Community Benefit SA

Community Benefit SA provide one-off project funding to assist incorporated, non-government non profit charitable and social welfare organisations to:

• Improve the well-being, quality of life, community participation and life management skills of disadvantaged individuals and communities
• Develop and strengthen communities across the metropolitan, rural and remote regions of South Australia.

The need for expansion

Because of its focus upon working conditions SA8000 tends to concentrate upon businesses, industrial and manufacturing environments.
While this is undoubtedly the greatest area in need of improvement for western supply chains, it would do the standard no harm to widen its appeal to include other bodies such as government bodies and NGOs.Government bodies in particular are a large driver of a significant proportion of commercial activities in most countries. If they were to start to adopt SA8000 it would go a long way to improving labour standards across the world without the need for regulation

Social Accountability Philosophy

Our social accountability program is rooted in our high standards. We expect our suppliers to share these standards and our commitment to continuous improvement. We hold them accountable for creating programs that will identify and correct unacceptable conditions. We also look for actions to ensure sustained compliance and ongoing improvement over the long term. We believe that programs developed by suppliers themselves, based on an understanding of the issues and a commitment to basic principles, are the most sustainable.

Our most significant adverse environmental impacts are:

• Consumption of natural resources in the development, production, marketing and distribution of our publications and in our general office operations
• Emissions to the atmosphere from the use of carbon based energy in the production, marketing, sales and distribution of our publications and our general office operations
• The environmental performance of our suppliers
• Production of waste materials
  

SA8000 as a Guideline

In its operations aims management consultants uses as a guideline the SA8000 standard of Social Accountability International, the main aspects of which relate to preventing the use of child and forced labor, working hours and remuneration, occupational health and safety, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. The standard is based on the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO), and on the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights, and the convention on the rights of the child, among others.

Course Content

• Overview of SA 8000 development and the implementation process
• Identification of significant social accountability issues pertaining to the organisation’s activities, products, human resource and services
• Identification of areas for improvement in social accountability performance that can be linked to financial benefits
• Ascertaining the status of compliance with applicable legal and other requests
• Interpretation of SA 8000 clauses
• Setting an SA policy
• Preparing for certification
  
  

This approach had several flaws:-

• Internal code of conducts is expensive proposition.
• Many a times, they are inefficient, since laws and customs vary widely.
• Codes were perceived as a proprietary form of managerial jurisprudence, applicable only to a section of employees. When transgression takes places, corrective actions are largely not transparent.
• Supply chains, catering to different customers, having to undergo multiple audits to different set of requirements. Sometimes individual auditors interpret these requirements differently, without being sensitive to the cultural practices. A point in case is the insistence of an auditor, while carrying out a code of conduct audit at Nepal on behalf of a German client, wanted all toilets to be provided with toilet papers, arguing about unhygienic practices!
  

Achievements & Improvements

• Safe and healthy working environment.
• Employees are free to share their views and suggestions, if any.
• First Aid facility along with trainer personnel.
• All safety equipments [PPEs] are provided and people are trained to ensure safety while working.
• Improved workers’/ labors conditions.
• Human friendly environment
• Workers are more sincere and dedicated towards work.
• Increased employee morale.
• Good understanding between workers and management.

The main motivations for an organisation to adopt the SA 8000 standard lead to the following:

• Preservation of the company’s credibility and reputation;
• Increase of the confidence of consumers and social organisations;
• Improvement of the relations with institutions;
• Control of the suppliers’ ethics and social fairness;
• Improvement of the work atmosphere.

A short statement about our work

Corporate Conscience Awards(CCA): Since their inception in 1987, CEP's Corporate Conscience Awards have come to epitomize prestigious recognition for corporate leadership in the creation of programs and policies that benefit all of a corporation's stakeholders. As more companies see social accountability as a business asset, they consider it an honor to be nominated for what the Washington Post has called "the business equivalent of an Oscar." The awards, open to companies worldwide, fall into two categories: Corporate Conscience Awards, which reward innovative ideas and leadership, long-term commitment, and documented results; and CEP Pioneer Awards, which encourage initiatives with high potential for social good, but that are too new to have a track record.

SA 8000 includes

The SA8000 standard and verification system is a credible, comprehensive and efficient tool for assuring humane workplaces because it includes:

• A standard that covers all widely accepted international labor rights.
• Factory-level management system requirement for ongoing compliance and improvement.
• Independent, expert verification of compliance: Certification of facilities by auditing bodies accredited by SAI. SAI accreditation ensures that auditors have the procedures and resources needed to conduct thorough and objective audits. There are currently nine organizations accredited to do SA8000 certification.
• Involvement by all stakeholders: Participation by all key sectors, including workers and trade unions, companies, socially responsible investors, nongovernmental organizations and government, in the SA8000 system. Such participation is required with the Advisory Board, drafting and revision of the standard and auditing system, conferences, training, and the complaints system.
• Harnessing consumer and investor concern: The SA8000 Certification and Corporate Involvement Program help consumers and investors to identify and support companies that are committed to assuring human rights in the workplace SA8000 Standard Elements.

Evaluating the Impact of SA 8000 Certification

The Social Accountability 8000 Standard (SA 8000), along with other types of certification standards and corporate codes of conduct, represents a new form of voluntary "private-governance" of working conditions in the private sector, initiated and implemented by companies, labor unions, and nongovernmental activist groups cooperating together. There is an ongoing debate about whether this type of governance represents real and substantial progress or mere symbolism. This paper reviews prior evaluations of private codes of conduct governing workplace conditions, including Ethical Trading Initiative's Base Code, Nike's Code of Conduct, and Fair Trade certification. The authors then discuss several best practices that should be employed in future evaluations of such codes of conduct. Key concepts include:

• An ongoing debate is raging about whether such codes represent substantive efforts to improve working conditions or are merely symbolic efforts that allow organizations to score marketing points and counteract stakeholder pressure by merely filing some paperwork.
• Evaluations designed with the features described in this paper will help introduce systematic evidence to these important debates. This could help identify which particular codes are best able to distinguish organizations possessing superior working conditions.
• Such evaluations may shed light on which elements of the codes are most effective, which types of monitoring systems represent best practices, and which areas are most in need of improvement.
  

SA8000:2001

The most respected standard in the field of Social Accountability is Social Accountability International’s SA8000:2001 standard. This standard was developed in 1997 and is the widest recognised standard globally. Aims Management Consultants is accredited by SAI to deliver assessments to SA8000 and, as the leading global management systems provider, is in a unique position to assess organisations from a wide range of sectors and countries.

Approach had several flaws

• Internal code of conducts is expensive proposition.
• Many a times, they are inefficient, since laws and customs vary widely.
• Codes were perceived as a proprietary form of managerial jurisprudence, applicable only to a section of employees. When transgression takes places, corrective actions are largely not transparent.
• Supply chains, catering to different customers, having to undergo multiple audits to different set of requirements. Sometimes individual auditors interpret these requirements differently, without being sensitive to the cultural practices. A point in case is the insistence of an auditor, while carrying out a code of conduct audit at Nepal on behalf of a German client, wanted all toilets to be provided with toilet papers, arguing about unhygienic practices!

Proving your commitment to just & equitable working conditions

Is an international standard on social accountability management system that encourages organizations to develop, maintain and apply socially acceptable workplace practices. The Standard is developed by Social Accountability International (SAI), an affiliate of the Council on Economic Priorities, is viewed as the most globally applicable workplace standard.
Is an international standard on social accountability management system that encourages organizations to develop, maintain and apply socially acceptable workplace practices. The Standard is developed by Social Accountability International (SAI), an affiliate of the Council on Economic Priorities, is viewed as the most globally applicable workplace standard.
Certification to SA 8000 lets customers know they can trust that you have implemented the necessary internal processes to ensure basic human rights for your employees.

Social accountability 8000

Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) has been developed by Social Accountability International (SAI), known until recently as the Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency.

SA8000 is promoted as a voluntary, universal standard for companies interested in auditing and certifying labour practices in their facilities and those of their suppliers and vendors. It is designed for independent third party certification.

SA8000 is based on the principles of international human rights norms as described in International Labour Organisation 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 key areas: child labour, forced labour, health and safety, free association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours and compensation. SA8000 also provides for a social accountability management system to demonstrate ongoing conformance with the standard.

The Role of Interested Parties

Interested parties, such as NGOs and unions, have played a major role in SA8000 -- from the development of the Standard to the preparation of audits. They will be consulted by auditors before the audit takes place and will continue to have major responsibilities after certification and accreditation occur. Individual workers and non-governmental organizations have a significant role/say in the process--the right to appeal. Through an appeal to the certification body, a local organization can challenge the decision to certify a supplier (i.e., seek revocation of the certification) if they have evidence to support major violations. Indeed, if a local factory receives certification but you (or another interested party) were to have evidence that the factory was in violation of SA8000, a community-based organisation could appeal. As a result, firms will need to consider public recommendations very seriously. For its part, CEPAA will convene meetings of NGOs and encourage certification firms to offer comprehensive training in SA8000 auditing techniques for NGO staff. Likewise, any interested NGO can appeal to CEPAA to revoke the accreditation of a certification firm on the basis, for example, of evidence demonstrating a pattern of improper or incomplete audits or any other violation of the accreditation standard.

Feature Benefits of General Membership:

• Association assistance with your business needs through Membership Networking
• Savings to your “bottom Line” with our Supplier Discounts of up to 50% off the list price.
• With our Manufacturer Discounts you will save on new equipment and on replacement parts of up to 20%.
• Continue your education for free with our, free admission to the Sweeping Seminars at the NPE and NPE West Shows. Discounts offered on other seminars at the show.
• Get the most updated industry information in our Quarterly Newsletter
• We will provide you with a source to assist with your health insurance and other benefits through our Health & Benefits Solutions Program
• If you are new to the sweeping industry we offer a Mentoring Program to help you with the challenges of starting a business.

QUALITY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY POLITICS

Apuania Corsi’s direction strategic decision to adopt a social responsibility quality system has been dictated by the conviction that the satisfaction of its own employees and its own clients is the fundamental element to consider for guaranteeing the good business course in terms of efficiency, effectiveness of the trials and ethicality of behaviours.

• Absolute prohibition of childish job and forced job
• Total respect of the laws on the safety of the job, hygiene and accidents prevention system
• Association’s right support and own workers collective bargaining
• Employees liberty and dignity respect, prohibition of any coercion, verbal offenses and not, what they are set as injurious of the personal dignity of the workers
• Abstention from any practice that you involve the exercise of tied up discriminations to the race, to the sex, to the religious opinions and politics, to the social class and the age.
• Guarantee of a dignified salary and respect of correct job schedule defined by the legislative and contractual dispositions
• Undertake to conform you to all the current national and other laws and to respect of international tools listed by the norm SA8000.
• undertake continuous improvement with the purpose to protect and to respect your workers.

AIMS MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS METHODOLOGY FOR SYSTEMS CERTIFICATION

Consultancy assignments are taken up by the company for improvements in the Quality, Environment and Safety performance of the organization, apart from achievement of certification. Following approach is followed in all the consultancy assignments.
In order to find out the current status of implementation of systems in the organization, a Gap Analysis is carried out to find out the weak areas on which more efforts can be made for improvements and smooth implementation.
Awareness programmes are organized for Senior and Middle Management level personnel on the requirements of Quality, Environment / Safety, as appropriate.
The organization's personnel are assisted in the preparation of various documentation required for meeting the requirements of relevant International Standards.

Social Accountability International (SAI) SA8000

In 1997, Social Accountability International (SAI) was established and convened an expert, international, multi-stakeholder, Advisory Board to partner in developing standards and systems to address workers’ rights. Representatives of trade unions, human rights organizations, academia, retailers, manufacturers, contractors, as well as consulting, accounting, and certification firms, by consensus, cooperated to develop the Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) Standard. Published in late 1997 and revised in 2001, the SA8000 Standard and verification system is a credible, comprehensive and efficient tool for assuring humane workplaces. The SA8000 system includes:

• Factory-level management system requirements
• Independent, expert verification of compliance
• Involvement by stakeholders
• Public reporting
• Harnessing consumer and investor concern
• Research and publication

SA 8000 KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Be senior management led.
• Be focused on continuous improvement.
• Be focused on prevention rather than reaction.
• Be supportive of workers’ rights and workers participation.
• Be compliant with local laws/codes.
• Be proactive in promoting ethical sourcing.
  

Systems & ITES Related

Aims Management Consultants, over the years, has earned a name in the field of training. Within the training division of aims managment consultants, regular trainings is being given on Six Sigma, Lean, TQM, Quality Improvement Techniques etc. Also, there is a dedicated team of Lean Auditors / Lead Tutors who are regularly conducting Lead Auditors courses on ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:1999. Apart from open house and in-house Lead Auditor Courses, QGS conducts awareness programmes / Internal Auditors programme on ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 / OHSAS 18001 / SA 8000 / HACCP / BS 7799 (ISO 27001:2005) / BS 15000

• NRBPT approved Lead Auditor Courses for 9001:2000 aims management consultants has already organized more than 300 lead auditor training programs in India and abroad.
• NRBPT approved Advanced Environmental Management Systems Auditing course for14001 aims management consultants has already organized more than 100 programs.
• OHSAS 18001 – Occupational Health & Safety – Advanced Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems Auditing Course.
• ISO 9001:2000 internal quality Audits – ISO 19011
• ISO/TS 16949 Auditing in accordance with QSA
  
  

Flexible work arrangement

Savantage understands that employees have diverse and active lifestyles; therefore, we encourage flexible work arrangements, allowing employees to maintain a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives. Flexible work arrangements can include modified work hours, reduced or compressed work weeks, and work from home hours. Flexible work arrangements are designed to allow the employee the flexibility they need, yet still meet the full needs of our clients.

Certification in accordance with the requirements of SA 8000

Many enterprises introduce their Quality Management Systems as per the requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Meanwhile it becomes necessary to introduce the Environmental Management System as per the requirements of the ISO 14001:1996 standards and the Occupational Safety Management System as per the requirements of the OHSAS 18001:1999 standards, as part of the customers’ requirements. Many company managers have already started with the introduction of these systems but only a few of them are prepared to meet the new requirements for social responsibility of enterprises, as stipulated in SA 8000:1997.
Leading companies in the world have for many years believed that reliable partners may only be those companies that act ethically in relation to society as a whole and in particular in relation to their collaborators, and when they treat them with respect and provide them with the necessary working conditions.
Standard SA 8000 “Social responsibility” was developed in order for enterprises to be able to reaffirm their social responsibilities in performing their businesses.

Why a workplace Standard?

• Needed to standardize codes of conduct; inconsistencies resulted from lack of grounding in international human rights norms.
• Competing codes of conduct created supplier confusion.
• Needed a standardize verification system to ensure ongoing compliance (i.e. companies) taken a task for having a code, but not upholding it)
• Without certification as a goal, corrective actions were often delayed or not taken.

Benefits to Members

Becoming environmentally responsible and adopting sustainable values has clear benefits for your business, including

• Financial savings: you spend less on electricity and water
• Increased revenue: raising environmental awareness amongst consumers leads to more bookings
• Competitive edge: improving your marketing profile gives you the edge

General Consulting about SA 8000

Throughout the implementation and social accountability system process, you may need to ask questions and receive clarification on important issues. Aims Management Consultants can provide General consultation support to you and your organization

Course Objective

On successful completion of the course, students will be able:

• to understand the ‘drivers’ behind corporate social responsibility
• to understand the development of Codes of Conduct and SA 8000, and the principles of the labour standards adopted
• To identify the role of stakeholders in social accountability auditing
• To be competent in key skills required to carry out monitoring and verification of Codes of Conduct and auditing to SA 8000 requirements

Aims management consultants offers certifications according to SA8000

The International Certification Network IQNet recently received the accreditation for Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000). In its role as partner organization and founding member, aims management consultants is therefore authorized to offer certification services for this increasingly important standard to its customers.
SA8000 is based on the principles of international workplace norms contained within the ILO (International Labour Organisation) conventions, UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The fundamental focus of SA8000 is to improve working conditions around the world. This intent has pioneered the way forward for organisations to improve and demonstrate their corporate social responsibility (CSR) with regards to basic human rights in the workplace.

Aims Management Consultants Programs to Advance Social Accountability

Aims Management Consultants links companies, individuals and governments that want to support responsible practices through their purchasing, employment and investment activity. The goal is for human rights standards to become embedded in the supply chain or workplace governance structures, so that the promise of improved social performance for workers and businesses can be realized. The following aspects of aims management consultants work help to achieve these goals.

• Training and Technical Assistance: Training of auditors, workers, managers and suppliers. Aims Management Consultants certifies individual auditors and helps companies in the implementation process by providing training and information.
• Accreditation:aims management consultants licenses qualified auditors to certify workplace compliance with social accountability standards. SAI regularly audits the auditors. It does not audit factories or farms.
• Improvement of Auditing Effectiveness: Constant review of the auditing process; an open complaints and appeals system; regional roundtables to review auditing challenges and share best practices; and fostering greater involvement by NGOs and trade unions.
• Research and Development: Drafting and revising of social accountability standards, guidelines for the independent verification of compliance, examples of good practices and the costs and benefits of certification.
• Corporate Programs: Focus on helping companies extend the principles and management systems approach unique to SA8000 throughout their supply chains by assisting the process of integrating social compliance into supplier development and supply chain management.

What is information security?

Information security is the protection of information to ensure:

1. Confidentiality: ensuring that the information is accessible only to those authorized to access it.
2. Integrity: ensuring that the information is accurate and complete and that the information is not modified without authorization.
3. Availability: ensuring that the information is accessible to authorized users when required.

Eight quality management principles

ISO 9000 is based on eight quality management principles:

• Customer focus, resulting in customer requirements being met and in efforts to exceed those requirements;
• Leadership, aiming to create an internal environment in which people are fully involved;
• Involvement of people, who are the essence of an organization;
• Process approach, bringing about improved efficiency in obtaining the desired results;
• System approach to management, leading to improved effectiveness and efficiency through the identification, understanding and management of interrelated processes;
• Continual improvement, which becomes a permanent objective of the organization;
• Factual approach to decision-making, based on an analysis of data and information; and
• Mutually beneficial supplier relationships, derived from an understanding of their interdependence.

Contributions for clients

Contribution is particularly:

• increase of credibility of organization,
• improvement of firm's culture of communication with employees,
• image of each entrepreneurial subject.

It is possible to apply this norm to supplier chains too, where management of risks (following from invoking of possible inhumane working practices, exploiting of working of children) could became outstanding element, which could have in its own consequence significant influence to exercise of products and services in the market. It is possible to suppose, that in the European context application of SA 8000 norm could be important competitive advantage, particularly at supplies, which are funded from public sources.

Corporate Social Responsibility Certification

In today's global economy, corporate social responsibility has become one of the top priorities for trade. Decreasing tolerance of poor working conditions represents a huge challenge for manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers - who must balance these ethical concerns with the need to produce high-quality products at low prices.
Aims Management Consultants global reach is our major strength, linking suppliers in one part of the world with buyers in another. We independently inspect factories and goods in the countries of origin across the whole supply chain, on behalf of clients and consumers located in the products' final market. In fact, aims management consultants auditors are currently monitoring thousands of factories per year, in more than 90 countries worldwide, for most major retail and brand companies.

Certifying companies based on an internationally recognizable standard to improve labor conditions

Social Accountability International (Aims Management Consultants)develops voluntary corporate social responsibility standards and certifies companies based on their implementation of these standards. The first of these standards, Social Accountability 8000 (SA 8000), includes a code of conduct for labor conditions and a verification system to ensure compliance.
SA 8000 draws on established business strategies for ensuring quality (such as those used by the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9000) and add several elements that international human rights experts have identified as essential to social auditing. In broad terms, aims management consultants enables organizations to be socially accountable by:

• Convening key stakeholders to develop consensus-based voluntary standards;
• Accrediting qualified organizations to verify compliance;
• Promoting understanding and encouraging implementation of such standards worldwide.

Aims Management Consultants was founded in 1997 as the Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency (CEPAA). SA 8000 was a joint initiative among businesses, human rights NGOs, and trade unions, all of which have representatives on the Aims Management Consultants Advisory Board. Because of the need for standardization, these sectors came together to establish a code of conduct based on existing international standards along with a parallel verification system. Members of the Advisory Board brought together expertise in the fields of human rights, child labor, labor rights, socially responsible investing, auditing techniques, and management of large supply chains. After the initial drafting of the Standard by the staff at aims management consultants, the members of the Advisory Board met in various committees and sub-committees to finalize the language.

Now is the time to demonstrate your commitment to just and equitable working conditions

In the face of the corporate scandals uncovered over the past several years, a persistent wind of change is forcing companies to consider the full impact of their corporate activities and policies, particularly from customer / consumer point of view.Companies today aim at controlling and putting into practice the respect and promotion of human rights of all workers throughout the whole supply, production and distribution chain.SA8000 is an international standard that encourages manufacturing companies and other organizations to develop, maintain and apply socially acceptable workplace practices. SA8000, created in 1998 by Social Accountability International (SAI), an affiliate of the Council on Economic Priorities, is viewed as the most globally applicable workplace standard and can be assessed in any size facility in any geography and industry sector.Among the areas covered by SA 8000 are child labor, forced labor, health and safety, freedom of association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours, compensation and management systems. As well as setting standards governing workers' rights, SA8000 embraces existing international agreements, including International Labor Organization conventions, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

What Can UL Do For Me In Social Accountability Auditing?

UL’s social accountability audit staff are trained to the requirements of the ISO 9000 series as well as the SA 8000 standards and can provide audit, registration and certification services in ISO9000, QS9000, ISO 14001, TL 9000, VDA 6.1 as well as standards in environmental public health and aerospace, industry and company codes.
Services include Pre-Registration Evaluations (preliminary), Registration and Surveillance audits. Social Accountability audits may be complementary to ISO/QS 9000 and can be concurrent, sequential or integrated with ISO 9000, ISO 14001, and TL 9000, QS 9000 etc.

What is covered under SA 8000?

Amongst the areas covered by SA 8000 are: child labour, forced labour, health and safety, freedom of association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours, compensation and management systems and workers’ rights.
SA 8000 embraces existing international agreements, including International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. SA 8000, is a way for retailers, customers, suppliers and other organizations to maintain a just and decent work condition throughout the supply chain.

Polices on Human Rights and Social Accountability

• No labor under 15 years old shall be hired.
• No labor shall be hired by force or through coercion.
• Safe and hygienic workplace and dormitory as will as accident prevention system shall be guaranteed for ht staff.
• Rights of the staff to unit into lawful bodies shall be respected
• No discrimination against skin colors, races, religions, ages, nationalities, disabilities or political affiliations shall be adopted.
• No physical punishment, mental cruelty, or humiliation shall be practiced.
• Applicable laws concerning working hours, overtime hours, and weekly day off shall be strictly observed.
• At least minimum wages imposed by labor laws shall be paid to the staff.

What are the social issues tackled by the SA8000 standard?

There are eight broad issues which are dealt with by SA8000 and different criteria within them which must be met in order to achieve certification, these are; child labour, forced labour, health and safety, freedom of association, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours and remuneration (pay).
I am going to break these areas down for you one by one, but it is important to note that these will be brief summaries of the criteria and give a simple overview of the standard. It is also important to note that in some cases the local country law may be more stringent than the SA8000 standard in which case the local law applies.

Highlights from the company’s third corporate responsibility report:

• Saved more than $8 million annually from lower agrichemical use and pallet recycling
• Days on strike fell by 25 percent in 2002 and 70 percent in 2003 compared to 2001
• 100 percent of Chiquita’s company-owned farms certified to the strict environmental standards of the Rainforest Alliance
• Volume of purchased bananas from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms increased to more than 65 percent in 2003 from 33 percent in 2001
• Set goal to phase out by 2007 all refrigerated containers using chlorofluorocarbons, which are known to contribute to the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer
• Reduced sulfur content of ship fuel to less than half the maximum-allowable 5 percent

The following conditions must be fulfilled in order for a company to receive SA8000 certification:

• Comprehensive social management system incl. documentation and communications
• Payment of wages that cover basic needs
• Complete responsibility taken for the entire value chain, i.e. for sub-contractors, suppliers, sub-suppliers and home workers

Process of Certification

Assessment of compliance to the SA8000 Standard and the issuance of SA8000 certifications is available only through independent organizations accredited by Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS). A facility wishing to seek certification to SA8000 must apply to a SAAS-accredited auditing firm, known as a Certification Body.
To learn more about the process of certification, please visit the isoconsultantsdelhi.com website. In order to learn more about SA8000 and the certification process, interested parties should review the SA8000 Standard, available for downloading, and the SA8000 Guidance Document, available for purchase. Aims management consultants also offers several different training courses designed for auditors, workers, managers and others interested in learning about the SA8000 certification process.
Certification under SA8000 is available to any organization. Certified workplaces are required to make public their certification and can display their certificate in a store or a factory, in company advertising, and on company stationary. A public list of certified organizations is also maintained on the isoconsultantsdelhi.com website.

Obtain IQNet SA8000 Certification through Aims management consultants International

Aims management consultants International has signed the Representative Agreement with IQNet in relation to the provision of IQNet SA8000 assessment services. IQNet Ltd has been accredited by Social Accountability International to deliver SA8000 certification globally, through this collaboration with aims management consultants International and other IQNet Partners which have also signed the Representative Agreement.

Business Challenge

The current global business environment is motivation organizations to consider the full social and ethical impacts of their corporate activities and policies. Those companies who are able to prove a responsible approach to broader social and ethical issues will gain a vital competitive edge and inspire the confidence of stakeholders such as clients, investors, local communities and consumers. Social concerns like child labour, forced labour and discrimination require companies to not only consider their own direct sphere of influence but also their entire supply chain. The concept and value of employing an independent, third party to monitor social responsibility is becoming increasingly important.

Proving your commitment to just & equitable working conditions

Is an international standard on social accountability management system that encourages organizations to develop, maintain and apply socially acceptable workplace practices. The Standard is developed by Social Accountability International (SAI), an affiliate of the Council on Economic Priorities, is viewed as the most globally applicable workplace standard.
SA 8000 is based on the principles of international human rights norm 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 key areas: child labour, forced labour, health and safety, free association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours and compensation.

SA 8000 Implementation Steps

Consultants Activity

• Initial Assessment through interview with the people Responsible of the main roles in the company, and sightseeing all the organization sites
• Projecting the System to comply with relevant national and local regulations, assessing the company against the SA8000 standard and giving the customer the time table to do it
• Implementing the System on the SA8000 standard and all the documents that vary depending of the company's activity
• Internal assessment of compliance to SA8000 conducted by Aims Management consultant Pvt. Ltd.'s consultants / experts to check if the changes to conditions, policies and management systems required by the standard are done in all the organization sites the audit relieves also that all what is declared in the relative documentation is true
• Assistance to choose the Certification Auditor that suites better the customer activity and management of all the arrangement needed
• Assistance up to the final Auditing and the issue of the certificate

Overview

is an international standard for improving working conditions. This standard is based on the principles of the international human rights norms as described in International Labor Organisation conventions, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. SA 8000 is the first auditable social standard and is independent of government bodies and single interest groups.

Factory working conditions

Aims management consultants has adopted the SA8000 Standard for factory operations. All of aims management consultant’s products are made in factories owned by others. At aims management consultants’ request, all factory owners have agreed to implement the SA8000 Standard. The standard includes bans on child labor, mistreatment of workers, a ban on illegal overtime, and on all overtime for which workers are not paid premium wages. The standard requires measures to promote worker safety (e.g., fire safety, factory hygiene, safe living quarters), and regular audits by outside agencies which have been specially certified on the SA8000 Standard. We recognize that full implementation of the SA8000 Standard will require continual efforts, and we are serious about it.

Detailed information on SA8000

With ever increasing frequency, companies are coming under scrutiny from governments, customers, trade unions, human-rights groups, and others to prove that their activities are conducted in a way which is socially acceptable to those who may be touched by it.
The notion of ‘social accountability’ is not a new one. International organizations, trade unions, human-rights lobbyists and regulators have long strove to eliminate the inequities of the workplace. Child labor and prison/forced labor continue to be pivotal issues in many areas of the world. Most of us will buy goods manufactured under conditions that we would never admit. Illegal labor and discriminatory practices are still usual, even in the ‘developed world’.

Tools for monitoring social compliance

The tools Aims management consultants currently employs to monitor its supply chain are the SA8000 standard and the BSCI audits. In addition to these, there are several national and sector–specific initiatives with similar Codes of Conduct on the market. Although all existing models do not necessarily fully comply with Kesko's requirements, it is clear that these other initiatives linked to Kesko's supply chain have resulted in improvements especially in global labour standards.
Aims Management consultants buyers of imported products have received basic training in the ILO conventions, the SA8000 standard and the BSCI system. The buyers' duties include collecting from suppliers the basic information needed for social quality control, personally presenting Aims management consultant’s principles and the monitoring tools, and keeping the idea of carrying out a BSCI audit or implementing the SA8000 standard continuously alive. Auditing of companies is entrusted to local, independent experts who speak the language of the employees and are familiar with both the national legislation and international conventions.

The course cover the following

• Overview of Social Accountability issues
• ETI Base Code & SA 8000 Standards
• Labour standards, Product Issues
• Health, safety & welfare issues
• Employee relations and conditions of employment
• Understanding differing employment markets and working conditions
• Auditing skills
• Planning an audit
• Identifying and reporting non-conformances
• Reporting writing

Our Methodology

Key steps in our approach are:

• Contract signature;
• Pre-audit (optional):gap analysis and diagnosis of your current position against the standard;
• Initial audit to verify the implementation of the basic structure of the Management System (legislations and regulations applying);
• Certification audit (certificate issued);
• Surveillance visits to follow the continual improvement;
• Re-certification after 3 years through full audit or continual assessment.

Aims Management consultants is awarded SA8000 in India.

Aims management consultants has been awarded social accountability international, SA 8000 certification in its factory in India.
The Indian factory, which manufactures household wire ware and small kitchen utensils, is one of the first 100 in the world to be awarded this certificate.
SA 8000 is a standard based on the ILO (International Labour Organization)convention, as well as on other conventions for human rights, which determines criteria and rules related to; child labour, forced labour, health and safety, freedom of union association and right to collective bargaining, discrimination, work timetable, salary levels and organization systems inside a company.

The Arguments for SA8000 Certification

Both organizations and the public are confronted with a challenge when wanting to procure from socially responsible suppliers. Before SA8000 there was no global norm against which companies could be assessed.
SA8000 certification theoretically provides assurance that the goods or services have been produced and delivered in accordance with a commonly accepted and socially acceptable set of values.
Naturally, for the socially responsible organizations, SA8000 will allow them to create a demarcation from their peers, who do not meet the standards. It is expected that entrenched practices such as using sweatshop and child labor should be reduced following of SA8000 implementation.
SA8000 is an instrument for closing the gap between business and the evolving values of society. Through the auditing of human matters, instead of financial or quality issues, SA8000 certification strives to materialize the concept of social accountability.

ISO 9001, ISO13485, ISO14000, TS 16949& GMP

We offer factory audits using the ISO9001, ISO13485, TS 16949, GMP standard and/or the ISO 14000 environmental standard. Our auditors conduct preliminary and/or final audits to ensure continuous improvement goals are being identified and achieved.

SA 8000 Background

SA8000 is a consensus standard that encourages companies and other organisations to develop, maintain and apply social, ethical and acceptable workplace practices within their sphere of influence. SA8000 is an initiative of the Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency (CEPPA), an affiliate of the Council on Economic Priorities. In short, the SA8000 standard seeks to ensure certain benchmarks are applied to workplace practices through accredited and independent third party auditing. The overall mission of SA8000 is to improve working conditions globally.

Description of sustainability activity

The Apparel Avenue Company is considered a medium-sized factory in the apparel industry in Thailand, with two manufacturing sites and over 600 employees. The company exports 100% of its products, nearly 75% to the US, 10% to Japan, 10% to the EU and the remaining 5% to ASEAN countries. After achieving ISO 9002 and ISO 14001, the company undertook a further effort to comply with the social accountability standard (SA8000) in order to maintain its export market in the long run. Achieving SA8000 certification meant Apparel Avenue had to reduce the overtime of its workers, and the company's SA8000 team agreed that an appropriate methodology was through increasing productivity. This would improve the working environment, with the company saving overtime costs and the employees making more money with fewer working hours. The improvements involved changing the working steps or sequences, designing new tools to improve the employees' working practices, redesigning the workstations and paying the workers by item instead of by hour to prevent them losing salary. The procedures were implemented relatively quickly, as the employees also realised how they could benefit.

Who should apply?

• Companies seeking to independently verify their social record.
• Companies seeking to independently verify their own social record and that of their contractor. Contractors that produce goods for U.S. and European companies and wish to demonstrated to companies and consumers that they are treating workers development.
• Multilateral organizations seeking to ensure that they procure from companies that are not exploitative.

SA8000 is not an ISO-series standard.

Many aspects of SA8000 are similar to the ISO 9000 series of standards, such as preventive and corrective action, management review, planning, implementation and measurement of effectiveness, control of suppliers, records and the need for verifiable objective evidence.
There are some differences from the ISO 9000 series requirements. These include SA8000 provisions to disclose information to selected third-parties, an increased reliance on employee interviews, which are confidential and may be off-site, and the collecting of evidence from outside of the company, such as from the local health department, economic development agency, church or school. Additionally, the scope of registration cannot be limited to only certain buildings, assembly lines, processes or areas; all areas including recreational and dormitory areas must be assessed if present.

Where Does SA8000 Originate?

SA8000 results from a four-year work launched by the Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency (CEPPA), an agency of the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP). The CEP is a non-governmental organisation in the field of corporate social responsibility, it was established in 1969 and is based in New York.
The advisory board of the CEPPA has representatives from a broad spectrum of organisations, including manufacturing and service companies, financial institutions, management services companies, customer and supplier corporations, other non-governmental organisations, trade unions and academia. Among those contributing to the development of the standard were representatives from Toys "R" Us, Avon Products, OTTO-Versand, KPMG, Body Shop, Amnesty International, National Child Labour Committee, Sainsbury's, University of Texas, Belgian Workers Federation, Abrinq, International Textile Garment and Leather Workers Federation, Eileen Fisher, Grupo M.S.A., Amalgamated Bank, Reebok and SGS-ICS.
The development of SA8000 was not a governmental or sectorial scheme, and allegedly efforts were made for it not to be dominated by any individual interest group, however it is evident that the advisory board is largely dominated by representatives from the business and financial milieu.

Definitions

• Definition of company: the entirety of any organization or business entity responsible for implementing the requirements of this standard, including all personnel (i.e., directors, executives, management, supervisors, and non‑management staff, whether directly employed, contracted or otherwise representing the company).
• Definition of supplier: a business entity which provides the company with goods and/or services integral to, and utilized in/for, the production of the company’s goods and/or services.
• Definition of subcontractor: a business entity in the supply chain which, directly or indirectly, provides the supplier with goods and/or services integral to, and utilized in/for, the production of the supplier’s and/or company’s goods and/or services.
• Definition of remedial action: action taken to remedy a nonconformance.
• Definition of corrective action: action taken to prevent the recurrence of a non-conformance.
• Definition of interested party: individual or group concerned with or affected by the social performance of the company.
• Definition of child: any person less than 15 years of age, unless local minimum age law stipulates a higher age for work or mandatory schooling, in which case the higher age would apply. If, however, local minimum age law is set at 14 years of age in accordance with developing‑ country exceptions under ILO Convention 138, the lower age will apply.
• Definition of young worker: any worker over the age of a child as defined above and under the age of 18.
• Definition of child labour: any work by a child younger than the age(s) specified in the above definition of a child, except as provided for by ILO Recommendation 146.
  

Fundamental structure

SA8000 is based upon a variety of sources, including UN declarations and International Labour Organisation conventions. It is currently under review with an update due to be published later in 2008.
Requirements are split across eight recognised human rights components, including child labour, collective bargaining, working hours and remuneration. A further section details the management processes a company is expected to have in place.
Unlike many other standards, there is no option to self-certify under SA8000. Rather, each and every company facility has to be visited by a qualified assessor.

Enhancing your company reputation through social responsibility

The current global business environment is motivating organizations to consider the full social and ethical impacts of their corporate activities and policies. Those companies who are able to prove a responsible approach to broader social and ethical issues will gain a vital competitive edge and inspire the confidence of stakeholders such as clients, investors, local community and consumers.
Social concerns like child labour, forced labour and discrimination require companies to not any consider their own direct sphere of influence but also their entire supply chain. The concept and value of employing an independent, third party to monitor social responsibility is becoming increasingly important.

Social Accountability Policy

• To provide Safe & Healthy working conditions.
• To ensure compliance of National & other applicable laws and to respect the International Instruments and their interpretation.
• To maintain disciplined and discrimination free working organization.
• To develop awareness towards SA 8000 standard requirements among all its stake holders.
• To ensure freedom of Association and right to collective bargaining.
• To ensure not to engage or support the child labour and forced labour in any form in the organization.
• To ensure effective implementation of Social Accountability Standard policies and requirements and to make continual improvement.

Benefits for Business Through Compliance to SA 8000:

• Putting company values into action.
• Enhancing company and brand reputation.
• Improving employee recruitment, retention and performance.
• Better supply chain management and performance.

What is Social Accountability?

Social accountability is a broad term created as a business response to a host of operational factors affecting a company’s diverse stakeholders. These stakeholders include employees, the community, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, management, owners and stockholders.
These operational factors include working environment, employment compliance, safety, diversity, discrimination and equal rights, human rights, community responsibility, environmental concerns, product life cycle, legal issues and regulatory requirements. These factors may not be directly tied to the company’s manufacturing process but do create need for the company to assess compliance, conformance and risk affecting the company, it’s environment and it’s profitability.

Benefits of SA 8000 to manufacturers and suppliers

• Marketing advantage – more demand and value for goods from socially.
• Responsible manufacturers/suppliers
• Enhancement of company’s productivity
• Compliance to the laws of the land.
• Improvement of relationship with the Govt., NGOs, trade unions.
• Better image and position in labour market.

How can use SA 8000

Companies and their supply chains that want to demonstrate that their workers are being treated fairly and humanely.
Note: The SA 8000 standard excludes Myanmar and the maritime sector from SA 8000 certification. However Lloyd's Register will provide global maritime labour inspection and certification services to the shipping industry in accordance with international standards set by the forthcoming ILO Maritime Labout Convention 2006.

SA 8000 social responsibility as standard

The number of companies accredited to the sa8000 standard recently passed 100 - so now is a good time to consider the standard and its impact on the development of the CSR agenda, says Mallen Baker
The Social Accountability 8000 standard brings the kind of approachassociated with the iso quality systems - such as iso 9001 - andapplies it to social responsibility in the workplace. Human rights,child labour, health and safety, freedom of association, workinghours and compensation. The standard is based on established humanrights instruments, such as the Universal Declaration of HumanRights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child.The standard is certified, and a growing body of professionalauditors has risen as a result.What are the business benefits of such a system? Chiefly, theyrevolve around reputational protection. The companies which havebeen hit hardest by problems are those with long and exposed supplychains operating in developing countries. The standard gives suchcompanies a useful tool to begin to bring those suppliers into line.

What are the Customer’s benefits

• Demonstrated commitment to socially responsible business ethics
• Protection for your brand
• Enhanced reputation as a socially responsible corporate citizen
• Customer and consumer confidence and positive investor perception

Who Can apply for certification?

1. Companies seeking to independently verify their social record.
2. Companies seeking to independently verify their own social record and that of their contractors.
3. Contractors that produce goods for U.S. and European companies and wish to demonstrate to companies and consumers that they are treating workers fairly.
4. Development or multilateral organisations seeking to ensure that they procure from companies that are not exploitative

Special cases

1) Subsidiaries are not automatically certified as part of the headquarters' decision to apply for certification. For example, the decision on the part of a German company to certify to SA8000 does not include its subsidiaries, although subsidiaries can be cerified separately.

2) The Agricultural sector is not currently addressed under SA8000, although there may be a future SA8001 that addressed agricolture issues and/or a guidance document may be development to interpret these issues for the agricultural sector.

3) Extractive industries, such as oil and mining, are not covered under SA8000, although there may be an SA8002 that addresses these issues and/or guidance document may be develpment to interpret these issues for specific extractive industries.

4) Homework is not currently addressed, but future revisions of SA8000 will address this issue. This is a complex issue, because auditing a home can be considered a violation of privacy. To certify corporate conformance with SA8000, every facility seeking certification must be audited. Thus auditors will visit factories and assess corporate practice on a wide range of issues: child labour, health and safety, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours and compensation. Auditors will also evaluate the state of a company's management systems, necessary to ensure ongoing conformance in each of these areas. The goal is continuous improvement, not exclusion. However, as more and more firms become certified to comply with SA8000, retailers and brand name manufacturers will be able to state their preference for (or decision to deal exclusively with) suppliers in compliance with SA8000. Factories will need to make improvements and abide by a timetable for verifying that problems have been addressed; they must document progress in problem areas. For example, a factory which employed exploitative child labor would need to document, maintain, and effectively communicate policies and procedures that addressed the needs of displaced children (i.e. those put out of work by effective monitoring itself) -- plus take preventive action to avoid a recurrence.

About SA8000

Developed by Social Accountability International (SAI), SA8000 was published in late 1997, revised in 2001 and reached its third edition in 2008. The standard, as well as the supporting independent certification process, provides the basis for a comprehensive and widely accepted approach for assuring fair and humane workplaces. SAI’s SA8000 system includes:
1. factory-level management system requirements for ongoing social compliance and continual improvement
2. independent, expert verification of compliance by certification bodies accredited by SAAS
3. involvement by stakeholders including participation by all key sectors in the SA8000 system: workers, trade unions, companies, socially responsible investors, non-governmental organisations and government
4. public reporting on SA8000 certified facilities through postings on the SAAS and SAI websites
5. training for workers, managers, auditors and other interested parties in effective use of SA8000
6. Research and publication of guidance in the effective use of SA8000.
7. Complaints, appeals and surveillance processes.

What can SA 8000 do for you?

• It helps you with the effective use of systems for managing social accountability
• You can demonstrate to your stakeholders that you are accountable and responsible.

How does SA 9000 operate?

• As in the cases of ISO 9000 quality management system and ISO 14000 environmental management system, SA 8000 provides a framework for independent assessment by a third party certification body
• SA 8000 includes a set of social accountability standards and a guidance document
• Through continuous assessment, it provides the companies with a system for continuous improvement
• Through an appeal process to the certification body, non-governmental organizations (i.e. NGOs), if they have supporting evidence, can challenge the SA 8000 certification of a company .

Why was SA 8000 developed?

• Consumers and other stakeholders have become increasingly concerned about whether products have been manufactured under conditions of violation of human rights, child labor and discrimination – as often reported by the media.
• The existing management of many companies cannot adequately cope with the myriad demands imposed by labour laws, codes of conduct of individual companies, as well as their stakeholders.
• A greater challenge is to effectively monitor whether the manufacturers and suppliers have implemented .

What are the benefits of SA 8000

Managing your reputational risks in the world business environment also gives you an opportunity to demonstrate good business practice and ethical trading.
A strong social accountability management system will benefit your business by:

• Enhancing your brand image and reputation
• Differentiating you from your competition
• Attracting new customers
• Improving worker morale and effectiveness
• Opening up new markets
• Attracting ethical investment
• Demonstrating transparency to stakeholders

Does SA8000 apply to all industries?

No, due to the nature of some industries, they are excluded from the scope of SA8000, for example agriculture and extractive industries.However, Bureau Veritas Certification can help organizations in these sectors adopt alternative approaches in order to achieve their corporate social responsibility objectives.

SA 8000 Social Accountability overview

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and investment analysts scrutinize organizations to assess that minimum standards are upheld in the workplace and ensure that workers are getting a fair deal.These and other stakeholders, including your employees, are increasingly evaluating your organization’s commitment to ensuring a fair and equitable working environment and transparent business practices.This climate means that your organization will be called upon more and more to demonstrate its social responsibility.The most widely recognized global standard for managing human rights in the workplace is Social Accountability International’s SA 8000:2001. It is the first auditable standard, suitable for organizations of all sizes anywhere in the world, and provides a framework for assuring all of your stakeholders that social accountability is being stewarded by your management.

SA 8000 Standard Elements

• Child Labor
• Forced Labor
• Health and Safety
• Freedom of Association and Right to collective Bargaining
• Discrimination
• Discipline
• Working Hours
• Compensations
• Management Systems.
  The audit team will visit the client organization´s facilities and assess the implementation and effectiveness of the Social Accountability Program to confirm the facility´s compliance with SA 8000.

What is SA 8000 Certification?

SA 8000 certification enables you to demonstrate your commitment to social accountability standards as well as employee and customer satisfaction.

SA 8000 is an international certification standard that encourages organisations to develop, maintain and apply socially acceptable practices in the workplace. It was created in 1989 by Social Accountability International (SAI), an affiliate of the Council on Economic Priorities, and is viewed as the most globally accepted independent workplace standard. It can be applied to any company, of any size, anywhere in the world. The areas it addresses include forced and child labour, health and safety, freedom of association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours, compensation and management systems.

What kind of standard is it?

SA8000 is an internationally accepted and independently verified certification process. Facilities submit to an independent audit against the SA8000 Standard, and if a facility meets the Standard, it will earn a certificate attesting to its social accountability policies, management, and operations. Companies that operate production facilities can seek to have individual facilities certified to SA8000 through audits by one of the accredited certification bodies.

What is SA 8000?

SA8000 is the first auditable standard in this field. In particular, it is compatible with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS18001 structure and based on conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.