URSA – Understanding Responsible Sourcing Audit
URSA (Understanding Responsible Sourcing Audit) is a framework developed by Unilever to assess supplier practices across various critical areas beyond industry-accepted protocols. By encompassing a wide range of criteria, URSA aims to ensure that suppliers not only comply with applicable laws and regulations but also meet Unilever’s stringent standards for responsible sourcing.
URSA – Understanding Responsible Sourcing Audit
What is URSA?
Responsible sourcing audits are an essential tool used by companies to assess and verify the compliance of their suppliers with established standards, regulations, and commitments related to responsible sourcing practice. These audits aim to ensure that suppliers adhere to ethical labor practices, environmental sustainability criteria, and other relevant requirements throughout the supply chain.
Unilever has appointed Control Union, among other auditing companies, as one of its preferred partners to conduct responsible sourcing audits. Control Union is an independent third-party auditing firm with expertise in assessing compliance with responsible sourcing standards and requirements. By partnering with Control Union and other auditing companies, Unilever aims to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of its responsible sourcing audit program.
Undergoing an URSA audit is necessary for suppliers to meet Unilever’s requirements for compliance and to progress along the responsible sourcing ladder to achieve the Good Practice Benchmark. By meeting the criteria outlined in the URSA framework, suppliers demonstrate their commitment to ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible business practices.
URSA
About the standard
Responsible sourcing audits play a crucial role in promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical business practices throughout the supply chain, helping companies mitigate risks, protect their reputation, and contribute to a more sustainable and socially responsible global economy.
Unilever has been actively working on sustainability initiatives and responsible sourcing practices. One of the key aspects of their approach involves requiring their suppliers to undergo audits to ensure compliance with their standards.
URSA (Understanding Responsible Sourcing Audit) enables an independent assessment of a supplier’s compliance against all applicable laws, regulations, SEDEX – SMETA and the additional elements of URSA check list.
SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit)
SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) is a widely recognized social audit methodology designed to help businesses assess their suppliers’ adherence to ethical trading practices, covering labor standards, health and safety, environment, and business ethics. Combining SMETA with additional elements from Unilever’s URSA checklist ensures that suppliers not only meet industry standards but also adhere to Unilever’s specific requirements regarding responsible sourcing.
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