What are the obvious characteristics of Higg Index, FEM, SLCP?

1. First of all, whether it is SLCP/FSLM or FEM, they are just an industry standard and a measurement tool. They are not traditional audits, no PASS, FAIL, but just verification.

2. There is no inclination in Higg Index, SLCP checklist, and also no PASS / FAIL, serious, important, secondary, etc. The problem points are severely divided, but only focus on information collecting.

3. The FEM/FSLM process is generally completed by the supplier, and then the customer or the accredited third-party verification agency conducts on-site verification of the accuracy of the factory self-assessment data. As for whether the factory meets the customer's requirements, the customer is rated according to the verified report. Therefore, a professional verifier may tell the factory when verifying that your self-assessment data is not accurate, but will not tell the factory that one of your points does not meet regulatory requirements or customer requirements.

4. It should be pointed out that the inspection point of FEM includes about 1000 points for the chemical part, and about 3000 points for SLCP/FSLM. According to experience, it takes about 2-3 weeks for a factory to complete a self-assessment, so the supplier is When completing the self-assessment requested by the customer, remember to allow sufficient time to ensure that the self-assessment is completed before the node requested by the customer.

The above four points are unique features of the Higg Index and SLCP.

SLCP solves some of the pain points in the industry, such as:

1) Many buyers of shoes and apparel are contracted parties of SLCP, and the same standard can be used uniformly to reduce repeated audits;

2) Reports are easy to share;

3) SLCP verification only produces data and facts. It does not set a propensity classification for any checkpoint (for example, whether it is a problem, whether it is Critical, Major, Minor, etc.), so it is convenient for buyers to internally score according to their own understanding and standards grading. In other words, SLCP makes it easy for different buyers to develop their own rules of the game while using the same set of CSR standards.

From the third point above, verification and audit are different. Verification is only to confirm that the factory's self-assessment data is true. The verifier does not need to decide whether it is a problem point, whether it is serious/significant/slight, etc., because it is determined by the buyer according to the verification report.

Why does SLCP have its own IT platform and need to use another third-party IT platform? 

According to SLCP's explanation, third-party platforms can implement more functions such as scoring and grading, while customers may be more familiar with the use of third-party platforms.

SLCP uses a multi-stakeholder and inclusive organization and approach. Signatories include manufacturers, retailers and brands, agents and audit firms/service providers, as well as organizations in the public sector, standard holders, civil society organizations and multi-stakeholder organizations with an interest in converging assessments and improving labor and social conditions. 

SLCP will be accountable to signatories through an annual meeting (annual general assembly). Find a comprehensive list of our signatories by scrolling up to our Signatories section.

The SLCP (Social & Labor Convergence Program) has developed a Convergence Assessment Framework (CAF) to support stakeholders in improving the working conditions of the global apparel and footwear supply chain. The CAF consists of a data collection tool, a verification protocol, and a verifier guide. The SLCP data collection tools and verification methods are designed to replace current social responsibility audit tools to reduce audit fatigue and save resources to implement improvement plans.

In addition, the plain language is used to explain that many buyers in the footwear industry support the use of a corporate social responsibility standard. After the factory completes the SLCP self-assessment, the third-party agency (or the buyer's own) verifiers self-assess the factory. The content is verified and the verified report is shared through a third-party hosting platform (ie a third-party IT platform) or a SLCP gateway (simplely understood as SLCP's own IT platform).