Birth background
In March 2003, the FTA, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, formally established the BSCI, a social responsibility organization that advocates business compliance. The purpose is to develop implementation measures and procedures for the European business community to comply with the social responsibility plan. At present, BSCI has attracted more than 180 members from 11 countries, most of them are European retailers and buyers. They will actively promote their suppliers in various countries in the world to accept BSCI audits to improve their human rights situation. BSCI is a program that implements a common monitoring system for social standards for retail, industry and importers and improves the fulfillment of social responsibilities in the country where suppliers are located. Nowadays, more and more discussions about the human rights situation are focused on the situation in developing countries or newly industrialized countries that produce consumer goods. In a country that is industrializing, improving the social standards of the country that provides its retailers has become a very important agenda for many companies. Problems with suppliers around the world include: child labor, forced labor, wages that do not even reach the minimum level, interference with the establishment of trade unions, interference with the work of employee representatives, lack of safety in the workplace, excessively long working hours, and excessive overtime And various forms of discrimination that may exist.
To address these issues, companies, traders, and industry associations from retail and industry in Europe and around the world have developed codes of conduct. These codes are usually based on the major labor conventions in the International Labour Organization (ILO), and are intended to improve working conditions in supplier countries. Many countries have established monitoring systems for these codes of conduct, including: Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Canada. The purpose of these codes of conduct and the related monitoring system are very similar, even their contents are similar. Numerous standards make retailers feel unbearable when they assume their social responsibilities. Their suppliers face the same situation; they have to meet more and more requirements and audit procedures. Therefore, there is an urgent need for concerted action in retail and industry. With the increasing international attention to these issues, it is more urgent to formulate common actions. Many international groups have taken the initiative to submit this issue for internal discussion. For example, the United Nations' "Global Action Plan", the "OECD" Multinational Enterprise Principles, and the "World Trade Organization (WTO)" Consider adding social standards to multilateral trade regulations. The European Commission also issued a joint communiqué on social issues in 2002. Some companies and associations, such as the Foreign Trade Association, also participated in the discussions and initiated actions. However, the European retail industry puts more emphasis on voluntary principles than enforcement, and abides by the corresponding governmental and organizational regulations in the international community. Since 2002, the Foreign Trade Association (FTA), headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, has been committed to establishing a common platform for many different codes of conduct and monitoring systems in Europe and laying a solid foundation for establishing a common European monitoring system. During the two years of 2002 and 2003, major retail companies and associations held several seminars to establish a framework for such systems. In March 2003, FTA formally established the Business Compliance Social Responsibility Organization (BSCI), which aims to formulate implementation measures and procedures for the European business community to comply with social responsibility programs.
