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The RBA provides assessment tools to members to help them measure and better understand how they are meeting RBA standards and membership criteria, and what gaps remain. Where assessment tools show that standards are not being met, the RBA also provides tools for members to remedy gaps and put in place appropriate systems to prevent reoccurrences in the future.
For a complete listing of membership criteria, please view this page.
Risk Self-Assessment
The self-assessment is a due-diligence tool designed to help members self-assess social, environmental and ethical risks in their supply chains. The risk self-assessment can assist members in identifying ways to remedy existing RBA Code of Conduct violations, and to put in place systems to work to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future. Risks and challenges in this space are constantly evolving, and members should re-assess their supply chains as appropriate, and particularly as supply chains change (for example, as suppliers change or materials used by suppliers change).
RBA members, based on their membership category, should complete risk self-assessments at the corporate level and at the facility level at their own manufacturing facilities. Members are also strongly encouraged to use the self-assessment as a key part of their risk assessment of suppliers' facilities in their supply chains in an effort to help prevent possible violations of the RBA Code of Conduct.
The RBA provides its members with a risk assessment template that they may use called the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), as well as a high-level risk assessment tool. Depending on their membership category, members should use the SAQ or an equivalent on their own facilities and at the corporate level, and for supplier facilities they have the option of using the RBA SAQ or an equivalent risk assessment tool. The SAQ is available in RBA-Online, in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. SAQs are valid for 12 months.
In the RBA’s continuing efforts to provide its members with risk assessment tools, we also offer an advanced risk assessment tool, with global risk indices aligned with RBA’s Code of Conduct. RBA members are encouraged to use this as their high-level risk assessment tool. Members can access the tool via RBA-Online.
The RBA recommends that members take advantage of both the high-level risk assessment tool and the SAQ to evaluate risks in their global supply chains, as they provide complementary information on suppliers’ inherent risk on CSR issues, and the controls and management systems these suppliers are using in an effort to mitigate their social and environmental risks.
View a sample Risk SAQ: Corporate | Facility
Please note these are samples only and companies are strongly encouraged to complete the SAQ online through RBA-Online. For more information on how to complete an SAQ in RBA-Online, please view the SAQ FAQs.
RBA Validated Assessment Program
For information about the VAP, including preparatory documents, please see our VAP page.
Alternatives to the Validated Assessment Program
RBA members may choose not to use the Validated Assessment Program for their supply chain sustainability audits (although they should use the RBA VAP protocol for their audits). Members that choose not to use the VAP but want to use the VAP protocol can complete approved customer-managed audits (CMAs) or auditee-managed audits (AMAs) as long as they use an approved third-party audit firm, have their auditors approved by the RBA Assessment Program Manager, and execute the RBA VAP protocol in its entirety.
The RBA has also added a modular approach to assessing a facility, to provide users with flexibility, efficiency, and cost-savings when more comprehensive assessments are unnecessary. The service is called a Customized Assessment and is completely in the control of the requestor.
The Customized Assessment allows the user to select elements of the RBA Code of Conduct based on their specific needs. Questions in the Customized Assessment can include any or all from the Labor, Health and Safety, Environment, Ethics, and Management Systems elements of the VAP protocol that supports the RBA Code of Conduct. The requestor can customize the question set, the scope, and the on-site person days. Learn more about the Customized Assessment here in this overview and contact the VAP team for additional details.
For more about how members fulfill their membership criteria, please visit the RBA membership page.
Beyond Audits
While auditing is a common tool used for corporate supply chain sustainability programs, it is just one tool in the toolbox. Audits are based on a snapshot in time; they can establish a baseline and provide an important monitoring and evaluation check, but an audit’s mere completion is not a direct signifier of top performance in supply chain sustainability.
Strong management systems and institutional structures and practices that facilitate productive and sustainable manufacturing operations are also important to supply chain sustainability. These systems and structures can help to prevent accidents and abuses that damage both businesses and communities.
The RBA offers a range of educational tools to support members to make best use of these systems and structures that solve problems before they arise and reduce the need for costly auditing. More information about our training resources are available here.
Additional Assistance
Are you an RBA member that is an RBA-Online user and need help? Contact us: Support for RBA members
Support for non-RBA members that are registered users of RBA-Online can be found here: Email support
