment option is chosen.
 
A draft reference environmental Pre-Audit Employment Site Profile (in appendix 2)
The draft reference environmental Pre-Audit Employment Site Profile aims at providing best practice guidance on employment site profile. It details the minimum requirements in terms of general information about employment site’s location, size, production processes, activities and various environmental mattersexpected to be found in a Pre-Audit Employment Site Profile Questionnaire. 

A draft reference environmental Audit Checks (in appendix 3)
The draft reference environmental Audit Checks aim at describing the essential requirements of what auditors should look at when performing an environmental audit.

A draft reference environmental Alert Notification (in appendix 4)
The draft reference environmental Alert Notification aims at providing best practice guidance on how to inform the audit requestor and/or the site’s management once critical non-compliances have been identified during an audit.

A draft reference environmental Audit Report (in appendix 5)
The draft reference environmental Audit Report aims at providing best practice guidance on the structure and content of an environmental Audit Report.

A draft reference environmental Summary of Findings and Corrective Actions (in appendix 6)
The draft reference Summary of Environmental Findings and Corrective Actions aims at providing best practice guidance on how to gather and structure audit findings and corrective actions.

A draft reference environmental Supplementary Audit Information (in appendix 7)
The draft reference environmental Supplementary Audit Information aims at providing best practice guidance on how to report to the audit requestor additional sensitive information complementing the Audit Report, e.g. concerns which cannot be substantiated through evidence and/or interviews or attitude of management towards the non-compliances or the audit process as a whole.

Expert Working Group

The draft Reference Tools on Environmental Audit Process and Methodology have been developed by the Expert Working Group on the Environmental Module (EWG-EM) between October 2009 and March 2010.

Members of the EWG-EM are:

• Francesca Savi, WAL-MART
• Manuel Baigorri, Director Social and Environmental Sustainability Dept, LEVI’S
• Dietrich Bartels, Environmental Manager, C&A
• Jonathan Gorman, Regulatory Policy Manager (Environment), TESCO
• Stéphanie Mathey, Responsable des Affaires Sociales et Environnementales, CARREFOUR
• Greg Priest, Head of Compliance, Social and Environmental Affairs, IKEA
• Mike Vaudreuil, Supply Chain SER, HP
• Clément Warther, Director Sustainability and Risk Control, ALCAN PACKAGING

The role of the GSCP Expert Working Groups has been to compile, compare and analyse relevant existing practices in order to identify and build a consensus on best practices. The Expert Working Group has benefited from the expertise of Peter Mitchell at Environmental Resources Management.

Consultation Process

General Consultation - Opening now

The GSCP is now opening a general consultation with companies and stakeholders on the draft reference tools on environmental Audit Process and Methodology.

Following this consultation process, the Expert Working Group will review and analyse all contributions received and revise the draft reference tools accordingly.

The final draft reference tools will then be shared with the GSCP Advisory and Executive Boards for final consideration and publication.

Consultation Timeline

General Consultation
Feedback Submission Period: 1 April 2010 – 30 April 2010
All submissions will be acknowledged. Submissions should be clearly explained and reflect existing best practices.

Review Period: from May 2010
The Expert Working Group will evaluate all submissions. The Group will then report on the need for review and improvement of the draft reference tools. The report will be studied by the Advisory Board with recommendations for amendments provided to the Executive Board, for final consideration and approval.