Return to the main page DATA POINTS FAQS

Understanding Conformity Fields — FAQ for Facilities and Brands

Understanding Conformity Fields explains what each field on the form means — Scope, Assessor Level, Assessment Level, Authority Endorsement, Conformity Topic, etc. — as general concepts, using amfori as one worked example. That one stays exactly as-is; nothing in it needs changing. 

If you're not sure what to enter for a specific certification, it's always fine to leave optional fields blank rather than guess -- an honest, incomplete record is more useful than an inaccurate complete one.
This document is a starting reference, not a final legal classification.

Why does this form ask so many questions about one certification?

Most certifications get reduced to a name and a logo — but a genuine assessment involves several distinct facts: who did the assessing, how independent they were, whether any outside authority backs the scheme itself, and what exactly was checked. This form captures those separately so the resulting record is precise, not just a name people have to trust blindly.

Scope

What it means: whether this credential assesses a product, a facility, or your whole organisation.

Assessor Level (required)

What it means: how independent the party who actually did the assessment was.

• Self -- you assessed yourself

• Commercial / Buyer -- assessed by someone with a business relationship to you (e.g. a customer auditing their own supplier)

• 3rd Party -- a genuinely independent party, no commercial or buyer relationship to you

• Other options exist for industry-body or hybrid assessments

Most third-party social/environmental audits (e.g. amfori BSCI, SMETA) are 3rd Party.

Assessment Level (optional)

What it means: where the assurance behind the assessment actually comes from -- a different question from who did the assessing.

• Scheme CAB -- the scheme (e.g. amfori) recognises specific accredited assessment bodies to carry out assessments on its behalf, but no outside government or accreditation authority has formally endorsed the scheme itself

• Authority-derived options -- the scheme (or the body assessing on its behalf) has been formally recognised by a government, an international accreditation body, or a similar external authority

Many industry-run social compliance schemes (amfori BSCI, SLCP, and similar) are Scheme CAB -- a real, legitimate assessment structure, just not one carrying formal government or international accreditation-body endorsement.

Authority Endorsement (optional)

What it means: if -- and only if -- a real external authority has formally endorsed the scheme itself (not just approved individual assessors), this records what kind.

Leave this blank if it doesn't genuinely apply. Not every legitimate scheme has this -- many respected industry schemes (including amfori BSCI) don't, and that's normal, not a mark against them. Only fill this in if you can point to a specific, real authority endorsement -- don't select an option just because the form shows one.

Conformity Assessment (optional)

What it means: a short, plain description of what was actually checked -- e.g. "Assessed against the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct by amfori-approved third-party audit companies."

Conformity Topic (optional)

What it means: which broad area this credential relates to -- environment, circularity, social, or governance, with a more specific sub-topic (e.g. social.labour, environment.emissions). This uses UNTP's own shared topic list, not a GCN-specific category, so it stays consistent with how other UNTP-aligned platforms describe the same thing.

Reference Standard / Regulation / Criteria (optional)

What they mean: if this credential is itself based on a named external standard (like ISO 14001) or regulation (like an EU directive), record it here. If the scheme has its own standalone code of conduct (like amfori BSCI's), note that as the reference standard instead.