This Standard has been developed to specify the ethical trade and responsible sourcing requirements that should be in place on a site to fulfil its legal and moral obligations towards its workers. The Standard can also form the basis for the assessment of the extended supply chain of a certificated site to fulfil obligations with respect to responsible sourcing.

The Standard was the first scheme to be globally recognised as achieving the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) benchmark. An audit will assess a site’s premises, operational systems and procedures and how they are considered within its ethical trade and responsible sourcing management system.

For Issue 2.1, BRCGS has changed the direction of the independent accreditation process from ISO 17021 to ISO 17065. The protocol has been updated to reflect the change while the majority of the requirements remain as for Issue 2.

Use of BRCGS intellectual property

Information on how you can use BRCGS Standards, guidance and published content can be found here. You can also find a list of answers to common question on how BRCGS content can be used here.

It is a requirement that all suppliers undergoing a BRCGS audit to the Global Standard Ethical Trade and Responsible Sourcing have access to an official copy of the Standard. Companies must comply with all modules to achieve certification.