Most retailers will not place an order with a Bangladeshi factory until they have seen a recent social audit. The four you will hear about most are amfori BSCI, WRAP, Sedex SMETA and SA8000. They overlap a lot, but they are not interchangeable: each buyer’s supplier manual names the one it accepts.
The four audits compared
| Audit | What you get | How long it lasts | Typically asked for by |
|---|---|---|---|
| amfori BSCI | An audit against the amfori Code of Conduct, rated A to E rather than pass or fail | Usually 12 months; A and B ratings can wait up to 24 months | EU retailers that are amfori members |
| WRAP | A facility certificate against 12 principles for lawful, humane and ethical production | Silver 6 months, Gold 1 year, Platinum 2 years | US retailers and brands |
| Sedex SMETA | An audit report based on the ETI Base Code: 2-pillar (labour, health and safety) or 4-pillar (adds environment and business ethics). No certificate | No fixed expiry; most buyers want one every 12 months | UK and EU retailers |
| SA8000 | A management-system certification built on ILO conventions, with a worker–management Social Performance Team | 3-year certificate with surveillance audits every 6–12 months | Buyers wanting the most demanding social standard |
Which one do you need?
- Selling to a UK retailer: usually SMETA, shared through the Sedex platform.
- Selling to an EU retailer: usually amfori BSCI if the retailer is an amfori member, otherwise SMETA.
- Selling to a US retailer: WRAP is the most common request, although many US brands also accept SMETA or their own audit.
- Selling direct to consumers: no audit is legally required, but a recent SMETA or BSCI report protects your brand and is often requested by marketplaces and wholesale partners later.
If a factory already holds one audit, ask your buyer whether they accept it before paying for another. The Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) exists to reduce duplicate audits: one verified assessment that any buyer can use.
What an audit does and does not prove
An audit is a snapshot of the conditions and records on the audit days. It does not certify your product, and it does not cover a subcontractor or a sister unit at a different address. That is why the audit must name the exact site producing your order, and why buyers combine audits with factory visits and safety inspection records.
How to check an audit is real
- WRAP: search the facility on the certified-facilities list at wrapcompliance.org.
- amfori BSCI: ask for the amfori audit ID; amfori members can open the full report.
- SMETA: ask the factory to share its Sedex reference and report with your company on the Sedex platform.
- SA8000: check the list of certified facilities published by SAAS.
Every standard, with where to verify it, is in our certifications guide. When we place an order, we share the audit of the factory producing it before cutting starts. Ask about your product.
Sources
Checked . Rules and figures change, so confirm anything that affects your pricing.