Certification : le manque d’indépendance des audits privés

Abstract

Certain transnational social movements militate for the respect of social and environmental norms, in particular in countries with low wages. To this aim, they have developed new instruments like labels and codes of conduct. These instruments are designed to support and reinforce the social and environmental regulation as well as its democratization on the international level. However, the privatization of the monitoring of social and environmental norms can undermine the economic independence of the auditors. Thus, this mode of regulation proves to contrary to its long-term objective: a social regulation framed by democratic public authorities.