October 2009


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In This Issue
Certification Statistics
News of the SAI Advisory Board
SAI Represented on USDA Consultative Group
Chiquita and Corporate Social Responsibility
Improving Industrial Relations in a Peruvian Apparel Company
COOP Italia's Launches Guidelines for Agro-Industrial Worker Safety
News & Publications
Announcements & Upcoming Events
Condolences for Don Fisher, co-Founder of Gap Inc.
SAI and SAAS Seek Interns for the Fall and Spring Semester

Certification Statistics


Summary Statistics as of June 20, 2009


Certified Facilities: 2,010
Countries Represented: 64
Industries Represented: 66
Number of Employees: 1,119,145

For more information, click here  to view the SAAS Certified Facilities page

News of the SAI Advisory Board



Pictured from left: Steven Oates, ILO; Alice Tepper Marlin, SAI; Darryl Knudsen, Gap Inc.; Judy Gearhart, SAI; Amy Hall, Eileen Fisher
On 7-9 October, SAI's multi-stakeholder Advisory Board convened in Rome for its semiannual meeting. SAI is immensely grateful to Legacoop and Advisory Board member Giorgio Bertinelli, who generously hosted this meeting. 

In addition to our diverse array of Advisory Board members, SAI  welcomed an impressive group of observers representing diverse organizations--the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the International Labour Organization (ILO), Gucci Group, the Global Social Compliance Programme (GSCP), Otto Group, Obiettivo Lavoro, and the Italian Ministry of Labor. The whole group participated in very productive discussions over the three-day period, and progressed in the development of new and existing initiatives. 

Mr. Heiko Liedeker, former head of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), provided his expertise in the field of social labeling in committee discussion, giving a presentation based on his experience developing and managing a social label at the FSC. 

SAI is pleased to welcome our newest Advisory Board member, Andreas Streubig from the Otto Group. Mr. Streubig has been the head of Environmental and Social Policy at Otto since 2007, where he manages the Group's activities in the field of Corporate Responsibility. 
 
SAI Advisory Board members represent a broad range of expertise in human rights, child and labor rights, socially responsible investing, auditing, and supply chain management. Their expertise supports SAI's goals of equal representation from all perspectives in order to maintain and advance our mission of human rights at work.

SAI Represented on USDA Consultative Group


SAI
Advisory Board Member, Dorianne Beyer, Appointed
Member on USDA Consultative group

SAI is pleased to announce and congratulate the appointment of SAI Advisory Board member , Dorianne Beyer, to a three-year term on the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) newly convened Consultative Group to Eliminate the Use of Child Labor and Forced Labor in Imported Agricultural Products. Ms. Beyer was nominated by SAI.

The consultative group, established by the 2008 Farm Bill, consists of both government and non-government members. Working together, the group will develop and make recommendations to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack regarding guidelines to reduce the likelihood that agricultural products imported into the United States are produced with the use of child or forced labor.

"Child and forced labor remain significant problems in many parts of the world," said Vilsack. "The expertise and unique knowledge provided by these members will be instrumental in our efforts to reduce the use of these forms of labor in agricultural industries benefiting from these practices."

From the group's expertise, the USDA will release guidelines for a voluntary initiative to enable entities to address child and forced labor issues. Ms. Beyer brings significant expertise in her field of child labor and agriculture, as well as her knowledge of SAI's role in mitigating and eliminating these practices.

Ms. Beyer is an agricultural labor consultant and has been a national and international labor standards lawyer, author, trainer and speaker for the past 25 years. She has applied her labor policy experience as a public consultant to such governmental agencies as the U.S. Departments of Labor, State and Agriculture, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the U.S. Army, as well as to the United Nations, the Child Labor Coalition, Burger King Intl., universities, corporations, blue ribbon panels, policy makers, the NGO community and the media.  She is also a founding principal of Labor & Monitoring Consultants, LLC, which provides a wide range of labor standards and practices assistance to companies, governments, trade associations, unions and NGOs worldwide.

A Look Inside SA8000: The Next Decade

Book excerpt:  SA8000: The First Decade. Implementation, Influence, and Impact, edited by Deborah Leipziger, published by Greenleaf.
 
Chapter
6: Chiquita and Corporate Social Responsibility

"In 1998, Chiquita's then president Steve Warshaw called on his team to develop a concept of "corporate responsibility," which would enable the company to ensure and demonstrate that it acted responsible and as a good citizen wherever it operated.  A corporate responsibility steering committee was formed to develop the framework and advise the CEO and his senior management team.
 
After considerable discussion, the steering committee decided to adopt the SA8000 social accountability standard. SA8000 offered important features: a standard based on national laws, international human rights norms, and the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO); developed by experts including trade union leaders; independent audits and certification; management system requirements for consistent implementation over time.
 
The SA8000 certification of Chiquita's owned banana farms was completed in 2004 in five countries, the first such certifications in Latin American agriculture. In 1999, Jeff Zalla became Chiquita's first Corporate Responsibility Officer, in recognition of his decisive leadership. Chiquita began to publish corporate responsibility (CR) reports in 2001. The frank presentation of the results of Rainforest Alliance and SA8000 assessments in the first CR Report was met with praise: SustainAbility and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) rated Chiquita's report the best in the food industry, commenting on its "courageous account on weaknesses." 

This chapter was written by Mr. George Jaksch, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Affairs, Chiquita Brands International. For more information or to order a copy of this book, click here

SAI Latin American Programs Update


Improving Industrial Relations in a Peruvian Apparel Company


SAI has been working with Gap Inc. and the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) at the Lima-based apparel company Topy Top SA, to strengthen dialogue and improve relations between management and the union, SINTOTTSA. A training program on policies and procedures for better communications, grievance handling and disciplinary practices, was one of the results of an agreement signed in June 2007 between the Topy Top management, SINTOTTSA, Gap Inc., the ITGLWF, and Inditex, in which both the company and the union pledged to "co-operate together to develop a mature system of industrial relations with the objective of making Topy Top viable, profitable and internationally competitive based on the principle of decent work and grounded in respect for the Peruvian Labour Laws and the International Labour Standards subscribed by Peru."
 
SAI and ITGLWF designed and delivered two series of workshops for management and union representatives at Topy Top. The first took place in April, when the two groups (management and supervisors on the one hand and union representatives on the other) worked in separate groups to cover the main points of the agreement and analyze the three procedures. In the second workshop in October, the two groups worked jointly to analyze specific challenges at the company, and discussed proposals for solutions. 

Two of the challenges identified by both management and workers at Topy Top are a] coping with the effects of short-term contracts and b] difficulties in understanding and meeting production quotas. The procedures for communication, grievance handling and discipline are aimed at providing mechanisms for workers and management to address these and other workplace issues that were identified, in the context of an improved and strengthened dialogue between the union and management. 
 
Please look for more about this program, and photos, in the November issue of the newsletter.

COOP Italia Launches Guidelines for Agro-Industrial Worker Safety


Guidelines a Component of the "COOP for Work" Project


In Cesena, Italy, on October 8, SAI Board of Directors member, Riccardo Bagni, Vice-President of COOP Italia, and Maurizio Zucchi, Quality Director of Coop Italia presented COOP Guidelines for the safety of workers in the agro-industrial sector at a meeting with suppliers. These guidelines are part of the "Coop for Work" project.

In Italy, workplace safety has become a real emergency, especially in the agro-industrial sector: in 2008, although the total number of accidents slightly decreased, the number of fatal accidents increased by an alarming 15.2%.

The "Coop for work" project is inspired by the recent Legislative Decree 81/2008 on workplace safety, and it aims at strengthening the culture of prevention and awareness of all stakeholders on this important aspect of work life.
 
The Guidelines developed by Coop Italia for agro-industrial suppliers are a practical tool, addressed to all the operators of this sector. They highlight the main risks, summarize requirements and prevention measures required by legislation, and suggest what to do to reduce the dangers of work in agriculture.
 
With this project, Coop urges all its suppliers of Coop branded products to actively contribute to the growth of a culture of prevention, by involving agro-industries. The Guidelines include: 1] specific references to compliance with workplace safety legislative requirements in supply contracts, 2] selection of suppliers based on their ability to guarantee such requirements, 3] checking on the correct implementation of the regulations, and 4] providing corrective actions and sharing of critical problems.
 
Coop will promote meetings with groups of suppliers to learn about the activities carried out, the results achieved and the critical points and improvement areas identified, together with new proposals and suggestions.

News and Publications

SAI President Participates in MFA Forum Scoping Trip in India

On 16-18 September, in New Delhi, SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin participated in a scoping visit with a new initiative of the MFA Forum, the Sustainable Apparel and Footwear Initiative (SAFI). The purpose of the visit was to identify key issues facing workers and suppliers in the apparel and footwear industries, arising from the global  economic downturn. She met with a variety of stakeholders, including representatives from the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), the World Bank, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Ms. Tepper Marlin also attended a workshop convened by CII and the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs on mainstreaming CSR initiatives. The workshop was part of a conference organized by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) entitled "Mainstreaming Sustainable Business Innovations: Global Learnings from Asia." Conference goals were to discuss and identify ways of enhancing existing systems that combine economic, social and ecological factors in order to achieve more sustainable and inclusive growth.

UNI Commerce Global Union Conference - September 30, 2009
 
On September 30, Ms. Tepper Marlin participated in a panel on CSR at the UNI Commerce Global Union Conference, in Dublin. The conference was focused on a set of strategic goals aimed at improving the effectiveness of UNI Commerce Global Union and better serving the needs of UNI's commerce affiliates. Over 200 conference attendees represented trade unions from across the globe.

As part of her presentation, Ms. Tepper Marlin outlined the ways in which SAI works with UNI and other trade unions. She was pleased to participate with SAI Advisory Board members Alan Spaulding of UFCW, Alke Boessiger of UNI, and Jan Furstenborg, former Head of UNI.

For more information about the UNI Commerce Global Conference, including photos and presentation summaries, click here.

SAI's Executive Director, Eileen Kaufman participated in a number of meetings in September and October. On 23 September, she attended the launch of Transparency International's "Global Corruption Report 2009: Corruption and the Private Sector," which featured panelists from TI, the U.S. Department of Justice, Ernst & Young, G.E., and the Serious Fraud Office in the UK discussing "Beyond bribery: strengthening corporate integrity in times of crisis."
 
On 30 September-02 October, Ms. Kaufman participated in a strategic retreat at the Pocantico Conference Center, New York: Framing International Standards and Certification. Attendees of the meeting were representatives from leading mission-driven organizations that address global sustainability challenges and in advocating for effective support from governments and alignment from business. The meeting was organized by the Pacific Institute and the ISEAL Alliance.   
 
On 5-6 October, Ms. Kaufman  participated in a large-scale consultation at the UN in Geneva on operationalizing the framework for business and human rights developed by John Ruggie, United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative on Human Rights and Business. The meeting was convened by the High Commissioner on Human Rights and included NGO, business, and government representatives from around the world.    
 
Also in Geneva, on 7 October, she participated in a meeting of the United Nations Global Compact's Human Rights Working Group (UNGC HRWG), to review good practice notes on several topics and to consult with representatives of the ILO. 

SAI Europe

Last month, Sean Ansett, SAI's European Representative lectured to MBA students at the ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain on SAI, SA8000 and stakeholder engagement.

Mr. Ansett also conducted a joint breakfast meeting with San Francisco-based corporate social responsibility NGO, As You Sow, at the International Cotton Advisory Council meeting in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss child labor and forced labor issues with key stakeholders from the global cotton industry.

In addition, this month Mr. Ansett was quoted in an Ethical Corporation article on commodity sourcing, entitled "Raw Materials- Collaborating for Ethical Supply Chains." Regarding the growth and significance of multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) in helping to develop ethical supply chains, he said: "[MSIs] also need to continue to evolve and be innovative and not bogged down in governance processes and procedures. Also, very important is to have truly representative stakeholders at the table including critical voices. This healthy friction leads to innovation." 

To read the full article, click here.
For more information, email Sean Ansett, at [email protected].


SAI Advisory Board member and Chief of Staff at CARE, Mr. Joe Iarocci, attended the "Global Strategic Leadership Forum," sponsored by the J. Mack Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University. The forum, called "Connected Capitalism," discussed how capitalism must change in the aftermath of the world financial crisis and, more importantly, how business, government and civil society might come together in the future.  
 
"Connected Capitalism" is based on the premise that the old way of doing business must be replaced by a new way of doing business. Involving more than the financial bottom line, Connected Capitalism improves the communities they serve; partners with government and civil society to solve large-scale problems; connects corporate social responsibility with business objectives; and connects the business itself with the values of its employees.  
 
Forum attendees came from business, government and civil society sectors.  CARE was joined by a representative from World Wildlife Fund, whose work with companies like Coke and UPS were highlighted as good examples of Connected Capitalism and the value of a multi-stakeholder approach.

Announcements and Upcoming Events

Take Part in the ISEAL Alliance's Impacts Code Public Consultation
The ISEAL Alliance is developing a Code of Good Practice for Assessing the Impacts of Standards Systems. The Impacts Code will be the latest in ISEAL's suite of credibility tools, designed as international references for credible social and environmental standards systems, and are posted for public consultationuntil October 31.

The purpose of these standards systems is to provide an effective tool to bring about positive changes towards environmental sustainability and social justice. Better impacts assessment processes can provide the evidence needed for their continued support and uptake. After its finalization in 2010, the ISEAL Impacts Code will become a requirement for all standards systems that are members of the ISEAL Alliance.

To take part in the public consultation, click here

CIPE: Democracy that Delivers
October 27, 2009, Washington D.C.
8:00AM-5:00PM

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is hosting a conference on improving the quality of democratic governance and economic growth. At the conference, participants will understand that building market economies and building democracies are not mutually exclusive-- they are mutually reinforcing. Participants will discuss how and why resilient democracies need resilient markets, and vice versa, with renowned international scholars, practitioners, and reformers from around the world.

For more information, and to register, click here

Ethical Trading Initiative Programme:
Putting Learning into Practice
Autumn/Winter Schedule Starting
The ETI training programme comprises four one-day workshops, which are designed to build the necessary skills and understanding to manage, monitor and improve conditions for workers in global supply chains. The first two of the four workshops have already taken place, 3 & 4 are coming up:
  • Workshop 3 Improving working conditions: A partnership approach to managing change in the supply chain 5 November
  • Workshop 4 Making change sustainable: Taking a leadership approach to ethical trade 17 November
For more information, click hereor contact Caroline Russell [email protected]

New Models of Social Responsibility: A Global Virtual Summit
November 5 & 9, 2009
Communitelligence & Cisco present their annual virtual (and green) summit for large, mid-size and small businesses, government agencies, universities, or non-profits that want to learn more about managing, communicating and making sure your organization's social responsibility efforts produce win/win results in a tough economic environment.  This summit is on November 5 and 9, and is 4 hours each day via WebEx or at 10 TelePresence locations around the world.

For more information, click here

Ethical Corporation's 3rd Annual Corporate Responsibility
Reporting and Communications Summit
25-26 November 2009, Regent's Park Marriott Hotel, London
Ethical Corporation reports that its summit will provide companies and NGOs with a benchmark against the best, and demonstrate how to communicate positive sustainability messages. Tools will be given to create a readable, transparent and precise corporate responsibility report based on strategy, innovation, transparency, and readability. Attending this summit will provide: innovative and practical agenda of concrete best practices; advice from the experts; topical and relevant programs; focus on interactivity; extension of networks and improvement of support system.

For more information, click here

Intertek's 9th Annual Ethical Sourcing Forum
March 18-19 2010, New York City
The Ethical Sourcing Forum (ESF) is an industry event that brings together members of the global sustainability community in order to address emerging sustainability and ethical supply chain challenges. Intertek reports that attendees of the ESF will find applied innovation and the latest solutions-development processes that yield social and environmental progress while advancing core business objectives. Attendees will also learn how these decision-making elements can drive sustainability success.

For more information, click here

Condolences for Don Fisher, co-Founder of Gap Inc.


The board and staff of SAI would like to express their deepest sympathy on the recent death of Don Fisher, co-founder of Gap Inc.

Mr. Fisher was a true visionary and cultural icon at Gap Inc., and oversaw its spectacularly fast growth to a global industry leader. As one of SAI's most dedicated corporate members, Gap Inc. has played a large role in establishing social responsibility within company policy, with its significant, early investment in improving work conditions throughout their entire supply chain. SAI, as well as numerous other organizations and companies, have much to be thankful for that are results of Mr. Fisher's efforts and of his esteemed legacy.

Internships with SAI and SAAS

SAI and Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) seek highly motivated interns interested in research, management procedures, and the promotion of ethical workplaces worldwide. These positions require interest in how businesses implement standards for respecting labor rights and addressing overall workplace issues. 

Applicants should possess initiative, work independently, and be a strong organizer who can multitask and meet deadlines effectively.  Excellent computer skills required, including knowledge of Excel, Access, Web development and Outlook.  Candidates should have a commitment to human rights, labor rights, and development issues. Internship positions are unpaid and based in our New York office.

For more information about internships with SAI, and to apply click here

For more information about internships with SAAS, and to apply click here

We invite you to continually send any updates for us to publish in our monthly newsletters!

Social Accountability International (SAI) is an international non-governmental organization that promotes workers rights through multi stakeholder collaboration including companies, trade unions and NGOs. It assists partners in the development and use of practical tools, particularly the SA8000 standard, for safe and decent workplace conditions.
 
SAI and the SA8000 standard focus on the human elements of the workplace and the supply chain. SA8000 is the standard that considers the importance of each job and strives to recognize the equal dignity of each person involved in the supply chain - from the worker to the retailer to the consumer. Today SA8000 certification covers over 1830 facilities in 68 countries, across 67 industries, and over one million employees.
 
SAI is one of the world's leading social compliance training organizations, having provided training to over 15,000 people. SAI courses integrate compliance with management systems issues.
 
SAI is headquartered in the United States with representations in Brazil, China, India, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Spain, and Vietnam.

SAI
15 West 44th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10036
(212) 684-1414

Website: http://www.sa-intl.org

For newsletter inquiries contact:
Joleen Ong
[email protected]