Disney factory approval step by step: why an audit report is not a FAMA

“We passed the Disney audit”

A factory tells a buyer it passed a Disney audit. The buyer’s licensee still cannot place the order, because there is no FAMA for that site. Both statements can be true at the same time – and that is exactly where projects stall.

Start every Disney project with one question: who is taking this facility through authorisation? Name one coordinator and list every open decision next to the team that owns it.

The five steps

1. CountryThe site, raw materials and components are in permitted sourcing countries.
2. MapEvery place that makes, prints, finishes, labels or packs the goods is listed.
3. EvidenceA qualified audit from an accepted programme or a Disney-designated firm.
4. FAMADisney’s written authorisation for the named facility.
5. Keep currentChanges to processes or subcontractors are reported before production.

Start with the country and the full map

Disney’s Permitted Sourcing Countries policy covers facilities, raw materials and components. The October 2025 documents separate countries that require an ILS audit from those that do not, and add Better Work or safety conditions in some locations. Check the country-specific supplement for the actual site instead of a remembered list.

Then map every step – manufacturing, processing, finishing, assembly, labelling, printing and packing – with legal names, addresses, processes, worker housing, subcontractors and the origin of key components.

Which audits count

Disney’s published list includes amfori BSCI, Better Work, SMETA, SA8000, SLCP, WRAP, RBA and sector initiatives. A report still needs the right scope and an organisation authorised for its programme, so screen an existing full report before commissioning a duplicate.

For a new Disney-style audit, use a Disney-designated firm. From 1 October 2026 these audits are unannounced, with a completion window of at least 90 days. The scope is unchanged; what changes is that normal-day records matter more than a rehearsed audit date.

What our directory shows about FAMA

A FAMA mention on a website is a lead, not a status. The only reliable status is the one confirmed through the party managing the Disney programme for that facility – which is also how we treat it (how we label audit documents).

Who owns what

Be ready on an ordinary day

Read Disney’s Minimum Compliance Standard against the factory’s normal work, not its presentation folder. A useful internal file mirrors operations: identity and age checks, recruitment, wage and hour records, grievances, safety controls, subcontractor approval and corrective-action owners. Sample across shifts and reconcile payroll with time records.

After FAMA is issued, keep the facility map current and raise process or subcontractor changes before production.