Meet global buyer requirements and pass RBA and SMETA audits with confidence. We help Malaysian employers achieve full compliance with the Responsible Business Alliance Code of Conduct v8.0 — labour standards, foreign worker protection, and ethical supply chain practices.
RBA stands for Responsible Business Alliance. It is the world's largest industry coalition for corporate social responsibility in global electronics, retail, automotive, and manufacturing supply chains — formerly known as the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC). RBA compliance means an employer's labour, health & safety, environmental, and ethics practices meet the RBA Code of Conduct, typically verified through an RBA Validated Audit Process (VAP) or SMETA audit.
RBA stands for Responsible Business Alliance — formerly the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition — the world's largest industry coalition for corporate social responsibility in global supply chains. Its member companies span electronics, retail, automotive, and manufacturing.
In Malaysia — a major hub for electronics manufacturing and EMS — RBA compliance is a contractual and commercial prerequisite for supplying global brands. Malaysian facilities are typically assessed through the RBA Validated Audit Process (VAP) or SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) — many customers accept either framework.
RBA CoC compliance is not a Malaysian statutory requirement, but it's embedded in supplier contracts. Non-compliance triggers audit failures, corrective action plans, business suspension, and contract termination.
The Responsible Business Alliance, headquartered in Washington D.C., with global audit programmes managed through EICC-ON and the Validated Audit Process (VAP).
RBA CoC compliance is embedded in supplier contracts and purchase orders — non-compliance affects business continuity, not government prosecution.
Non-conformances are graded by severity. A single Priority Non-Conformance can suspend all business with a customer immediately.
A single PNC can result in immediate business suspension. Priority issues include:
Each pillar contains specific standards that Malaysian facilities must implement and demonstrate during audits.
Freely chosen employment, young worker protection, working hours (max 60 hrs/week), wages & benefits, humane treatment, non-discrimination, freedom of association.
Occupational safety, emergency preparedness, industrial hygiene, machine safeguarding, and dormitory & canteen standards.
Environmental permits, pollution prevention, hazardous substances, solid waste, air emissions, energy & water conservation.
Business integrity, anti-bribery, disclosure of information, intellectual property, responsible minerals sourcing, privacy protection.
Company commitment, management accountability, legal & customer requirements, risk identification, training, worker feedback, internal audits, corrective action processes, documentation, and supplier responsibility — the infrastructure that makes the other four pillars sustainable rather than one-off.
RBA's Employer Pays Principle requires that no worker ever pays for their own job.
Under the RBA Code of Conduct's Employer Pays Principle, recruitment fees, transport, and placement costs must be borne entirely by the employer, never the worker. This directly reflects the fee-charging restrictions set out in ILO Convention No. 181 on Private Employment Agencies, which prohibits agencies from charging workers directly or indirectly for job placement.
Andaraya operates a strict zero-fee-to-worker policy on every placement, aligned with both the RBA Employer Pays Principle and ILO Convention No. 181. Where legacy fees were charged prior to engagement, we support employers in building a documented reimbursement programme to close the gap before an audit.
Where local law and RBA requirements differ, facilities must meet whichever standard is more protective of workers. In practice, RBA routinely exceeds Malaysian legal minimums.
Typical RBA VAP duration: 1–3 days on-site depending on facility size.
Log in to EICC-ON and complete the current SAQ. Use gaps found to prioritise internal improvement ahead of audit.
Systematic internal gap analysis across all five CoC pillars, ideally with an experienced third-party consultant.
12 months of payroll, working hours data, training records, safety incident logs, environmental reports, and dormitory registers.
Workers must understand they may be interviewed confidentially and aren't required to seek permission to speak freely with auditors.
Prioritise PNCs for immediate closure, assign owners and deadlines, and submit CAP within the customer-specified deadline — typically 30 days.
We support employers before, during, and after RBA and SMETA audits — not just at recruitment stage.
Pre-audit review against all five RBA CoC pillars, benchmarked against your customer's specific SAQ requirements.
Payroll, working-hours, training, and dormitory records checked and organised into an audit-ready package.
Briefings so workers understand their rights during confidential auditor interviews, in their own language.
CAP drafting and follow-through on PNCs and Major Non-Conformances, tracked against customer deadlines.
Centralised living quarters (CLQ) audits, layout documentation, and fast-tracked JTKSM hostel certifications.
Aligning safety management systems with modern statutory industrial protocols and JKKP audit standards.
End‑to‑end workforce sourcing, biometric screening, and entry management across all KDN-approved industries.
Step‑by‑step guidance through the FWCMS eQuota portal interface, KESUMA processing, and sector caps.
Integration of regulatory levy processes with EPF, SOCSO, and EIS statutory corporate deductions.
Gap assessments, risk analysis, documentation review, worker interview preparation, and corrective action planning — book a confidential consultation.