How to Get SLCP Verification in Turkey: Complete Guide

What Is the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP)?

The Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) is a foundation based in the Netherlands and officially started in 2016. It is an initiative started by several stakeholders that works as a nonprofit to solve a long-standing issue in supply chains in the garment and textile industries. That issue is the repetitive and time-wasting social audits that need to be done. Since its establishment, it has been integrated successfully in 17,800 facilities across 120+ countries.

The Converged Assessment Framework (CAF) is the tool that the Social and Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) built most of its programs around. Surveys designed to assess social compliance and labor conditions help reduce the need for numerous compliance audits. Turkish factories, for example, only need to be assessed by independent verifiers once to have the data and conclusions be submitted to the SLCP Gateway, which would then allow all buyers to access the information.

Over 100 major global standard holders and brands publicly approve the SLCP-verified data. In 2024, 86% of the brands that joined the program reported the benefits of the SLCP. Among those benefits, saving time for audits was the most commonly cited advantage.

One important thing to know is that SLCP is not a standard. Therefore, they don't provide certifications, and there’s no passing or failing. The CAF creates an authenticated dataset on the social and labor conditions of your factory across nine different areas. Buyers implement their Code of Conduct/scoring methodology and draw conclusions based on that dataset. The neutrality of the verified data allows buyers to address various compliance concerns.

Why SLCP Verification is Important in Turkey

Turkey's textile and apparel industry exports billions of dollars worth of products every year to Europe, North America, and global fashion brands.

Many international buyers require suppliers to demonstrate the following:

• Ethical labor practices
• Workplace safety compliance
• Transparency in operations
• Responsible employment practices

Traditionally, factories often faced multiple audits from different customers. This practice created:

• High audit costs
• Operational disruption
• Resource inefficiencies
• Audit fatigue

SLCP helps solve these challenges by providing a common assessment framework that multiple buyers can accept and review. This significantly reduces duplication and improves efficiency across supply chains.

For businesses in Turkey, SLCP verification offers a practical way to meet international buyer expectations while reducing compliance burdens.

Industries That Need SLCP Verification in Turkey

SLCP Verification is particularly valuable for industries with strong international supply chain connections.

Key industries include:

• Garment manufacturing
• Textile production
• Apparel factories
• Footwear manufacturing
• Home textile producers
• Fashion accessories manufacturing
• Consumer goods manufacturing
• Export-oriented production facilities

Among these sectors, the Turkish garment and textile industry represents one of the largest opportunities for SLCP adoption.

Key Benefits of SLCP Verification for Turkish Garment Factories

Eliminate Repetitive Audit Costs

The primary financial benefit of SLCP for Turkish garment factories is cost savings. Factories that undergo multiple buyer social audits throughout the year can replace most of them with one SLCP verification. This means significant savings on the cost of audits, time spent managing the audits, and disruptions to production due to repeated visits.

One Assessment, Every Buyer

The SLCP Verification Gateway Sharing system allows factories to share verified SLCP data with an unlimited number of buyers. Turkish garment factories that serve a large number of buyers in multiple EU and international markets will find great value in this system, as one SLCP verification will suffice for many buyers.

Full Ownership and Control of Your Data

With SLCP, factories can control who has access to their verified data. They can decide who gets to see the results of their assessment. Unlike traditional audits, where buyers own the assessment report, SLCP allows factories to treat their compliance data as a business asset and decide how to share it across their buyer networks.

No Pass or Fail — No Corrective Action Pressure

SLCP provides a data set that is verified and does not score compliance. Therefore, there is no pass or fail outcome, no ranking, and no corrective action is required by the verifier. Buyers look at the data and use their own standards. This approach eliminates the stress associated with typical audit scoring. Your factory is then free to show operations honestly and transparently without failing a single audit scoring.

Supports EU HRDD Regulatory Compliance

For Turkish factories that supply to EU brands, SLCP-verified CAF data help those buyers meet their requirements for the new EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Regulation. By providing your EU buyers social and labor data in the SLCP system that is structured and independently verified, you help them meet compliance requirements, and you position yourself as a preferred, low-risk supplier.

Improve Actual Working Conditions

Letting your management team reallocate time and resources to improve working conditions instead of preparing for and participating in a multitude of continuous audits is a primary goal of SLCP. SLCP is designed to not only reduce audit fatigue but also improve the actual livelihoods of workers.

SLCP Verification Process in Turkey: Step by Step

Step 1: Complete SLCP E-Learning and Register on the Gateway

To complete the CAF assessment, your factory team first completes the SLCP e-learning course. This course is a brief, easy-to-complete, online course that teaches the presentation of the CAF, the nine assessment modules, and the Gateway. This course helps the factory team that is completing the assessment understand what the questions mean and the reasoning behind each question.

Once the factory team has completed SLCP e-learning, the factory team creates a personal account on the SLCP Gateway. The Gateway is the online, central repository for your verified assessment data and is free of charge. Your account on the Gateway is the permanent digital representation of your factory within the SLCP system.

Step 2: Complete the CAF Self-Assessment or Joint Assessment

After creating your Gateway account, your factory team can complete the CAF, a nine-module data collection tool focused on social and labor conditions. Your internal compliance team can complete the CAF as a self-assessment, or you can conduct a joint assessment with a partner organization.

For Turkish factories that are completing SLCP for the first time, a joint assessment is encouraged by GSCS Turkey. There is a direct correlation between the quality of the CAF data and its usefulness to prospective buyers. A guided joint assessment will enhance data quality and reliability, reducing the risk of quality concerns and delays in verification.

You can obtain the CAF as an Excel spreadsheet or as a module on an SLCP-accredited host platform.

Step 3: Pre-Verification Gap Review (Optional)

GSCS Turkey suggests conducting a preparatory gap review before booking the on-site verification session. In this step, we analyze the responses you provided in the CAF and compare them to the supporting factory documents you submitted (payroll records, working hours records, records of safety inspections, employment contracts, documents related to the IGS Law, etc.). This step prepares the factory team for the on-site verification and ensures the data collected through the self-assessment is verification-ready and backed by supporting evidence.

Factories that conduct a pre-verification gap review enjoy a better, smoother, faster on-site verification process and a higher quality of verified reports.

Step 4: On-Site SLCP Verification

GSCS Turkey employs only qualified, SLCP-certified verifiers to conduct on-site verifications. This visit must take place within two months of completing your CAF self-assessment. During the verification, GSCS Turkey's verifiers:

•  Review the documentation related to your CAF answers. This may include payroll, time and attendance records, safety records, employment contracts, management policies, and worker welfare facility documents.
•  Walk through the entire facility, which may include welfare facilities, production floors, fire safety and storage areas, emergency exits, and equipment.
•  Conduct private worker interviews in small groups or as individuals, without management present.

It should be noted that SLCP verifiers are not passing judgment on the quality of your factory, nor are they judging clearance or compliance. It is the job of SLCP verifiers to substantiate your CAF answers, and the question they are attempting to solve is not, “Does this factory pass?” but rather, “Does this data represent this factory?” This verification process is a radically different paradigm from most social audits, and it is for this reason that most factory managers consider it less stressful.

Step 5: Verified Report Published on Gateway

GSCS Turkey, within five to seven working days of their visit, submits the verification report to the SLCP Gateway for your factory. Your factory has 14 days to review the verified assessment report and either accept it or dispute the report for factual inaccuracies. Your facility retains data ownership during this period.

As soon as your information is accepted and verified, it is available on the Gateway for you to share.

Step 6: Share Your Verified Data with Buyers

Since your verified assessment is now available on the Gateway, you can share your data with any buyer connected to the SLCP system, be it within the SLCP Gateway or any Accredited Host platform. More than 100 major brands around the world now accept SLCP data, and this number is continually growing. All buyers on your account receive one verification, eliminating the need for additional audits or costs.

SLCP Verification Cost in Turkey

SLCP verification costs in Turkey vary based on factory size, workforce, number of production lines, and current compliance documentation maturity. The following table provides realistic planning estimates:

Several factors influence where your factory falls within these ranges:

• Existing documentation quality — factories with complete, well-organised compliance records require less preparation time
• CAF completion approach — joint assessments with GSCS Turkey support add preparation value but also add to the overall investment
• Number of shifts and production lines — multi-shift operations require broader documentation review
• Geographic location within Turkey — auditor travel costs vary between Istanbul, Bursa, Denizli, İzmir, and Gaziantep

Although there is an upfront investment, factories that previously spent $15,000–$30,000 annually on multiple separate brand audits consistently find that SLCP delivers significant net cost savings within the first verification cycle.

Why Select GSCS Turkey for SLCP Verification?

Choosing a verification partner might be the most important choice you make in your SLCP process. Buyers find little value in the verified CAF data you produce unless a quality, reputable firm conducts SLCP verification.

SLCP-Certified Turkish Verifiers: All GSCS Turkey verification personnel are certified by SLCP’s verification framework. They are well-versed in the SLCP approach, the Turkish factory environment, various laws related to labor and occupational health and safety, Turkey’s minimum wage for 2025, and the compliance rules in the textile sector outlined in the 2025/18 Communiqué.

APSCA-Registered Audit Professionals: GSCS Turkey social compliance verification personnel are members of the Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors (APSCA). The APSCA is the organization SLCP cooperates with to develop the data and audit standards and the quality assurance framework. APSCA membership is a pertinent credential verification clients seek.

Total Process Commitment: GSCS Turkey does not limit its role to the onsite verification and report issuance. We support the factory every step of the way, from e-learning and Gateway registration, completion of the CAF, pre-verification gap analysis, onsite verification, report generation and review, and planning for subsequent verification. We do this because we believe that verified data adds value to our clients.

Nationwide Coverage: GSCS Turkey offers SLCP verification services in every one of Turkey’s major textile and garment manufacturing centers.

Transparent Process: We pride ourselves on no hidden fees, no unwelcome surprise additions, and no puzzling pricing strategies. GSCS Turkey offers a detailed and itemized scope of work before customer security is required.