Environmental health and safety/social responsibility audits are the principal tool used to assess compliance with regulatory requirements and brand policy in the supply chain. Coupling this approach with developing and implementing a corrective action plan post- audit is used extensively to promote supplier adherence to brand programs.
This two-pronged approach has not met with consistent, long-term success—especially in the developing world. Audits do not always provide an accurate compliance picture owing to intentional supplier misrepresentation and/or lack of auditor technical expertise. Implementing corrective action plans may take many months, or years, depending on complexity and costs. Few brands have the resources or stamina to monitor their supplier’s corrective action implementations when it comes to long-term, complex EHS programmatic or infrastructure projects.