RBA inspection, detailed content of the RBA 7.0 Supplier Code of Conduct in Chinese version

2025年12月17日

The Code of Conduct of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) aims to establish a comprehensive set of standards for the electronics industry and its supply chain. Through systematic factory inspections and tests, it ensures that the working environment is safe, workers' rights are respected, and operations comply with environmental and ethical requirements. This code applies to all organizations involved in the design, production, and supply of electronic products. Enterprises can voluntarily adopt and apply it to their supply chains. Those enterprises that support this code and are committed to following its management system requirements will become "participants".
Participants are required to regard this guideline as a comprehensive supply chain certification initiative and at least require their lower-level suppliers to commit to compliance. The basis of compliance is to fully abide by the laws and regulations of the operating location, and this guideline encourages the adoption of higher international standards. During the factory inspection certification process, if the requirements of the guideline are stricter than local laws, the stricter one shall prevail.
The RBA criteria consist of five parts. The following provides an overview of the core requirements and the corresponding factory inspection priorities:
A. Workers
The factory inspection will strictly verify the compliance of the following labor standards:
Freedom of employment: All forms of forced labor are strictly prohibited. The key points of inspection include employment agreements, identity document management, recruitment fees, and the freedom of workers to leave their jobs.
Minors' Workers: Prohibition of using child labor. During factory inspections, the age verification mechanism must be examined, and it is necessary to ensure that student workers and minors receive legal protection and reasonable compensation.
Working hours: The working hours must comply with legal requirements, and the total weekly working hours (including overtime) shall generally not exceed 60 hours. Overtime must be voluntary. The inspection will review the attendance and salary records.
Wages and benefits: The salary must meet the minimum wage standards set by law and the overtime pay standards. The inspection team will check the clarity and timeliness of the payroll.
Humanitarian treatment: Prohibit any form of abuse, harassment or coercion. Review the relevant disciplinary policies and their implementation.
No discrimination / No harassment: Ensure that the workplace is free from harassment and illegal discrimination. The factory inspection will verify the fairness of recruitment, promotion, etc.
Freedom of association: Respect the rights of workers to legally form associations and engage in collective bargaining. Check whether the management holds an open attitude towards this.
B. Health and Safety
The factory inspection will conduct on-site verification of the effectiveness of the health and safety management system, including:
Occupational safety: Ensure safety through hazard identification, engineering controls, and provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). Verify that control measures are in place.
Emergency preparedness: Review emergency plans, conduct exercise records, and inspect fire-fighting and escape facilities.
Work injuries and illnesses: Review the records of work injuries, reporting procedures, and corrective measures.
Industrial hygiene: Assessing the control of occupational hazards such as chemical and physical hazards.
Heavy physical work: Identify and assess the risks associated with heavy physical labor.
Machine safety protection: Conduct on-site inspection of the safety protection devices of mechanical equipment.
Public health, diet and accommodation: Inspect the hygiene and safety conditions of living facilities such as dormitories, canteens, and bathrooms.
Health and Safety Communication: Review the training records and the dissemination of on-site safety information.
C. Environment
The environmental audit will assess whether the enterprise:
Environmental permits and reports: Maintain and update all necessary environmental protection permits.
Preventing pollution and conserving resources: Implement pollution prevention and resource conservation measures.
Hazardous substances: Safety management of chemicals and hazardous waste. Inspect their storage, handling and labeling.
Solid waste: Classify, manage and recycle the waste.
Exhaust gas emission: Monitoring, controlling and treating air pollutants.
Restricted substances: Comply with the substance restrictions regulations in the product and manufacturing process.
Water resource management: Implement water management plans and verify the compliance of wastewater treatment systems and discharges.
Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions: Track energy usage and carbon emissions, and set emission reduction targets.
D. Ethics
The certification audit will assess the business ethics of the enterprise, including:
Business integrity: Zero tolerance for bribery and corruption.
Unfair advantages: Prohibition of providing any benefits for the purpose of obtaining improper benefits.
Information Disclosure: It is required that business records be transparent and accurate, and that the operational status not be falsely reported.
Intellectual property: Respect and protect intellectual property rights and information security.
Fair trading, advertising and competition: Adhere to the principle of fair competition.
Identity protection and anti-retaliation policy: Establish a mechanism to protect whistleblowers.
Responsible mineral procurement: Conducting due diligence on conflict minerals.
Privacy: Protecting personal data and privacy.
E. Management System
The core of obtaining and maintaining certification lies in establishing an effective management system. The factory inspection will examine the following elements:
The company promises: The social responsibility policy that is approved by the management.
Management accountability and responsibility: Clearly designated senior responsible representatives.
Legal requirements and customer requirements: Procedures for identifying and monitoring compliance requirements.
Risk assessment and risk management: The process of identifying and managing operational risks.
Improvement objective: Develop and review quantifiable performance goals and plans.
Training: Provide relevant training for both management and workers.
Communication: The process of conveying policies to workers, suppliers, etc.
Worker feedback, participation and complaints: Establish an effective complaint mechanism.
Review and Evaluation: Conduct regular self-review and self-evaluation.
Corrective action process: A procedure for promptly correcting defects.
Documents and records: Create and maintain the necessary compliance records.
Supplier Responsibility: To supervise the procedures by which the supply chain complies with this code.
Summary
The RBA Code of Conduct employs a comprehensive inspection, testing and certification system to systematically assess and drive continuous improvement in enterprises' labor, health and safety, environmental and ethical aspects. Certified enterprises must undergo regular factory inspections to ensure that their management systems and operational practices consistently meet the requirements of the code, thereby establishing a trustworthy and responsible image within the supply chain.