SA8000


SA8000 is an auditable certification standard that encourages organizations to develop, maintain, and apply socially acceptable practices in the workplace.
It was developed in 1989 by Social Accountability International, formerly the Council on Economic Priorities, by an advisory board consisting of trade unions, NGOs, civil society organizations and companies. The SA8000's criteria were developed from various industry and corporate codes to create a common standard for social welfare compliance.

Certification

SA8000 certification is a management systems standard, modeled on ISO standards. The criteria require that facilities seeking to gain and maintain certification must go beyond simple compliance to the standard. Prospective facilities must integrate it into their management practices and demonstrate ongoing compliance with the standard. SA8000 is based on the principles of international human rights norms as described in International Labour Organization conventions, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It measures the performance of companies in eight areas important to social accountability in the workplace: child labour, forced labour, health and safety, free association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours and compensation.

Performance criteria

It also requires compliance with eight performance criteria, as outlined on the Social Accountability International website.
Certification is granted by independent certification bodies that are accredited and overseen by Social Accountability Accreditation Services. There are 23 accredited certifications bodies worldwide. Statistics are reported quarterly and posted on the SAAS website. As of June 30, 2013, there were 3,231 certified facilities, employing a total of 1,862,936 workers, across 72 countries and 65 industrial sectors.