What Is SLCP?
Social & Labor Convergence Program
The Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) is a voluntary, multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to simplify labor standards auditing in the apparel and footwear industry. It uses a Converged Assessment Framework (CAF) to collect objective social and labor data, identifying opportunities for improvement and tracking progress.
SLCP is not a certification or audit program, but a verification process that recognizes a facility’s assessment results, allowing them to share their verification results with brands and retailers, reducing audit fatigue.
The program covers eight segments:
- Recruitment & Hiring
- Working Hours
- Wages and Benefits
- Employee Treatment
- Employee Involvement
- Health & Safety
- Termination
- Management System
SLCP aims to:
- Eliminate audit fatigue
- Increase comparability of social and labor data
- Redeploy resources towards impact programs
- Drive collective action and stakeholder inclusion
SLCP is suitable for organizations of all sizes, and its verification acceptability is increasingly recognized by retailers and brands, making it a pre-requisite for starting a business relationship with global supply chains. By sharing SLCP verification results, factories can avoid repetitive audits and focus on improvement actions.
The benefits of SLCP include:
- Access to international markets that support SLCP
- Meeting relationship criteria for new customers
- Capturing market goodwill
- Improving social labor practices
- Enhancing customer confidence
- Building credibility
- Providing quality assurance in social labor practices
The SLCP verification process involves:
- Gap analysis and report discussion
- Online assessment and verification
- Registration for Converged Assessment Framework (CAF)
- Uploading data and documented records
- Verification of uploaded data
- Upload of verified data to a secure gateway for authorized SLCP users to review
Cost of SLCP assessment and verification
The cost of SLCP assessment and verification varies depending on the organization’s size and complexity.
SLCP helps organizations demonstrate their commitment to social labor practices, improving their reputation and relationships with customers and stakeholders. By achieving SLCP verification, organizations can enhance their credibility and access new markets, while also improving their social labor practices and overall performance.
