Social Auditing and Ethical Certification
Research has documented persistent problems in the effectiveness of social auditing and ethical certification schemes when it comes to detecting, addressing, and preventing forced labour. Yet, companies continue to turn to these private tools to fulfil their duties under due diligence and transparency legislation, and as strategies to respond to pressure to address forced labour and shield themselves from liability when it does occur. While there is growing acknowledgement of the social compliance regime’s flaws, there has been less attention to how these could be addressed.
With that in mind, this brief explores: How can social auditing and certification be adequately regulated or reformed to play a role in eradicating forced labour? What is the potential to reinvest the cost of creating and operating these mechanisms into more effective, worker-driven solutions? Tackling these questions, we map out how monitoring tools would need to change to play a meaningful role in promoting labour standards. We stress the need to establish liability for auditors and certifiers that play a role in misleading consumers and policymakers about labour practices and worksite conditions, including for the accuracy of their reports and the role they play in covering up criminal practices. At the same time, we argue that funds spent on auditing and certification should be channelled into more effective worker-driven and state-led solutions.
