The certification bodies NSF and Rina have been suspended by the organization Sedex and cannot perform audits under the Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audits (SMETA) program. The announcement was made on the official Sedex website.
Suspended alongside NSF and Rina were two smaller CBs: Primus and SCS. Two additional CBs, Global Group and CSR Solutions Ltd., were banned outright from providing future SMETA audits.
It is not clear what prompted the suspensions and withdrawals.
SMETA audits aim to verify human rights, labor rights, and environmental compliance within retail organizations.