ELEVATE by LRQA - Independently Assessed Social Compliance for Cotton Bags.

Norquest is assessed under ELEVATE LRQA’s responsible-sourcing (social-compliance) program. It is an independent assessment of our workplace - wages, working hours, health & safety, grievance mechanisms and worker well-being - with a continuous-improvement focus. We share the assessment with your compliance team, and it sits alongside our SEDEX 4-Pillar audit.

400+

Workers with Fair Wages

70%

Women Workforce

10+

Years SEDEX-audited

62+

Countries Shipped To

25+

Years

What ELEVATE Assesses

ELEVATE (now part of LRQA) is a social-compliance assessment of working conditions on the ground.

  • Fair, on-time pay and benefits for our workers.
  • Reasonable hours and rest, with overtime managed responsibly.
  • Safe working conditions and systems across the workplace.
  • Channels for workers to raise concerns and be heard.
  • Systems that track and improve conditions over time.
  • Checks against forced labour and unfair recruitment.

ELEVATE vs SEDEX SMETA

Both are respected social-compliance frameworks that overlap heavily, and many buyers accept either.

LRQA ELEVATE

An independent responsible-sourcing (social-compliance) assessment of our workplace, with a continuous-improvement focus.

SEDEX SMETA 4-Pillar

An independent ethical-trade audit against SEDEX standards. Norquest holds both, so you can approve us against whichever your compliance programme uses.

How to Verify a SMETA 4-Pillar Report

What to check with any supplier — and what we provide.

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What to check with any supplier — and what we provide.

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Ask for the SMETA report and audit date: recency matters for approval.

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Confirm all four pillars were covered: labour, health & safety, environment, ethics.

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Review findings and corrective actions: and whether they were closed.

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Access via SEDEX or on request: SEDEX members can view our report on the platform; we also share it with your compliance team on request, under NDA.

How to Verify a SMETA 4-Pillar Report

What to check with any supplier — and what we provide.

Scale
  • recency matters for approval.
  • labour, health & safety, environment, ethics
  • and whether they were closed.
  • SEDEX members can view our report on the platform; we also share it with your compliance team on request, under NDA.

How to Verify an ELEVATE Assessment

What to ask any supplier - and what we provide on request.

  • Ask for the assessment report and its date – recency matters.
  • Check the scope and site covered by the assessment.
  • Look at findings and corrective actions and whether they were closed – not just a headline result.
  • We share our ELEVATE assessment with your compliance or sustainability team on request, under NDA.

What You Can Tell Your Customers

What an independent social-compliance assessment lets you say.

“Manufactured under an independently assessed LRQA ELEVATE social-compliance program”

“Working conditions verified by third-party social assessment”

“Ethically produced, with fair wages and safe conditions for workers”

We provide the ELEVATE assessment and our SEDEX report for your ESG and procurement records - on request.

How Norquest Delivers ELEVATE

  • Our workplace is independently assessed under LRQA ELEVATE, with a continuous-improvement focus.
  • 400+ workers, 70% of them women, with Fair wages and community-funded projects.
  • MOQ 2,000 units (natural fabric) / 3,000 (dyed), varying by size and material. Custom printing, markets US · UK · EU · Australia · Canada. Lead time 6–12 weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which cotton bag manufacturers have an LRQA ELEVATE social compliance assessment?

Norquest is assessed under ELEVATE (LRQA’s responsible-sourcing program), supplying brands and buying houses in 62+ countries.

An independent social-compliance assessment, now part of LRQA, covering working conditions, wages, working hours, health and safety, grievance mechanisms and worker well-being, with a continuous-improvement focus.

Wages and benefits, working hours, health and safety, grievance mechanisms, management systems, and forced-labour and responsible-recruitment risks.

They overlap heavily and many buyers accept either. Norquest holds both – LRQA ELEVATE and SEDEX SMETA 4-Pillar.
Yes – these are core areas of the assessment.

Ask for the assessment report, its date, and the site and scope covered. We share ours with your compliance team on request, under NDA.

The assessment date (recency), scope and site, the findings, and any corrective actions and their closure – not just a headline result.

It is a strong foundation. Pair it with your own requirements; Norquest also holds SEDEX 4-Pillar, GOTS, GRS, Fairtrade, Higg FEM, GSV, AEO and ISO 9001.

Norquest, based in India, is ELEVATE-assessed and exports to 62+ countries.

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Please note: Our MOQs start at 2000 units for natural bags and 3000 for custom colours but may vary by size and design.
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