What is a SMETA audit?
A Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) is an on-site assessment of one workplace. An auditor from a Sedex-approved Affiliate Audit Company (AAC) checks the site against local law and the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code. Sedex owns the method but does not conduct the audit.
A 2-pillar audit covers labour standards, health and safety, and a basic environment assessment. A 4-pillar audit adds the full environment and business ethics pillars. Sedex gives illustrative audit times of two days and three days respectively; the actual scope comes from the request and the site.
Why does a SMETA audit matter to you?
A customer may ask for a SMETA audit of a named factory before a sourcing or renewal decision. Confirm the site, 2-pillar or 4-pillar scope, announced, semi-announced or unannounced schedule, required completion date, and who may view the report. Preparing the wrong site or scope can leave the request unanswered.
SMETA 7.0 also grades the site's Management Systems Assessment (MSA). The MSA checks four elements: policies and procedures, an accountable manager, worker and manager training, and monitoring that shows the procedures work. A group policy alone does not prove those controls operate at the audited site.
How does a SMETA audit work?
The site needs active Sedex membership before an AAC can conduct and upload a full or follow-up audit. The auditor reviews documents and records, tours the workplace, interviews workers and managers, and checks actual conditions. A semi-announced audit uses a window of at least three weeks; an unannounced audit gives no prior date.
The outputs are a full audit report and a Corrective Action Plan Report (CAPR). The full report describes the findings, systems and evidence examined on site. The CAPR lists each finding, agreed corrective and preventive actions, timescales, verification methods and MSA grades. SMETA is not a certification or a single pass-or-fail score.
The corrective actions recorded in the CAPR form the supplier's time-bound plan for addressing the audited findings. A supplier improvement plan is not a separate SMETA audit output. It is the supplier's broader plan for combining CAPR actions with longer-term labour, environment, ethics, governance and document improvements. Photos, certificates and policies may support a desktop review, but findings that require worker testimony need a follow-up audit. Sedex says follow-up audits generally occur within six months.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Calling the audit a certificate, pass, approval or customer endorsement.
- Booking a 2-pillar audit when the request requires full environment and business ethics checks.
- Preparing head-office policies without site payroll, working-hours, training, permit, waste and incident records.
- Marking a finding closed when the AAC has not verified the evidence or required worker testimony.
Is a SMETA audit the same as a Sedex assessment?
No. Sedex is the membership platform where supplier data and audit results are held and shared. SMETA is the audit methodology used by approved AAC auditors at a specific site. A self-assessment on Sedex does not replace the on-site audit a customer requested.
What is the difference between a 2-pillar and 4-pillar SMETA audit?
Both cover labour standards and health and safety, and the 2-pillar version includes a basic environment assessment. The 4-pillar version adds the full environment and business ethics reviews, including waste, resource use, environmental controls, anti-bribery controls and policy implementation.
What do you send when a customer asks for a SMETA audit?
Send the named site's Sedex reference, the customer's wording, required pillars, scheduling type, deadline and any prior report or open CAPR. Give the AAC the site's payroll and working-hours records, worker-interview access, safety records, permits, waste records, training records and ethics records for the requested period. Keep customer access to the final report under your authorised Sedex account.