What a BSCI audit asks of a factory

A BSCI audit is a social audit. It does not look at what a factory makes; it looks at how people are treated while making it. FFG Bags holds amfori BSCI Grade B, moved up from C in 2025 and renewed in 2026. Here is what that involves from the inside.

What the audit covers

The framework looks at the whole of working life: how the factory manages its own system, workers’ rights and involvement, discrimination, working hours, occupational health and safety, child and young workers, the type of employment contracts, forced labour, the environment and business ethics. An auditor reads records, walks the site, and talks to workers and managers. The result is a grade from A to E.

What the day looks like at the factory

Mostly it is the management team’s day. The COO, the CFO and HR carry it, because the work was done together beforehand. If the audit day is full of surprises, the preparation was not done.

For the workers it is mainly a deeper conversation about their rights. We want them to know what they are entitled to, and to answer an auditor from knowledge, not from a script.

What changed between C and B

There was no trick. We tightened our procedures and documented them, reviewed how the working day is organised, and kept improving our environmental management and the records behind everything that BSCI examines. Rules that lived in people’s heads were written down, followed and checked. That is slow work. It also makes a factory easier to run.

Why the pressure keeps growing

Brands are being asked to prove what happens in their supply chain, and the rules are moving down the chain to the factories. The EU Forced Labour Regulation applies from December 2027, and restrictions on certain chemicals, such as PFAS in textiles, are being phased in in several countries. Each turns a customer’s compliance duty into a supplier’s daily practice.

How a buyer should read the report

1. Start with the findings, not the grade. A grade summarises; the findings tell you where the weaknesses are.
2. Separate paperwork from people. A missing record can be fixed in a week. A blocked fire exit is a different kind of finding.
3. Ask for the corrective action plan and what has been done since.
4. Ask about the routine. An audit is a snapshot of one period. What keeps the factory in the same state between audits is the real question.
5. Visit. We accept visits at any time. A factory that does not offer this has told you something.

Why a good report also helps a factory sell

1. It shortens the conversation. A buyer who can read your audit and visit freely spends less time on doubts.
2. It protects the relationship. Rules change, and a supplier already organised for them is a safer partner.
3. It is better for the people. The same discipline that satisfies an auditor protects the team: safety, hours, grievances and records.

What a clean report can hide

It cannot show how the factory behaves on a busy week with a late order. It cannot show whether a supervisor will say no to overtime. Those answers come from a visit and from talking to the managers, not from the document.

A grade is not a finish line either. It is a snapshot, and its value comes from the routine behind it. I would not present options such as WRAP-readiness or PFAS-free materials as certificates held when they are not: say exactly what you have, and show the proof.