SA 8000 - Social Accountability

Standard Elements
SA8000 is based on international workplace norms in the ILO conventions and the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on Rights of the Child. The official standard is at www.sa-intl.org and here is a summary:
1. Child Labor – no workers under the age of 15; minimum lowered to 14 for countries operating under the ILO Convention 138 developing-country exception; remediation of any child found to be working
2. Forced Labor – no forced labor, including prison or debt bondage labor; no lodging of deposits or identity papers by employers or outside recruiters
3. Health and Safety – provide a safe and healthy work environment; take steps to prevent injuries; regular health and safety worker training; system to detect threats to health and safety; access to bathrooms and potable water
4. Freedom of Association and Right to Collective Bargaining – respect the right to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively; where law prohibits these freedoms, facilitate parallel means of association and bargaining
5. Discrimination – no discrimination based on race, caste, origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, union or political affiliation, or age; no sexual harassment
6. Discipline – no corporal punishment, mental or physical coercion or verbal abuse
7. Working Hours – comply with the applicable law but, in any event, no more than 48 hours per week with at least one day off for every seven day period; voluntary overtime paid at a premium rate and not to exceed 12 hours per week on a regular basis; overtime may be mandatory if part of a collective bargaining agreement
8. Compensation – wages paid for a standard work week must meet the legal and industry standards and be sufficient to meet the basic need of workers and their families; no disciplinary deductions
9. Management Systems – facilities seeking to gain and maintain certification must go beyond simple compliance to integrate the standard into their management systems and practices

Implementation Options

1. Certification: Companies that operate production facilities can seek to have individual facilities certified to SA8000 through audits by one of the SAI-accredited certification auditing bodies. Since the SA8000 system became fully operational in 1998, there are already certified facilities in 36 countries and across 35 industries.
2. Corporate Involvement Program: Companies that focus on selling goods or that combine production and selling can join the SA8000 Corporate Involvement Program. The CIP is a two-level program that helps companies evaluate SA8000, implement the standard in the supply chain, and report publicly on implementation progress.

SA8000 Explorer (CIP Level One)
• Work with SAI to evaluate SA8000 as an ethical sourcing tool via pilot audits
SA8000 Signatory (CIP Level Two)
• Implement SA8000 over time in some or all of the supply chain by promoting and ultimately requiring SA8000 certification
• Communicate implementation progress via SAI-verified public reports

Program benefits include training courses for managers, suppliers and workers, technical assistance in implementing SA8000, online system for managing audits and identifying shared suppliers, and SAI-verified reports to communicate SA8000 implementation progress to stakeholders. The CIP was launched in late 1999 and has attracted entities representing more than $100 billion in annual revenue including Amana SA, Avon Products, Cutter & Buck, Dole Food, Eileen Fisher, Gap, Otto Versand, Synergies Worldwide, Tex Line, Timberland, Toys "R" Us, UNOPS, and Vögele Mode.

SA 8000 - Benefits
Along with humane workplaces, the implementation of SA8000 offers more benefits to workers, companies and others:
Benefits for Workers, Trade Unions and NGOs
• Enhanced opportunities to organize trade unions and bargain collectively
• A tool to educate workers about core labor rights
• Another opportunity to work directly with business on labor rights issues
• Public awareness of companies committed to assuring humane working conditions
Benefits for Business
• Putting company values into action
• Enhancing company and brand reputation
• Improving employee recruitment, retention and performance
• Better supply chain management and performance
Benefits for Consumers & Investors
• Clear and credible assurance for ethical purchasing decisions
• Identification of products made ethically and companies committed to ethical sourcing
• Broad coverage of product categories and production geography.