First Sedex registration is the procedure that all manufacturers, exporters and suppliers have to follow in order to share their ethical trade and compliance information with their international buyers. As many international buyers nowadays require Sedex membership as a precondition to place or maintain orders, it becomes mandatory for the companies that want to sell their products in Europe, North America and other international markets to go through the Sedex registration process. The following information will help you understand how to register your company with Sedex, what Sedex registration documents are required, the costs associated with the registration process, and how to register on sedex after the registration.
The instructions described below can be used by any company that wants to become a new Sedex member, register additional sites to the existing account or switch from manual compliance to online management. Each instruction refers to a certain Sedex membership registration guide section, including choice of membership type and submission of the first Self-Assessment Questionnaire.
How to Register on Sedex: What the Platform Requires
Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) is a global membership organization that enables over 90,000 buyer and supplier companies to track their ethical trade practices, labor compliance, health and safety, and environmental performance. Before signing up on the Sedex website, one should determine which membership type would be right for his/her company, because the selection will define the whole registration process and permission level received after it.
Most manufacturers and exporters sign up as Member B, because this is the membership type required by buyers when asking suppliers to ‘sign up on Sedex’ or ‘upload your SAQ’. Trading and processing firms that procure products from manufacturers and sell goods to retailers should sign up as Member AB that includes the functions of both supplier and buyer.
Mistaken selection is not an issue, but its correction after signing up will require making a request to the Sedex helpdesk, so it is reasonable to find out the membership type beforehand.
| Membership Type | Who It Is For | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| Member A (Buyer) | Retailers and brand owners | Monitor supplier risk and view audits |
| Member B (Supplier) | Factories, exporters, service providers | Upload SAQ and SMETA audit data |
| Member AB (Buyer/Supplier) | Mid-level processors and traders | Manage vendors and report to end buyers |
Sedex Registration Process: Documents Needed to Register on Sedex
None of the documents mentioned below will have to be submitted while filling up the registration form; however, these documents are required for filling up the company profile and the Self-Assessment Questionnaire that will be filled after the completion of account setup. The following information should be available beforehand to facilitate the process of registration with Sedex:
- Legal name of the Company and Registered Address of the Business
- Certificate of business registration / GST/ Inclusion Certificate (required for Sedex Registration India)
- Name, Designation, and Valid Email ID of Primary Contact
- Details of the site for all manufacturing/business facilities that need to be registered
- Basic data about the workforce, e.g. number and shift working
- Mode of Payment for selected Membership Package
Organizations that have been certified with other certificates, for example BRCGS, SA 8000 or ISO 22000, would have to repeat very little of their paperwork, because there is a great deal of overlap between the paperwork that is asked for by Sedex in their SAQ and these other systems.
Step by Step Guide: How to Register on Sedex
However, the profile and SAQ can be submitted after that single session. The process involved in the Sedex registration process is divided into various steps which have been illustrated in the table below from opening an account to submission of the first Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ).
| Step | Action | Approx. Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visit the Sedex website and open the registration form | 2 minutes |
| 2 | Enter company name and email address to receive login instructions | 2 minutes |
| 3 | Click the verification link and create a secure password | 2 minutes |
| 4 | Select the appropriate membership type and package | 3 minutes |
| 5 | Make payment via card or bank transfer to confirm membership | 5 minutes |
| 6 | Complete the company profile, sites, and workforce details | 1-2 hours |
| 7 | Submit the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) | 1-2 hours |
The registration process, starting with opening the form and arriving at the dashboard, usually takes less than 10 minutes. The rest of the time is used for completing the profile, and that can be done in a piecemeal fashion.
SEDEX Account Creation for Suppliers
The procedure for creating a Sedex account for the supplier varies somewhat from that of the buyer, as suppliers (member B) Sedex accounts contain site-based information. While registering as a member on Sedex, the supplier registers individual factories/business locations as sites, associates each site with a workforce profile and SAQ, and then connects with the buyer. The buyer can then access all the information within one click after being connected and there would be no need to send the same compliance documents through e-mail to different customers.
- Each site will be assigned a separate Sedex site reference number upon registration.
- Completion of the SAQ will be required for each live site and not just the head office.
- An audit is not a requirement for registration on Sedex, while SMETA audit is only required when requested by the buyer.
For suppliers with an already existing head office account, they can create more factories through the same account instead of creating a new membership account for each factory. This helps in maintaining all the information related to SAQ, buyers, and renewals in one place, and is especially helpful for exporters with more production factories in various states.
Sedex Registration India: Membership Packages and Fees
Joining Sedex is a form of membership subscription that is paid per site per year and not one-time. The cost is expressed in local currency and is regionalized. Thus, the cost for joining Sedex India will be given by the Sedex India team when you sign up for it. For guidance purposes, companies registered in the UK now pay £224 per site per year including VAT and companies in China pay 2,650 RMB per site.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is registration itself free? | Creating a login and starting the form has no cost |
| Is full membership free or paid? | Paid, billed annually per registered site |
| How is membership renewed? | Automatically each year unless cancelled before renewal |
| Which payment methods are accepted? | Credit/debit card (WorldPay) or bank transfer (BACS) |
Membership registration in Sedex is done on a site basis, meaning that in case a business entity has three factories, it will pay three different site fees as opposed to paying just one fee for the whole company. It is important to allocate funds for such an expense in advance.
How Long Does It Take to Register on Sedex
The part concerning account setup for Sedex membership is less than 10 minutes long. Most suppliers complete the entire process in a matter of several hours; however, it does depend on the amount of information that has been prepared in advance. There is no strict deadline for completing all of the fields right after account creation, thus allowing you to continue the profile completion at a later point in time.
Registration for group companies with many factories will definitely take a few days because all factories require their own profile, workforce statistics, and completion of the SAQ, despite the fact that they are connected under one account.
SEDEX Registration India: Common Mistakes to Avoid
A great number of the delays encountered in the registration process of Sedex India is due to some avoidable mistakes at the beginning of the process rather than anything else. Below are the points that should be reviewed prior to submission of the form:
- Registration using a personal email address rather than a verified company email address, causing delays in responding to buyer connection requests in the future
- Joining the wrong membership (as Buyer membership when you should be as a Supplier, and vice versa), necessitating raising a support ticket for change
- Filling up site addresses incompletely, leading to delayed SAQ approval even after payment confirmation
- Using workforce numbers that do not correlate with the compliance documents provided to the buyer
- Not creating a separate site for each manufacturing plant, hence the presence of only the head office in the buyers’ search
What Happens After You Register on Sedex
After completing the Sedex registration and submitting the SAQ, the account becomes active and buyers can now issue connection invitations. The buyer assesses the answers provided in the SAQ before requesting a SMETA audit; the request is done in cases when the SAQ answers, type of products, or country risks require third-party validation. Membership gets renewed annually unless the company cancels its account before the deadline, and any newly added site goes through the same registration process explained above.
How to Activate Your Sedex Account After Registration
When payment is made, activation of an account proceeds with the following quick verification process:
- Look for the Sedex confirmation mail in the registered email inbox
- Click on the link in that mail and create your account password
- Login to the Sedex portal using the registered email
- Perform multi-factor authentication through the code received on the authenticator app or email
- Landed on the dashboard page, where you will fill the company’s profile and SAQ
Should you not get an activation mail within a reasonable period, looking into your spam box or using the reset password button will enable you to get your instructions. It is not only during the process of account activation that you have to keep checking your email address because buyer connection requests, SAQ approvals, and renewals come through the same mailbox.
Key Takeaways
- It takes less than 10 minutes to register with Sedex, but completing your profile could take a couple of hours
- The supplier must select the appropriate membership category (A, B, or AB) prior to registration
- Documents pertaining to company registration, site information, and workforce information should be ready before starting registration process
- Sedex membership is an annual/per-site subscription and not a single payment charge
- Audit is not mandatory for registration; SMETA audit is required when requested by the buyer
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most commonly asked questions about How to Register on Sedex.
What is Sedex membership?
Sedex membership is an annual paid membership plan where you can provide information about ethical trade, labor, and environmental practices through one platform.
How do I create a Sedex account?
You have to go to the Sedex website and fill your company name and email id, then you will be redirected to verify your account and set your password, choose your membership plan.
What Sedex registration documents are needed?
These are the documents that are required for registering your company: company name, address, registration/GST number proof, site information, and verified email id.
How much time does Sedex registration take?
Registration takes less than 10 minutes whereas completing your profile and answering the SAQ takes a few hours.
Is Sedex registration free or paid?
Free for filling in the registration form, while membership of Sedex is an annual paid subscription.
Can anyone register on Sedex?
Sedex allows registration by both suppliers, buyers and other companies regardless of size or industry.
How do I activate my Sedex account?
Follow the link to verify email address, enter your password and log in to activate multi-factor authentication.
