Sedex

As large swathes of the world swelter, it’s increasingly evident that extreme heat is a major supply chain risk. Protecting workers and operations from its impacts is a growing priority for procurement and sustainability teams. But do they know where their businesses are most exposed? Site-level assessments help to reveal gaps in the measures that help keep workers safe. In Sedex SAQ data, only 61% of worksites confirm they provide adequate rest facilities - while 22% haven’t confirmed they allow workers to take informal breaks, such as to drink water or use the bathroom. These figures vary by region and industry - what are they for your suppliers in high-heat regions? By understanding conditions at supplier sites, internal teams can prioritise where to support improvements, including risk mitigation for extreme heat and other concerns. SMETA, the world's most widely used social audit, provides an in-person view into an individual worksite’s practices and operations - a crucial level of detail for effective supply chain due diligence, risk management and resiliency. Learn more about how SMETA can help you better understand and improve working conditions and environmental performance across your supply chain: https://hubs.li/Q04sz8yQ0 #SupplyChains #ExtremeHeat #SMETA #WorkerHealth #ResponsibleBusiness #Procurement #ClimateRisk

How do you actually get site-level visibility across sourcing tiers? Most companies have limited visibility beyond Tier 1. But to manage risk effectively, teams need a clear picture of supply chain practices. The data that builds this goes beyond head-office information, revealing the specific places where operations take places, the people carrying out the work, and what conditions they’re working in. Our custom Mini Story, running on The New York Times New York Times Advertising, explores these in more detail. Leading businesses are already expanding their view: 30% of SMETA audits now take place beyond Tier 1. Building better visibility can start today - discover the data you need. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eC45ipuS #SupplyChain #SupplyChainVisibility #ResponsibleSourcing #HumanRights #DueDiligence

Sedex has been recognised as a Representative Vendor in the 2026 Gartner® Market Guide for Sustainable Procurement Applications. The direction is clear: procurement teams need more precise risk insight and deeper supply chain visibility. Sedex supports this with a risk-based approach that combines: ✔️ Inherent risk screening by country, sector and site ✔️ Supplier self-assessments ✔️ Site-level, in-person auditing ✔️ Corrective action tracking and demonstrable improvement With severe risks sitting beyond Tier 1, we help teams to prioritise, reduce duplication, and capture site-level data from across supply tiers. The results: better risk management, more efficient due diligence and stronger supply chains. Learn more: https://hubs.li/Q04rHSW-0 #SupplyChain #Procurement #RiskManagement #ResponsibleSourcing #SupplyChainVisibility

Many supply chain sustainability and forced labour laws may differ in their requirements, but they share an important principle: risk-based due diligence. Found in the international frameworks that underpin these laws, like the UN Guiding Principles and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, this approach recognises that businesses don’t have unlimited resources and must prioritise where they dedicate their time and effort - focusing on the most severe risks or impacts. For procurement, sustainability and compliance teams, recognising this common foundation makes it easier to navigate an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape. Rather than building a different approach for every law, a central one risk-based due diligence process can support requirements in multiple jurisdictions. In this webinar, our experts explore why risk-based prioritisation sits at the heart of today's due diligence requirements, the regulations businesses should be watching and practical ways to strengthen supply chain due diligence. Watch on-demand for expert insights on navigating evolving requirements with confidence: https://hubs.li/Q04q_-Sn0 #SupplyChain #SupplyChainRisk #ResponsibleSourcing #HumanRightsDueDiligence #RiskManagement

More companies are extending their supply chain due diligence to include service providers - such as suppliers of logistics, catering or cleaning. As a result, those businesses that operate across multiple client locations are increasingly being asked to join Sedex, share sustainability-related information and provide greater transparency about how they operate. Sedex's SMETA for Service Providers is designed to work with how service providers operate, offering a tailored approach to auditing businesses with distributed workforces. These are already being carried out in numerous countries. Our latest blog explains why service provider audits are becoming more common, what SMETA for Service Providers involves and how your business can prepare. Read our blog here: https://hubs.li/Q04rdsZ10 #SupplyChain #SupplyChainVisibility #SMETA #ResponsibleBusiness

How much sustainability data is enough? It’s a question every business struggles with - especially smaller ones with fewer resources. Earlier this month, the European Commission published the VSME Delegated Act. This outlines reasonable expectations for the sustainability data smaller businesses should aim to capture and provide. The EU’s Omnibus I reduced the scope of the CSRD, removing mandatory reporting requirements for companies with <1,000 employees. The Voluntary Standard for non-listed Small and Medium Enterprises (VSME) is a reduced set of sustainability disclosures for the smaller businesses that fall outside of this scope. The VSME helps both smaller businesses and their corporate customers by providing the basis for a ‘value chain cap’. Larger companies required to report under CSRD know what information to expect, or request, from smaller suppliers. These suppliers know what data requests they can anticipate from their in-scope customers. Both have a defensible basis for anticipating and articulating where the limits are. It’s designed to streamline, simplify and standardise sustainability data requests for smaller businesses. As for sharing data with corporate customers - that’s where Sedex comes in! See how the Sedex Platform can help you collect, manage and share supply chain sustainability data with our interactive demo: https://hubs.li/Q04r3NRK0 #SupplyChain #SupplyChainManagement #SAQ #VSME

We're proud to announce that Sedex has joined The Consumer Goods Forum! The Consumer Goods Forum is a global, CEO-led industry network uniting retailers and manufacturers from 70 countries. Backed by the leadership of 400 companies, the CFG provides a unique platform for peer-to-peer action to protect global sourcing networks, build consumer trust, and support durable business growth. With SMETA 7.0 officially recognised under the CGF’s Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI), we are pleased to deepen our engagement to further industry collaboration and the visibility of solutions that support businesses with responsible sourcing. We look forward to working alongside other CGF members, many of whom are also longstanding Sedex customers, to address shared challenges and drive more sustainable, resilient supply chains. #Sedex #TheConsumerGoodsForum #SMETA #SupplyChainResilience

Fashion supply chains are complex, but greater visibility gives brands the opportunity to make more informed decisions, strengthen supplier relationships and build long-term resilience. Drawing on insights from more than 21,000 fashion manufacturing worksites, our report explores where human rights risks are most concentrated and how businesses can use these insights to prioritise supplier engagement, strengthen due diligence and align commercial decisions with operational realities. Read on for unique insights and practical recommendations to help fashion businesses build more resilient, responsible supply chains: https://hubs.li/Q04qBlgQ0 #SupplyChain #FashionManufacturing #SupplyChainVisibility

Droughts, fires, floods and more are disrupting operations across supply chain regions - and will continue to. Understanding which suppliers and sites are most exposed is a critical part of effective supply chain risk management. While it’s impossible to avoid extreme weather – as this year has already shown – there are things businesses can do in defence. Combining global insights with site-level data can uncover preparation and mitigation gaps in the highest-risk regions for these risks. For example, Sedex SAQ responses can highlight where sites in a particular region and industry may not be providing adequate rest facilities for workers. Our data shows 38% of agricultural sites globally may not offer these - some of which could be in high-risk areas for extreme heat, flooding or other events. Learn more in our Risk to Resilience eBook: https://hubs.li/Q04qbz020 #SupplyChain #SupplyChainVisibility #SupplyChainRisk #SupplyChainResilience #Procurement #ResponsibleSourcing

When Manufacturera Soma S.A. de C.V. set out to grow internationally, it knew informal processes wouldn't support long-term success. The business needed a more structured approach to responsible sourcing across its supply chain. Using Sedex Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs), audits and continuous improvement, Manufacturera Soma embedded responsible sourcing across multiple teams, helping strengthen operational risk management and build greater confidence with international customers. The results included: ✔ Closing all initial non-compliances ✔ Expansion into eight countries supported by process standardisation ✔ Entering the North American market after resolving audit non-compliances ✔ Reducing employee turnover by 23% ✔ Achieving a 97% on-time delivery rate Discover how a structured approach to responsible sourcing helped turn operational improvements into international growth. Read the case study: https://hubs.li/Q04pSxss0 #ResponsibleSourcing #SupplyChain #SupplyChainVisibility #OperationalRisk