Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct

The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) is the world's largest industry coalition dedicated to responsible business conduct in global supply chains. Members can be confident that their suppliers and their own factories follow the highest social, environmental and ethical standards.  

Membership assures you that employees across the supply chain are being treated well. TÜV SÜD can support your implementation of the RBA Code of Conduct. Not only will this improve your brand’s reputation and reduce the risk of negative publicity, it will also ensure that your profits remain stable.

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the way the products they use are manufactured. They prefer to buy products from brands they perceive as ethical. Most electronics companies source components from multiple suppliers across the world. This can make it very challenging to ensure suppliers follow corporate social responsibility best practice.

A brand’s reputation can be badly damaged if it does not follow the highest employment standards or sources components from companies that treat employees poorly. Shareholders are likely to demand change and profits could be affected by negative publicity.

Following the Code of Conduct from the Responsible Business Alliance and having RBA certification demonstrates that your company takes workers’ rights seriously.

The benefits of RBA audits

RBA audits of your facilities and supply chain

• Ensure the highest health and safety standards and fair conditions for workers
• Protect your brand
• Instil trust in consumers and business customers
• Mitigate risk of expensive civil litigation or industrial action
• Ensure business operations are environmentally responsible

• Platinum: for factories with a minimum VAP score of 200 and all Priority, Major and Minor findings closed 

• Gold: for factories with a minimum VAP score of 180 and all Priority and Major findings closed 

• Silver: for factories with a minimum VAP score of 160 and all Priority findings closed 

The VAP audit is one of the most fundamental Responsible Business Alliance programmes. It is the leading standard for onsite compliance verification and effective, shareable RBA audits.

TÜV SÜD is among a select number of organisations licensed to audit against the responsible business alliance code of conduct. As one of the nine founding members of the APSCA (Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors), we work closely with you to audit working conditions in your factories and in your suppliers’ facilities. This ensures that they are meeting the standards set out by responsible business alliance.  

TÜV SÜD has extensive knowledge and experience of the auditing process for the electronics industry supply chain. Our expert auditors are trained to follow the RBA audit toolkits. They are also trained to spot hard-to-find violations such as instances of forced labour and can provide actionable plans to improve workers’ conditions. 

The RBA Code of Conduct auditing process lasts one to six days, depending on the size of the facility. We offer three types of RBA audit services: 

• Customer Managed Audit (CMA)
• Auditee Managed Audit (AMA)
• Validated Assessment Program (VAP) audit