Sedex, a prominent player in ethical supply chain management, has commenced 2026 with a significant achievement for its flagship social audit methodology. The company's SMETA 7 framework has received formal recognition from the Consumer Goods Forum's Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) after successfully completing the rigorous SSCI Benchmarking Process.
Validation of Social Audit Standards
This recognition represents a major milestone for Sedex and the SMETA methodology, which has long been established as the world's most widely used social audit system. With over 60,000 in-person audits conducted annually, SMETA provides comprehensive assessment of labour practices, health and safety standards, environmental considerations, and business ethics across global supply chain operations.
What SSCI Recognition Means for Businesses
The Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative serves as an industry solution developed by The Consumer Goods Forum to benchmark and recognize auditing, monitoring, and certification programs that meet evolving industry expectations for sustainability and ethical practices. By essentially "verifying the verifiers," SSCI provides an additional layer of trust and credibility that enables businesses to make more informed sourcing decisions with greater confidence.
For Sedex's extensive customer base, this SSCI recognition delivers several critical benefits:
- Independent Validation: Third-party assurance of SMETA's robustness, credibility, and reliability as a social audit methodology
- Industry Alignment: Confidence that SMETA meets evolving global standards and regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions
- Enhanced Transparency: The SSCI Benchmarking Process included comprehensive public consultation and external expert review, strengthening the methodology's credibility
Evolution of SMETA 7 Methodology
Launched in October 2024, SMETA 7.0 represents the most comprehensive evolution of Sedex's audit methodology in recent years. The updated framework includes significant enhancements focused on improving detection of critical issues such as living wage compliance and recruitment fee practices. The methodology also facilitates more proactive identification of risk factors and management gaps while establishing clearer expectations for workplace conditions across global supply chains.
During the SSCI benchmarking process, further improvements were incorporated into the methodology, including:
- Strengthened requirements around human rights training and documentation protocols
- Expanded guidance on identifying and addressing forced labour and child labour concerns
- Clarified standards for chemical usage and management in supply chain operations
Industry Leadership Perspective
Jon Hancock, Chief Executive Officer of Sedex, commented on this significant achievement: "I'm so pleased that SMETA 7.0 has achieved this major milestone. The Consumer Goods Forum's SSCI is a highly respected initiative that confers significant credibility on the schemes within this community. Being SSCI-Recognised provides our customers and other stakeholders with powerful, independent validation of SMETA's rigour and comprehensiveness."
Hancock further emphasized the broader implications: "We're proud our solutions empower businesses to drive transparency, continuous improvement and responsible sourcing worldwide. As global supply chains face increasing scrutiny from regulators, consumers, and investors, reliable tools like SMETA 7 become essential for meeting due diligence obligations, managing risk effectively, and advancing positive impact across diverse industries."
The recognition covers both the Processing & Manufacturing and Primary Production SSCI scopes, confirming SMETA's alignment with the SSCI Social Compliance Benchmark. This dual-scope recognition reinforces the methodology's credibility and practical value for companies seeking robust due diligence solutions that can be applied across different sectors and supply chain stages.
As businesses worldwide navigate complex sustainability challenges and increasing regulatory requirements, the SSCI recognition of SMETA 7 provides a trusted foundation for ethical sourcing strategies. The formal validation strengthens Sedex's position as a leader in sustainable business practices at scale while offering organizations greater confidence in audit findings and compliance reporting.
