Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors Inc. (APSCA)

✨ Grateful to Tu Rinsche for her candid post on the evolving role of social audits in human rights due diligence. At Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors Inc. (APSCA), we know audits aren’t a silver bullet. But they can provide structure, visibility, and a foundation for deeper engagement—especially when paired with strong partnerships, capacity-building, and local insights. 🙏 We're proud to be working with our members to build greater consistency, integrity, and trust in this complex but vital field. #HumanRights #SocialAudits #HRDD #CSDDD #CSRD #SupplyChain #SocialSustainability #DueDiligence #Compliance #APSCA

Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors Inc. (APSCA) President & CEO Ross Nova joined AIM-Progress as a keynote speaker to discuss auditor availability, training, and oversight- key to strengthening social compliance auditing. 🙏 Thank you to AIM-Progress Katrin Recke, her team and the participating FMCG brands and suppliers: Amcor, Diageo, Essity, Starbucks and others for the time spent together. 🔎 Key Takeaways: ✅ Audit Integrity & Oversight – Brands must own their audit processes, while APSCA provides the framework for competency and independence. 🤖 AI in Compliance – AI can streamline pre-audit work, allowing auditors to focus on meaningful assessments. ⚖️ CSDDD & Global Alignment – APSCA meets CSDDD requirements and is working to harmonize audit standards across jurisdictions. 💬 Transparency & Collaboration – Strengthening dialogue between brands, auditors, and regulators is a key focus for APSCA. APSCA remains committed to supporting brands and retailers in meeting global compliance challenges. Looking forward to continuing this important work together! 📢 Have ethical concerns about an audit? Let us know: ethics@theapsca.org #SocialCompliance #SupplyChain #APSCA #FMCG #AIMProgress #CSDDD #Auditing

At APSCA, we’re proud to play a role in supporting auditors to identify and address discrimination in the workplace. Through our Competency Framework and exam process, we assess that APSCA auditors have the tools and knowledge to uncover signs of discrimination, ensuring fair treatment for all workers, including women! Today, on 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆, we also celebrate the incredible women making an impact in the social compliance industry: ☑️ Women driving positive change in creating ethical, inclusive workplaces. ☑️ Auditors working tirelessly to ensure fairness and equality. ☑️ Leaders in the industry advocating for the rights of workers globally. Let’s honor their contributions and continue working together towards fairer workplaces for everyone. 💬 𝗪𝗲’𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂! Tag a woman in the industry who inspires you or share how women are shaping the future of social compliance. #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2025 #WomenInSocialCompliance #SocialCompliance #APSCA

📢 Supporting ASCAs on Their Exam Journey! 📢 Recently, we celebrated 120 new ASCAs enrolling in the first two months of 2025! 🎉 Now, we’re excited to highlight a key initiative designed to help them—and all ASCAs—succeed. Our 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 is built using 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 from exam performance, interviewer observations, auditor feedback, and regional case studies. This ensures ASCAs receive 𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 to help them prepare with confidence. So far, we’ve delivered this project in 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆, 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻, 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗹, and 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮, providing region-specific guidance to support auditors on their certification journey. A big thank you to those ASCAs who took time out of their busy schedules to attend these sessions—your dedication to your CSCA journey is truly appreciated! 🔹 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻? No problem! If you're an ASCA in one of these countries and couldn’t attend, resources remain available to help you catch up. 📩 Reach out to exam@theapsca.org to access materials specific to your region! 🔗 Learn more about this initiative—and find out which countries we’ll be covering next—in our latest article: https://lnkd.in/g2nZ_SNU #APSCA #SocialCompliance #ExamSupport #ASCA #CSCA

𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱! APSCA is excited to share that we've already welcomed 𝟭𝟮𝟬 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 (𝗔𝗦𝗖𝗔) 𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 this year! 🎉 Recently, we celebrated a major milestone—𝟯,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 (𝗖𝗦𝗖𝗔𝘀)—and it’s fantastic to see so many new Auditors joining APSCA and beginning their journey toward CSCA certification. Every new enrollment represents a commitment to 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 in social compliance auditing. As our profession grows, so does our collective impact in driving responsible business practices worldwide. Please join us in welcoming all our new ASCAs! We look forward to supporting you on your path to becoming a CSCA. #APSCA #SocialCompliance #BuildingTheProfession #CSCA #ASCA #ContinuousImprovement

🌟 Thank you to the 800+ participants who joined our Side Session "𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗦𝗗𝗗𝗗" at the 𝗢𝗘𝗖𝗗 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗻 ‘𝗗𝘂𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 🌍 We were blown away by the engagement—over 100 insightful questions were asked! While we couldn’t answer them all live, we hope our discussion helped showcase how social compliance auditing protects workers while supporting businesses in meeting due diligence requirements under CSDDD and other evolving global regulations. 🎥 Missed the session? Don’t worry! You can still watch it via 𝗖𝗣𝗗 𝗢𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱, where CSCAs can earn 1.5 hours of credit. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gNGtPMPZ We’ll also be working to respond to remaining questions, but in the meantime, visit our website to learn more about: ✅ What is required for a professional social compliance audit ✅ How we help auditors learn and become certified ✅ How we partner with multiple stakeholders to continuously improve our industry 🔗 https://www.theapsca.org/ Thank you for being part of this important conversation! 👏 #SocialCompliance #Auditing #GlobalStandards #CSDDD #CPDOnDemand #APSCA Business and Finance at the OECD amfori - Trade with Purpose Intertek The Walt Disney Company

⏳ 24 hours to go! ⏳ Join APSCA & amfori - Trade with Purpose's Side Session 'Social Compliance Auditing in the Context of the CSDDD' There's still time to register! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ghPBwYFt 📢 CSCAs— this webinar offers 1.5 hours of CPD Recognized Training credit! Business and Finance at the OECD #APSCA #CPD #DueDiligence #SocialCompliance #Garment #Footwear #SupplyChain #BizHumanRights #OECD #EUCSDDD #SocialComplianceAuditing

🔹 An update from the OECD - OCDE Forum on '#DueDiligence in the #Garment and #Footwear Sector' 🔹 APSCA CEO Ross Nova shares an update from #Paris after the first official day of the OECD Forum. “From good friends to tough topics, it was an engaging day. The day began with discussions on responsible sourcing and its impact on working conditions and ended with the growing due diligence requirements—including the need for independent, competent, and ethical auditors. Exactly what APSCA does! Between these bookends, I enjoyed meetings with colleagues at the OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct, had lunch with Abi Rushton of Primark, attended the launch of the Handbook for Due Diligence Implementation in the Textile Sector (which features APSCA), caught up with Linda Kromjong of amfori - Trade with Purpose, and informal chats with dozens of folks —always proud to share the achievements of APSCA’s Member Auditors, Member Firms, and APSCA itself. On to Day 2!” – Ross Nova 📢 Coming Up on Friday 14 February at 10:00am CET is APSCA's Side Session 'Social Compliance Auditing in the Context of the CSDDD'. Don't miss out, register today: https://lnkd.in/ghPBwYFt #OnTheMoveWithAPSCA #OECDDueDiligence #CSDDD #SocialCompliance Business and Finance at the OECD

🚀 Kicking off 2025 with a major milestone – APSCA has surpassed 3,000 CSCAs! 🎉 In 2024, we set out to strengthen CSCA capacity while upholding the high standards that define APSCA. And we delivered! Here’s how: ✅ Streamlined exam access – no more wait times on all exams! ✅ Enhanced feedback mechanism with a 40% increase in volume and more insightful explanations ✅ Launched an Improvement Plan for Part III exam repeaters to ensure exam readiness ✅ Hosted our first-ever #TrainTheTrainer session for Member Firms ✅ Launched a pilot program for targeted exam support in key regions But this success is not ours alone!! It’s a testament to the commitment of our Auditors who diligently prepare for exams and embrace training opportunities, our CSCAs who mentor peers in the field, and our Member Firms who nurture and develop strong training programs to elevate auditor capacity. This milestone is just the beginning! We’ll be sharing more milestones and exciting initiatives throughout the year—so stay tuned! Let’s keep building, growing, and advancing the number of CSCAs—together, we’re strengthening the profession and shaping the future of social compliance. 💪✨ 🥳 Join us in celebrating this milestone! Share your journey in the comments and tag a fellow Auditor or Firm that has contributed to your success. #CSCA #CertifiedSocialComplianceAuditor #SocialCompliance #APSCA #Milestone

🔹 An update from the OECD Forum on 'Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector' 🔹 APSCA CEO Ross Nova shares an update from #Paris at the OECD Forum, where global stakeholders are tackling challenges, risks, and solutions in #supplychainduediligence. 🔍 "Day 1 at the OECD Forum is in the books. Thank you to Daniel Schönfelder at the Responsible Contracting Project for a great meeting, Guillaume Devaux of ICS (Initiative for Compliance and Sustainability) for a wonderful meal 🍽️, and the folks at RISE for hosting a fantastic evening reception. Despite an unsettled world, we remain focused on the efficacy of robust supply chain due diligence efforts, including competent social compliance auditing. Great to see old friends, including Klara Hauß from lululemon, Thomas Heckroth from Nike, Laura Chapman Rubbo from The Walt Disney Company, and many others! To my industry friends new and old—if I haven’t seen you yet, I’ll see you tomorrow as the formal conference begins!" - Ross Nova #RISE #OECDDueDiligence #CSDDD #SocialCompliance Business and Finance at the OECD