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.