Sedex guidance on COVID-19

Guidance for businesses on managing the impacts of COVID-19 on their employees and workers in their supply chains

Sedex has developed guidance to provide practical steps to manage the impacts on workers in your business and supply chains. This guidance draws on the UNGPs and is meant for Sedex members, both buyers and suppliers, and Affiliate Audit Companies. Sedex will regularly review the content as the pandemic evolves. The guidance is broken into three section:

1. Guidance for all members

• The role of business in addressing COVID-19 and its impacts
• The businesses and people most vulnerable to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19

This will help your business understand who will be most affected by the virus and where support is most needed among their workforce and in their supply chains.

2. Guidance for employers (buyers and suppliers):

This details standards, requirements and responsibilities for businesses to protect their workforce from health and economic impacts of COVID-19.

• Labour standards during COVID-19 and managing impacts on your workforce
• Considerations for businesses experiencing reduced demand or increased demand for goods and services

There are also Sedex tools and checklists for you to download and use in your workplace.

3. Guidance for buyers: managing the impacts of COVID-19 in your supply chain

This details guidance on how businesses should work with their supply chain partners during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, to minimise the negative impacts on suppliers and people in their supply chains. It covers:

• Human Rights Risk assessment on supply chain impact
• Supporting your suppliers with good purchasing practices
• Managing audits and compliance programmes during COVID-19

Read our COVID-19 Impact Report

You can access further reading and external resources on COVID-19.