Sedex Launches New Virtual Assessment Tool Enabling Businesses to Continue Assessing Suppliers and Protecting Workers in Supply Chain During COVID-19

In an industry first, responsible business membership organisation Sedex has launched a new virtual assessment tool that enables businesses to continue assessing suppliers and protecting workers in their supply chain during the coronavirus pandemic. The Virtual Assessment is a human rights due diligence tool that a social auditor uses to assess the performance of a site remotely through the use of video conferencing, gaining as much insight as possible into site conditions, management systems and documentation. "Sedex is pleased to offer the first available virtual assessment tool to our members. We were keen to support businesses in continuing to assess sites despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and moved quickly to develop Virtual Assessment as a solution. We'll continue to invest in and develop this technology and see it as a significant part of our strategy going forward." Virtual Assessment is aligned to Sedex's existing audit methodology, SMETA, which covers health and safety, labour standards, business ethics and environmental areas, allowing for seamless integration with members' existing data on the Sedex platform. Social audits are an important tool that businesses use to ensure their suppliers are operating ethically. The disruptive nature of the global pandemic has brought increased scrutiny on supply chains even as related restrictions make in-person site audits more difficult than ever.