How SMETA audits work: a 4-pillar overview

A customer has requested a SMETA audit and uploaded you onto SEDEX. What happens next? Here is the process end to end, and the difference between the 2-pillar and 4-pillar scopes.

The two scopes

• 2-Pillar: labour standards plus health & safety, the core ethical trade audit
• 4-Pillar: adds environmental performance and business ethics, increasingly the default for MNC buyers

How the audit runs

A typical site audit takes one to two days: opening meeting, site tour, document review (contracts, payroll, working hours, permits), confidential worker interviews, and a closing meeting where findings are agreed. The report and any corrective action plan are uploaded to the SEDEX platform for your customers to view.

SMETA produces an audit report, not a certificate. What buyers look at is your findings list and how fast you close it.

Where sites get findings

Working hours and overtime records dominate findings in Malaysia, followed by foreign worker recruitment fees and hostel conditions. All are manageable, but they need attention months before the audit, not the week of it.