Why SMETA?
We need to ensure that we and our suppliers we partner with are working in an ethical manner, and SMETA offers to us a robust ethical audit that help inform and guide us when making decisions. And because we and our suppliers can share those audits with multiple buyers, we all avoid unnecessary duplication, saving time and money across the supply chain.
What is SMETA?
SMETA is an audit procedure which is a compilation of good practice in ethical audit technique. It is not a code of conduct, a new methodology, or a certification process.
Using SMETA, ElbeFruit and it´s suppliers can have one audit conducted and share it with multiple customers, rather than having a different audit conducted for each customer.
SMETA methodology uses the ETI code and local law as the measurement tool. It includes four modules:
- Health and safety
- Labour standards
- Environment (optional)
- Business ethics (optional)
The Challenge
We are pioneers in the sugar snap and snow pea industry in Guatemala. The methodology is still adapting to the local law and the way the industry has function during the last 30 years. More than going through the audit we have to go through a difficult and long implementation process but it is part of our commitment to supply 100% sustainable fruits and vegetables.
We have planed the audit as soon as the first crops are ready for harvest by the end of 2018 so you can be sure that from next season on you are sourcing ethical snow peas and sugar snap peas.