The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) is “the world's largest industry coalition dedicated to corporate social responsibility in global supply chains and is committed to supporting the rights and wellbeing of workers and communities worldwide”.

The certification “recognises factories and sites across the world that achieve the highest standards of corporate social responsibility in their production processes and focuses on fair working conditions, human rights and sustainability”.

We’re told that the RBA certification “relates to socially responsible standards at Indonesia Epson Industry, which employed more than 11,300 as of March 2020”.

The factory produces a range of business and consumer inkjet printers including its range of high-capacity ink tank inkjet printers, offering high environmental performance and sold as EcoTank printers in many markets, and to date Epson has sold over 50 million EcoTank printers worldwide, which iTWire has reported on in October 2020 here.

As Epson proudly notes, the RBA platinum certification demonstrates that “Epson operates its factory at Indonesia Epson Industry to the highest possible CSR standards and is firmly committed to the wellbeing of all its employees.

“The certification represents a significant milestone for Epson as compliance with labour and social standards in public ICT procurement is an important part of all tender specifications and Epson’s business customers are increasingly demanding strong independent evidence of socially responsible manufacturing”.

Tatsuaki Seki, Epson’s Chief Sustainability Officer confirmed: “We are totally committed to realising a sustainable society through our products and services, and through our factory and office operations.

“This means not only considering the environmental impact of everything we do, but also operating in a socially responsible way. We are delighted to achieve this platinum rating and are determined to maintain the high standards that it represents.”

“The demand for greener products and services has never been stronger. This is especially true of the younger generations whose passion for sustainability is forcing manufacturers to improve every aspect of their operations.

“Purchasers of EcoTank and other Epson printers can be doubly assured that not only are they buying an eco-efficient inkjet printer that saves energy and reduces plastic waste from consumables but also that the working conditions of those that made it are platinum standard, meaning the very highest in socially responsible manufacturing.”

About RBA Certification

One of the most fundamental RBA programs is the Validated Assessment Program (VAP), which is the leading standard for onsite compliance verification and effective, shareable audits.

The RBA itself does not conduct the audits but rather sets the standards and relies on approved audit firms. The RBA recognises that the primary value of an onsite compliance audit is not in the identification of issues at a factory, but in the correction of those issues.

RBA wants to recognise those factories that demonstrate their commitment to corporate responsibility through verified closure of the issues identified in a VAP audit.

RBA offer three levels of recognition:

• Platinum: for factories with a minimum VAP score of 200 and all Priority, Major and Minor findings closed
• Gold: for factories with a minimum VAP score of 180 and all Priority and Major findings closed
• Silver: for factories with a minimum VAP score of 160 and all Priority findings closed

To meet the requirements for recognition, all audits must be verified through a VAP Closure Assessment.

Audits carried out on RBA member facilities and their suppliers' facilities are completed by independent third-party auditors specially trained in social and environmental auditing and the VAP protocol.

More information about VAP program is here.