What Is Sedex — and Why Are Buyers Asking You to Join?
Tomas Novotny
Solutions Expert
2 Jan 2026
About 5 mins
If a customer has recently asked you to “join Sedex,” you’re not alone — and it’s normal to have questions.
For many suppliers, Sedex is first encountered as a requirement, not a choice. It can feel like just another platform to pay for, another questionnaire to complete, or another audit to prepare for.
This article explains, in simple terms:
- What Sedex is
- Why buyers are asking for it
- Whether you really need it
And, most importantly, what’s in it for you as a supplier
First things first: what is Sedex?
Sedex is a global platform used by suppliers and buyers to manage and share information about:
- Labour standards
- Health & safety
- Environmental practices
- Business ethics
Instead of answering the same compliance questions for every customer, Sedex allows you to store your data once and share it with multiple buyers in a standardised way.
Many buyers also use Sedex to access SMETA audits, the most widely recognised social audit methodologies in global supply chains.
In short:
Sedex helps suppliers reduce duplication, improve transparency, and demonstrate responsible business practices to buyers.
Why are buyers asking suppliers to join Sedex?
Buyers are under increasing pressure themselves.
They face:
- New and emerging supply chain due-diligence laws
- Greater scrutiny from regulators, investors, and consumers
- The need to prove that risks in their supply chains are identified and managed
To do this, buyers need consistent, credible, and comparable data from their suppliers.
Sedex provides a trusted, standardised way for them to collect that information — which is why many buyers now prefer (or require) suppliers to be on the platform.
Importantly, this isn’t about creating more work. In fact, most buyers use Sedex because they want to:
- Reduce duplicate audits
- Avoid multiple, conflicting questionnaires
- Work with suppliers more efficiently
Do I really need to join Sedex?
If a key customer has made Sedex a condition of doing business, then joining may be necessary to keep that relationship.
But many suppliers find that once they’re on the platform, Sedex becomes more than a compliance requirement — it becomes a practical business tool.
What often starts as “something we have to do” becomes something that:
- Saves time
- Reduces disruption
- And supports future growth
What’s the return on investment (ROI) for suppliers?
This is the question that matters most.
1. Fewer audits and less disruption
One of the biggest benefits of Sedex is the ability to:
- Complete one SMETA audit
- Share that audit with multiple buyers
Instead of hosting separate audits for each customer — each with their own timelines and requests — you can significantly reduce:
- Audit fatigue
- Production disruption
- Repeated preparation work
For many suppliers, this alone offsets the cost of membership.
2. Less admin and fewer duplicate requests
Sedex standardises how suppliers provide information through tools like self-assessments and centralised document uploads.
This means:
- You answer common questions once, not repeatedly
- Evidence is stored in one place
- Less manual tracking across spreadsheets, emails, and portals
Over time, suppliers often rely less on external consultants and spend less internal time chasing paperwork.
3. Better visibility of risks — before they become problems
Sedex helps suppliers identify and manage issues earlier by:
- Highlighting gaps through self-assessment
- Providing clear corrective action plans after audits
- Making expectations more transparent across buyers
This can lead to:
- Fewer surprises during audits
- Faster corrective action cycles
- Stronger readiness for inspections or regulatory checks
For many facilities, this improves safety, consistency, and confidence across operations.
Stronger buyer trust and commercial opportunities
Being on Sedex helps signal that your business:
- Works to recognised global standards
- Takes responsible sourcing seriously
- Is prepared for buyer due diligence
Suppliers often use their Sedex data and SMETA results to:
- Support buyer onboarding
- Strengthen tender and RFP responses
- Build credibility in commercial discussions
For some suppliers, this leads not just to retaining contracts — but to winning new ones.
Is Sedex only for large factories?
No. Sedex is used by a wide range of suppliers, including:
- Manufacturers with large workforces
- Small farms and smallholders
- Processing facilities and upstream sites
- Service providers such as security, logistics, IT, agencies etc.
The platform is designed to support different levels of scale and maturity, and many suppliers receive help through cooperatives, agents, or buyers when getting started.
The goal is not perfection — it’s progress, transparency, and shared understanding.
What does joining Sedex involve?
At a high level, suppliers typically:
1. Create a Sedex account
2. Complete a self-assessment
3. Upload relevant documents
4. Share information with buyers
5. Decide, with buyers, if and when an audit is needed
You don’t have to do everything at once. Many suppliers start with the basics and build over time as requirements grow.
A final thought
Sedex is often introduced as a requirement — but many suppliers find its real value lies in what happens next.
Used well, it can help you:
- Reduce duplication
- Lower audit burden
- Strengthen buyer relationships
- Improve employee churn
- And operate with greater clarity and confidence
