Your common SLCP questions answered
As a Verifier Body for the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), our front-line teams are often asked a variety of questions concerning the SLCP program, how verification is conducted, the processes and other related details.
Therefore, we asked Swapnil Savadi, Global Lead for the SLCP program, and an experienced SLCP Verifier and SLCP Verified Trainer, to lay out some of the most commonly asked SLCP questions for you.
Q: What is SLCP?
The Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) was formed in 2015 by a group of 33 brands, manufacturers and other stakeholders who were hoping to release practitioners from audit fatigue in the apparel and footwear industry.
They reviewed 21 audit questionnaires from other standards, brands and audit firms, and tried to harmonise the requirements, resulting in what is now known as the Converged Assessment Framework (CAF), serving as the backbone of the assessment.
Currently there are more than 260 Signatories at SLCP from brands/retailers, manufacturers, audit firms, NGOs, industry associations and other stakeholders.
Q: How is SLCP different from other audit programmes/standards such as amfori and SMETA?
The purpose of SLCP is to remove audit fatigue and so, instead of being another set of different requirements, the CAF has taken 21 other common audit programmes and standards into consideration already. In other words, by conducting SLCP verification, facilities would have fulfilled most of the information needed by other major standards. According to SLCP, CAF satisfies 97% of the information required if CAF is fully completed.
Another key difference is that SLCP Verification does not provide scoring. Upon finishing the verification, the facilities will not get a Pass/Fail result or Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) like they normally do in other audit programmes/standards. Interpretation of the validated data lies on the users whom facilities share the report with.
Q: How often is SLCP verification needed?
Verified data is valid for 12 months. Facilities will have to re-do the verification afterwards. However, if there are any major changes at the facilities around the 9 key sections under CAF within the 12-month valid period, it is highly recommended to undergo another verification so the latest information can be duly shared.
Q: Is SLCP available globally?
SLCP is available in multiple regions across Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. You can always look for the latest SLCP coverage at the SLCP Gateway to see if it’s available locally.
Q: What are the processes involved in SLCP Verification?
In a nutshell, there are 3 stages, namely Data Collection, Verification and Data Sharing, and I'll be illustrating briefly them as below:
Stage 1 - Data Collection is handled by the facility. We have mentioned this term ‘facility’ in this article frequently and it actually refers to the site that is applying for SLCP Verification. In most cases, the facilities are factories. As its name suggests, during the Data Collection stage, the facility has to fill in data being requested in either Excel format or with the online tools. It is important to note that even with Excel completion, the file will still be uploaded to the platforms for processing.
Stage 2 - Verification happens when the facility selects a Verifier Body to verify the data when it is ready. A Verifier will then be sent by the selected Verifier Body to have an on-site verification of data. Once the site verification is done, verification report will be submitted to platforms and the facility will have 14 calendar days to accept or raise disputes to the verification report. It will naturally proceed to the next step if the report is accepted, but if disputed, it will be ruled by SLCP’s Verification Oversight Organization.
Stage 3 - Data Sharing takes place once the verification report is finalised. Data is stored within the platforms but data ownership is with the facility. It’s entirely the facility’s decision to share the data with other parties, be they existing or new business partners.
Q: How much time does it usually take to fill in the SLCP data collection tool?
This really varies. For a first-time user, it could take a few weeks to understand the scope of CAF, gather all necessary information and fill in the questionnaire carefully. Colleagues from multiple departments, ranging from HR, safety, management to line workers are all likely to be involved to get a full picture.
The verification is no doubt a lengthy process but it’s also a good chance to review what the facility conditions and a great opportunity for different teams to collaborate and improve together. Occasionally we see facilities rushing the verification, missing out the original purposes of the exercises, so we always advise facilities to think through the whole process. Doing a speed run isn’t helpful.
Q: What should the facility do when the SLCP verification is done?
One unique thing with SLCP is the concept of data sharing. SLCP has its own digital platform called SLCP Gateway, which serves as the central database and connects electronically to Accredited Host (AH). AHs are platforms by other bodies that work with SLCP for SLCP data upload, and this is the virtual space that facilities and Verifiers upload their data. For data sharing, the facility can choose to do this at either SLCP Gateway or AHs.
The most significant purpose of SLCP is to reduce audit fatigue, and hence this data sharing is specially designed that facility can share validated data with multiple partners upon requests easily, all on one single verification. Many world-renowned brands and retailers accept SLCP results, and most of them have their digital platforms connected to the AHs. This is indeed a great feature and very convenient to stakeholders involved!
Q: Is the facility required to have SLCP membership to use SLCP verification?
No, a facility doesn’t need to have SLCP membership to request a verification. They will have to register and create their profile at SLCP Gateway at the very first step to verification.
Q: How can the facility improve if they get a ‘bad’ result from SLCP verification?
Again, there is no bad or good result from SLCP verification. The outcome from the verification is validated and high-quality data. Interpretation of the facility’s performance and deciding next steps are with the retailers and brands that the data is shared with.
We hope that we answered some of your queries. For more information, visit here.
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