SMETA Audits
SMETA Audits of our Guar Supply Chain
A number of Ashland products are derived from guar seeds from India. Our guar split suppliers were audited mid-November 2017 according to Quality Standard ISO 9001 by an external party (SGS) mandated by Ashland. All three sites received “Approved GMP” audit ratings.
In 2018, they were subject to SMETA audits. The audit included review of labor standards, health and safety, environment, and business ethics. The SMETA Best Practice Guidance Version 5 (Dec 2015) was applied. The scope of workers included all types located and the site including those under other contractors. A corrective action was developed for each of the sites and Ashland is monitoring progress. The results are being followed up with another on-site audit in 2020.