RSC, amfori BSCI, WRAP, Higg FEM, and NBR e-invoicing each impose different demands on a factory's software and data systems. Here is what each one actually requires, sourced from the standard's own public documentation — not from vendor marketing.
Compiled 2026-07-31 · 5 standards · Rafi Al Mahmud
International buyers sourcing from Bangladesh, and the factories selling to them, both ask the same underlying question in different words: what does our software actually need to do to pass an audit? The standards themselves rarely answer that in plain language — they publish codes of conduct and scoring rubrics, not software specs.
This page translates five standards relevant to Bangladeshi RMG manufacturing — RSC, amfori BSCI, WRAP, Higg FEM, and NBR e-invoicing — into what a factory's data systems need to be able to produce. Each requirement below is sourced directly to the standard-owning body's own site.
This is not a vendor comparison. Deciding which ERP genuinely satisfies these requirements takes a live demo, not a claims list — a marketing page saying "compliance module included" is not itself verifiable the way a published price is. What follows are the requirements themselves, not anyone's claim to meet them.
RSC (RMG Sustainability Council)
RSC — a permanent Bangladesh body with equal representation from RMG manufacturers, global brands, and trade unions
Physical workplace safety: structural, electrical, fire & life, and boiler safety.
What your software/data systems need to produce
A live register of every Corrective Action Plan (CAP) opened after an RSC inspection, with remediation status and evidence of completion — RSC conducts follow-up inspections specifically to verify CAPs are closed.
Retrievable inspection history per facility: structural, electrical, fire & life safety, and boiler inspection records, plus any special inspections triggered by safety-committee findings or incidents.
A worker safety/health complaints log, since RSC operates an independent complaints mechanism that factories are expected to cooperate with.
amfori (Brussels) — Business Social Compliance Initiative
Social/labour audit covering wages, working hours, and workplace conduct, based on ILO conventions and the UN Guiding Principles.
What your software/data systems need to produce
Supply-chain mapping and a producer profile kept current in the amfori BSCI platform before any audit can be scheduled.
Payroll records and training records in a form an auditor can pull on demand — the audit explicitly includes document review of both.
A completed Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) ahead of each audit cycle.
Grade tracking: audits below a "B" require a follow-up audit within 2–12 months, so a factory needs its own record of grade history and follow-up deadlines, not just the auditor's.
Cadence: 2-year full audit cycle; shorter for any grade below "B".
WRAP — independent certification body for apparel and footwear manufacturing
12 principles covering labour, health & safety, and environmental management, assessed against a facility's own documentation.
What your software/data systems need to produce
Continuously current documentation across HR, health & safety, environment, security, and labour-law compliance — WRAP's Post-Certification Assessments are unannounced, so records cannot be assembled after the fact.
A pre-audit self-assessment against all 12 principles, completed and stored before the certification audit.
Certification-level tracking: Platinum (2-year), Gold (1-year), and Silver (6-month) certifications carry different renewal clocks that need to be monitored per facility.
Cadence: Certification validity of 6 months to 2 years depending on level, plus random unannounced post-certification checks.
Facility-level environmental performance: energy/GHG, water, waste, chemical management, and air emissions.
What your software/data systems need to produce
Utility and resource data captured at facility level — energy consumption, water use, and waste volumes — in a form that can be aggregated into an annual submission.
A chemical inventory that maps to the assessment's chemical-management section, not just a purchasing record.
Results filed through the Worldly platform annually and shared with brand partners; a factory serving multiple international brands needs one internal record it can push to each, rather than re-collecting the same data per buyer.
Real-time VAT capture at the point of sale, reported back to NBR — not an apparel-specific standard, but directly relevant to any RMG factory or retailer with domestic sales.
What your software/data systems need to produce
Point-of-sale or billing software integrated with an Electronic Fiscal Device (EFD) or Sales Data Controller (SDC) where the business falls under a mandated sector.
Online VAT return submission capability — NBR has set mandatory online VAT returns from July 2026, with the paper-to-electronic backlog deadline set at 30 June 2026.
Real-time or near-real-time transaction reporting to NBR at the point of sale, not batch reporting after the fact.
Cadence: EFD/SDC coverage is expanding sector-by-sector through 2026; online VAT returns become mandatory from July 2026.
Every requirement above is drawn from the standard-owning body's own public site (RSC, amfori, WRAP, Worldly) or, for NBR e-invoicing, from press coverage of NBR's own published deadlines — never from a third-party vendor's marketing description of "compliance support."
Standards change. Audit cycles, certification levels, and rollout deadlines are current as of the compile date above; verify against the source before treating any cadence as fixed.
This page describes requirements, not products. It does not claim any specific ERP — including our own — satisfies every item above; that is a question for a live demo against your factory's actual audit history.
