Who can use the Equivalence Process?

All organisations that have an influence on supply chain monitoring at one level or another can use the Equivalence Process to benchmark their practices. This includes:

What's the purpose of the Equivalence Process?

1. drive continuous improvement in the content of standards while preserving their specificities > Step 1: the Self-Assessment

• assess internal tools and processes (e.g. your supplier code of conduct; your audit policy) against best existing practices as set out in the GSCP Reference tools (e.g. GSCP Reference Code, GSCP Reference tool for Auditing Competence) > assessment of level of equivalence;
• identify any gaps in requirements or implementation processes;
• make improvements to your standards and tools where necessary.

2. increase mutual recognition through objective comparison > Steps 2 and 3: the Equivalence Assessment and Share & Compare

Independent and objective third-party review of a user's Self-Assessment > validation of its accuracy and completeness by a Panel of Experts > allows users to share their assessment of equivalence with others. To enable:

- auditing bodies (ensure quality and consistency of audits)
- initiatives / collaborative schemes / standard setting bodies (broader recognition and reduction of duplication)

The Equivalence Process will help users strengthen their compliance systems and validate their approach.