Key Topic: Systematize Data Collection

Woman in black shirt and man with a blue shirt and headphones look at data on a computer.
Photo Credit: Desola Lanre-Ologun_Unsplash

A social compliance team should have a comprehensive information system in place. Fragmentation of data can hurt the company in several ways:

  • Duplication of efforts;
  • Decision-making based on incomplete or incorrect information; and
  • Different units of the company sending opposing messages to suppliers, potentially damaging business relationships.

Data that should be captured and tracked includes:

  1. Sourcing data
    • Countries where products are sourced
    • Specific products sourced from each country
    • Vendors or agents who place orders in specific production facilities (if applicable)
    • All production facilities from which products are sourced
    • Specific products sourced from each production facility
    • Countries and production facilities under consideration for product sourcing
  2. Worker-driven social compliance data
    • Risk assessment data for countries where products are or may be sourced
    • Data gathered from stakeholders, including workers and unions, through ongoing consultation regarding countries, labor issues, or other relevant topics
    • Grievances and complaints received through established mechanisms and how they were handled
    • Audit results
    • Independent verification results
    • Remediation models for use in specific situations involving code violations
    • Programs and services available in communities to assist victims of labor abuse, including children
    • Clearance and final approval from workers and unions on any final data packages