Risk to Results: International Apparel Brand's Journey to Supply Chain Visibility with Sedex
An international apparel brand has revolutionised its approach to responsible sourcing by leveraging Sedex’s platform to drive transparency and accountability across high-risk markets. By implementing unified data management and risk assessment tools across Asia Pacific countries like Vietnam, Africans and Mauritius, the brand has moved from operational blind spots to measurable compliance with modern slavery legislation whilst building stakeholder trust through public transparency via a supply chain mapping platform.
The Challenge
In an era of heightened scrutiny on supply chain ethics, the international apparel brand faced complex challenges managing sourcing across multiple high-risk countries. With shifting regulations, growing stakeholder expectations, and the need for visibility beyond Tier 1 suppliers, the brand required a robust and scalable solution that could provide consistent, credible data to ensure fair, safe, and dignified work across every factory.
Traditional fragmented approaches created compliance risks, duplicated efforts, and left critical gaps that could hide the very issues stakeholders cared about most. The brand needed a platform that could unify data, enable risk-based decision making, and support public transparency commitments.
How Sedex Enabled Transparent and Accountable Sourcing
To strengthen its responsible sourcing practices, the brand selected Sedex’s comprehensive platform to implement a unified supply chain transparency strategy. Using Sedex’s integrated tools and capabilities, the brand deployed:
1. Sedex Platform for centralised data management: The team utilised Sedex’s platform to unify social and environmental data, risk scoring, and audit records in a single system, eliminating fragmented information management and enabling real-time visibility across the entire supply chain.
2. SAQ Programme for universal coverage: 100% of Tier 1 suppliers completed Sedex Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs), with suppliers also uploading SMETA audits from approved audit firms directly through the Sedex platform, creating baseline coverage.
3. Risk Assessment Tools for strategic prioritisation: Leveraging Sedex’s risk scoring methodology, the brand implemented dynamic risk assessments that determined audit priorities, with Business Critical and Critical issues identified, blocking supplier onboarding until remediation was complete.
4. SMETA Audits for High-Risk Sites: The brand funded comprehensive SMETA 4-pillar audits for high-risk suppliers, utilising Sedex’s approved audit firm network whilst maintaining audit quality through Sedex’s standardised reporting framework.
5. Supply Chain Integration for public transparency: The brand published Tier 1 factory lists twice yearly to an to a Supply Chain mapping platform, with gender breakdowns, leveraging this partnership to strengthen public accountability and demonstrate transparency commitments.
6. Remediation tracking: The platform enabled systematic tracking of remediation programmes in Myanmar and Mauritius, including monitoring reimbursement of migrant worker recruitment fees, ensuring visibility of progress beyond compliance gaps.
Driving Change Through Integrated Operations
“Sedex’s platform transformed how we manage supply chain risk. Linking risk signals to clear actions through their tools let us move faster and prove progress. Having procurement and sustainability working from the same Sedex data revolutionised how quickly we could identify issues and demonstrate real change to our stakeholders.”
Senior Sustainability Manager
The Results
By implementing Sedex’s comprehensive platform and tools, the brand achieved transformative results:
1. Complete coverage with strategic focus: 86% of Tier 1 sites audited within two years, with 100% maintaining valid audits or SAQs pending next verification cycle.
2. Zero tolerance for critical issues: Eliminated onboarding of factories with critical non-conformances until full remediation, ensuring supply chain integrity from day one.
3. Systematic issue resolution: Active remediation programmes addressing structural problems like recruitment fee reimbursement, moving beyond compliance to meaningful worker protection.
4. Enhanced stakeholder trust: Public transparency through biannual factory list publication with gender data, building credibility with customers, investors, and advocacy groups.
5. Enhanced cross-functional efficiency: Using Sedex’s shared platform, procurement and sustainability teams now operate from the same live risk data, reducing duplicated efforts and accelerating decision-making processes through unified visibility.
Empowering Responsible Business Practices with Sedex
For brands seeking to improve their supply chain responsibility and achieve measurable compliance improvements, Sedex’s platform enables efficient risk management, targeted verification, and stakeholder engagement. The key lies in leveraging Sedex’s comprehensive tools to secure complete coverage first, then using intelligent risk scoring to focus resources where they matter most whilst maintaining transparency through integrated reporting capabilities.
Contact our team today to request a demo tailored to your industry.
