amfori Resolve Channel

amfori Resolve Channel

amfori is committed to transparency, accountability, and respectful engagement with all stakeholders. To uphold these values, we have established the Resolve Channel, an external complaints mechanism that allows individuals or stakeholders impacted by our operations, services, or employees to raise concerns safely and constructively.

This mechanism is accessible to all external stakeholders—including workers, suppliers, customers, and other affected parties—and is designed to ensure that complaints are received, assessed, and addressed in a timely, fair, and confidential manner. The Resolve Channel standard operating procedure can be found below.

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Standard operating procedure (SOP)

1. Purpose 

This page outlines the procedure through which individuals and organisations may file complaints or appeals concerning amfori’s services, actions, or those of its approved service providers. The aim is to ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability in the management of such reports. 

2. Scope 

Complaints can be submitted by any affected party, which includes: 

  • amfori members1 and their suppliers,
  • service providers2, 
  • individuals, NGOs, and other stakeholders3, 
  • or legitimate representatives of the above. 

[1] Commercial entities (e.g. brands, retailers, importers) and associations that have signed the declaration of membership and have not been terminated or excluded.

[2] A company with which amfori works to support the activities of amfori (e.g. auditing company, training company, consultant)

[3] Individuals, communities or organisations that are affected by and/ or may affect amfori’s operations, activities, markets, industries, and outcomes.

A complaint is relevant if it pertains to alleged, direct negative impacts caused by amfori actions, omissions, or services. These may involve dissatisfaction with activities such as audits, training sessions, events, or misuse of amfori platforms.

The following are out of scope: 

  • Complaints concerning the behaviour of amfori staff, managed in accordance with internal human resources policies and procedures. 
  • Grievances related to violations of the amfori BSCI or amfori BEPI Codes of Conduct by members or business partners, handled through separate procedures. 

Complaints should be substantiated with factual information, documentation, and references to prior resolution attempts where applicable. 

3. Submitting a complaint 

Complaints may be submitted by emailing a detailed report to resolve@amfori.org. 

amfori assesses each submission within ten business days for completeness, eligibility, and relevance. Where necessary, additional information is requested. Completeness is determined by the amount of information available to amfori to make an impartial, unbiased and balanced assessment of the complaint.  

In cases where the complaint does not fall within the scope of the current SOP, the complainant cannot be reached, or does not provide sufficient information, the complaint will be deemed inadmissible.  

Every decision on admissibility is communicated clearly, along with justifications and suggestions for alternative channels when applicable. 

4. Case allocation and review 

Once deemed admissible, complaints are allocated based on their content: 

  • If the issue does not directly involve amfori4, it is assigned to the relevant internal departments such as Environmental, Social, Governance, Membership, Capacity Building, IT, Finance, or Legal. In such cases, the receiving department must assign a case lead who assumes full responsibility for the progression of the case from allocation to closure. 
  • If the matter relates to amfori’s actions or policies5, it is escalated to the internal Escalation Committee (EC). A dedicated case lead is assigned to ensure end-to-end oversight and continuity in the handling of the case. The complainant is notified of the individual assigned to manage their case. 

[4] Reports about amfori service providers, monitoring partners, members or business partners.

[5] Reports about activities or services delivered by amfori.

Assigning a single responsible case lead ensures clear accountability, improves communication with the complainant, and supports a consistent and structured resolution process. 

The Escalation Committee is composed of an ad-hoc panel including two members of the amfori Leadership Team and one to two senior representative(s) with expertise relevant to the complaint.

5. Investigation 

The case lead steers a structured investigation to determine the validity of the complaint: 

  • Desk-based reviews are completed on average within 30 working days. 
  • Investigations requiring both desk-based and field methodologies, or external expert investigations may extend to 60 working days. In case 60 days period is exceeded, case lead should provide the complainant with an updated timeline. 

All findings are presented in a formal investigation report, which outlines whether the complaint is substantiated. The report also includes, where applicable, a set of recommended corrective and preventive actions. 

6. Remediation 

If corrective measures are needed, amfori notifies the parties involved and ensures implementation within a timeframe not exceeding eight months. When necessary, follow-up verification steps are conducted. 

Upon completion, a remediation report is shared with the parties. It details the actions taken, classifies the remediation status (successful, partial, or none), and invites feedback within 15 business days before the case is closed. 

7. Case closure 

The closure process concludes with a final case report that summarises: 

  • The complaint, 
  • The investigation and remediation steps taken, 
  • The resulting outcome. 

This marks the official end of the case. 

8. Appeals process 

An appeal may be submitted if the complainant believes there were procedural irregularities in handling the complaint. It is declared admissible when: 

  • It is raised by the complainant(s). 
  • It specifically concerns the procedure followed by the complaint handling staff member(s).
  • It is made in writing within ten business days of the outcome notification. 

Once declared admissible, amfori acknowledges receipt of the appeal and appoints an appeal committee to lead the appeal process. The committee may organise hearings, seek expert opinions, or gather additional information. The outcome of the appeal is communicated within 30 business days and is final. 

Appeals should be sent to: resolve@amfori.org with the subject: “Appeal – [Case ID]”. 

9. Responsibilities 

Complaint and appeal handling is restricted to trained amfori personnel. To guarantee independence and impartiality, these individuals: 

  • Are selected based on their expertise and demonstrated neutrality; 
  • Are trained specifically in unbiased decision-making and ethical conduct; 
  • Have declared to be impartial before taking on any case; 
  • Work within a structure that prevents undue internal or external influence. 

All personnel involved in handling cases are committed to maintaining confidentiality and must refrain from participating in cases where they have a conflict of interest. 

10. Safeguards and standards 

To protect the rights of all participants in the process, amfori ensures the following: 

  • Data protection: Compliance with GDPR standards; 
  • Non-Retaliation: No penalties for filing complaints in good faith; 
  • Confidentiality: Information is shared strictly on a need-to-know basis; 
  • Conflict of interest: Committee members must disclose conflicts and step aside where applicable; 
  • Recordkeeping: All complaint files are stored securely—digitally—for five years. 

11. Continuous improvement 

This procedure is reviewed periodically. amfori collects stakeholder feedback after each case to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Key performance indicators, such as resolution timeliness and satisfaction levels, are monitored to guide process enhancements.  

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