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July 2010
In This Issue
1. Ethical Seal of Justice to Be Accredited by SAAS
2. New Publication: "From Principles to Practice"
3. SAI Teams Up with the Rainforest Alliance
4. Social Responsibility Seminar in Cairo & Dubai
5. New Corporate Program Member: Beraca
6. WE Project International Stakeholder Conference
7. Film Review: Nero's Guests
8. Highlights & Announcements
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Social Accountability International (SAI) is a non-governmental, multi-stakeholder organization established to advance the human rights of workers and the health of enterprises by promoting decent work conditions, labor rights, and corporate social responsibility through voluntary standards.

SAI- Human Rights at Work
Website: www.sa-intl.org

For newsletter inquiries contact: Joleen Ong, [email protected]
topEthical Seal of Justice to Be Accredited by SAAS
SAAS Signs Contract to Help Develop New Magen Tzedek Certification Standard


Magen Tzedek ethical certification to be launched in 2011

SAAS is pleased to announce the signing of a contract with the Hekhsher Tzedek Commission for a joint project to implement the Magen Tzedek ethical certification which will define good environmental, labor, animal welfare and consumer protection practices.

Starting in 2011,   Magen Tzedek ethical certification-literally a seal of justice- will be able to be earned by kosher-certified producers that additionally demonstrate social performance.  SAAS will work with the commission, to develop policies and procedures needed for sustainable implementation.,

Thus,  SAAS will work with the developers of these standards to design and implement an effective system for verifying that practices are just and sustainable. The organizations share the goals of improving working conditions, environmental practices, and protecting animal welfare, and are eager to move forward. 

Launched in 2007, the Magen Tzedek project is a joint project of the Hekhsher Tzedek Commission of the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.  >>Learn more

For more information, contact Joleen Ong, [email protected]
Back to top
New Publication: "From Principles to Practice: The Role of SA8000 in Implementing the UN Global Compact"
SAI, CIPE, and the UN Global Compact Publication Profiles Six Companies' Work with SA8000 & the UNGC to Achieve Decent Working Conditions

[From Principles to Practice: The Role of SA8000 in Implementing the UNGC]
On June 24, at the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Leaders Summit 2010, SAI, in cooperation with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the UNGC, launched a joint publication: "From Principles to Practice: The Role of SA8000 in Implementing the UN Global Compact." This publication features six case studies of companies from around the world that use SA8000 as a tool to meet their UNGC commitments.

"The experiences of these companies show that SA8000 certification works effectively as a tool to report on and meet their Global Compact commitments,' said Eileen Kohl Kaufman, Executive Director of SAI.

Companies profiled in this are: Beraca (Brazil), Rosy Blue Diamond (Thailand), Sabaf (Italy), TDE (Bolivia), TNT Express (Argentina), and Yesim (Turkey). They are medium-sized enterprises by international standards (TNT Argentina, Rosy Blue Diamond, and TDE are subsidiaries of larger global companies), in diverse industries: apparel, appliance controls, chemicals, electrical transmission, jewelry, and transportation.   >>Learn more

Click here to download the case study, and press release 
For more information, contact Joleen Ong, [email protected]
SAI & Rainforest Alliance Team Up to Benefit More Workers for Healthier, Safer, Stable Workplaces
Coordinating Standards to Make Farms Better Workplaces

   SA8000 Certified Facilities Industry Chart 

SAI, the Rainforest Alliance, and the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), have joined forces in Latin America to improve agricultural workplaces by increasing application of labor and environmental standards and increasing efficiency of certification through joint auditing.  This collaboration will leverage the benefits of both certification standards - SAI's SA8000 standard for decent working conditions and the Sustainable Agriculture Network standard for sustainable agricultural practices.

Products from certified farms can bear the Rainforest Alliance Certified trustmark. Recognizing that time and resources are two common constraints for agricultural organizations seeking certification, this collaboration will enable a more efficient audit process to eliminate redundancies, so that farms can focus attention and resources on improving workplaces and maintaining productivity. >>Learn more

For more information, contact Eliza Wright, [email protected].
Building Awareness & Skills for Social Responsibility in Egypt & Dubai
SAI Conducts Seminars with Local Organizations on "Enhancing Competitiveness through Improving Social Responsibility"
[Photo above: Dubai training participants gather at  the end of the seminar. Credit: Sanjiv Singh]
SA8000 Certified Facilities Industry Chart
On July 7-8 in Egypt, the Egyptian Corporate Responsibility Center, under the Ministry of Investment, hosted a two-day seminar on Enhancing Competitiveness through Improving Social Responsibility. The seminar focused on the business benefits of using management systems to improve social compliance, examining SA8000 in the context of local Egyptian law and labor practices. SAI Co-Trainer- Mohamed El-Husseiny, and Craig Moss- SAI Director of Corporate Programs and Training-- delivered the seminar to a wide array of attendees representing organizations including: Olympic Group, Egypt's largest appliance manufacturer; Giza Spinning and Weaving; the Export Development Bank of Egypt; BMW Egypt; and Metalco, one of Egypt's largest public steel fabrication and construction companies. >>Read more

On July 11 in Dubai, UAE, [photo above] SAI carried out a half-day seminar hosted by the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) and arranged by WIRE, SAI's Authorized Representative in Dubai. SAI Co-Trainer and WIRE Managing Director, Sanjiv Singh teamed up with Craig Moss to deliver the seminar titled, "Introduction to Social Compliance and its Business Benefits." Attendees represented organizations such as the Dubai Community Development Authority, Walmart Global Procurement, TNT, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Jumeirah Group and the Dubai Properties Group, as well as several departments from ENOC. Additionally, the seminar provided an overview of the SAI-IFC Handbook: Measure & Improve Your Labor Standards Performance. >>Read more

Click here to view more photos from the training in Dubai
For more information, please contact Kate Critchell- SAI Assistant Manager, Corporate Programs & Training, [email protected]
SAI Welcomes New Corporate Programs Member: Beraca
The S�o Paulo-Based Natural Products Company Commits to SAI's Corporate Programs at the Explorer Level

[From left: Alice Tepper Marlin-SAI; Ulisses Matiolli Sabara-Beraca; Jane Hwang-SAI; Richard Cook-SAI; Elena Arengo- SAI; Eliza Wright-SAI]
SA8000 Certified Facilities Industry Chart


SAI welcomes Beraca as a new member of Corporate Programs at the Explorer level.  As an Explorer member, Beraca aims to continue its development and implementation of management systems for improving social compliance, both in the company and throughout its supply chain. 

Ulisses Matiolli Sabar�, Co-President of Beraca, stopped by SAI's offices on June 23, the eve of the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010, to meet SAI staff and officially pledge Beraca's continued support of SAI's mission through Explorer enrollment. Currently 6 of their factories are SA8000 certified, with one more that is seeking certification. Alice Tepper Marlin, SAI President, met with Beraca while in S�o Paolo with Beat  Gruninger, Managing Director of BSD, SAI's Authorized Representative Office.

Recently, Beraca, with its commitment to SA8000, received high attention at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010- as one of the 6 companies featured in the UNGC report, "From Principles to Practice: The Role of SA8000 in Implementing the UN Global Compact." >>Learn more

For more information about SAI Corporate Programs, please contact Assistant Manager, Kate Critchell, [email protected].
WE Project- International Stakeholder Conference to Initiate Scaling Up

Sumi, a worker from Bangladesh, shared her reflections and experiences with the WE project
On 9-10 June in Berlin, in follow up to the local stakeholder conferences in China, Bangladesh and Thailand, SAI Corporate Program member Tchibo GbmH and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)  organized an international stakeholder conference on the framework of the "WE-Worldwide Enhancement of Social Quality" project.

At the conference, project stakeholders were presented with, and had the opportunity to discuss, the dialogue -oriented project approach, and the results of the external impact assessment. Based on that, options for scaling up were debated. Highlights of the conference included the participation of the local partners: mangers and workers from seven pilot companies and selected local trainers from China, Bangladesh and Thailand.  >>Learn more

For more information, contact project managers Nanda Bergstein, [email protected], and Julia Ranke, [email protected]. The conference documentation will be available soon on the WE website- www.we-socialquality.com.
Film Review: Nero's Guest
SAI Interns Nathalie Herman, Allison Kwan & Dianne Milner review 'Nero's Guest,' and some implications of Indian farmers' suicides for CSR Initiatives

Nero's Guests
As a Vidarbha farmer states: "Is it a sin to be a farmer? No one cares about us. No one notices. No one hears our cries."

The growing inequity and poverty in India was captured in a new powerful labor rights documentary, Nero's Guests, premiering in New York during the Human Rights Watch film festival from June 10th to June 24th.

The film follows Indian-native Palagummi Sainath, human rights activist and journalist for The Hindu, as he travels through the rural parts of India. Through his travels, he seeks to call attention to the thousands of suicides committed each year by farmers who are grief-stricken by their inability to pay back their debts and support their families. The film documents Sainath's visits with the families left behind in the Anantapur district of the Indian state Andhra Pradesh, in which cotton and various food crops are grown. >>Read more

To learn more about this film, visit www.nerosguests.com
For more information about SAI's work in India to scale up CSR initiatives with the BSCI and GTZ, click here

Contact: Nathalie Herman, [email protected]; Allison Kwan, [email protected]; Dianne Milner, [email protected].
Highlights & Announcements

SAI Associate-Christine Moser, stands with SAI Advisory Board member & CSR Manager at Dole Food-Roberto Vega, at the SusCon in Nuremberg, 15-16June.
June 2010- Publication of "Measure & Improve" Your Labor Standards Performance 
a Handbook and Toolkit for the World Bank's International Finance Corporate (IFC) Performance Standard 2 (PS2). Download the full handbook

June 15-16-
SusCon- The International Conference on Sustainable Business and Consumptionconvened its annual forum in Nuremberg, Germany to discuss relevant topics on biodiversity. The conference included participation from SAI Associate, Christine Moser.

June 22-24-
ISEAL Alliance Conference 2010 convened outside London, UK to discuss developments for social and environmental standards. The conference included participation from SAI's Project Manager, Matthew Fischer-Daly, Development Associate, Joleen Ong and SAAS' Executive Director, Rochelle Zaid, & SAAS Program Manager, Lisa Bernstein.

June 23-Consumers International Supermarket Conference convened a forum to focus attention on the impact of European supermarket supply chains on workers and communities in developing countries. This conference was attended by SAI Associate, Christine Moser.

July 2010- Human Rights and Business Dilemmas Forum was launched to help companies and stakeholders come together to share experiences or real-world challenges through this online platform.

SAI Basic Auditor Training course participants, New York, June 12-16. Photo credit: Noriyuki Makiishi
June 26- Send Us Your Best (Training) Shot! Thanks to Noriyuki Makiishi, participant in SAI's Basic Auditor Training Course in New York, for sharing the above training photo.

June 29- The Networking Action blog, produced by Steve Waddell, founder of Networking Action, discusses the UNGC Leaders Summit 2010 and its participants in his post: A Global Network Strategy for Sustainability.

June 30- Goodweave Announces New Standard Public Consultation, open until August 10, 2010, all interested parties are invited to participate to help develoSA8000 Certified Facilities Industry Chartp a new, more comprehensive set of requirements for its certification standard.

July 2010- The Corporate Responsibility Code Book, 2nd Ed. Published by Greenleaf, author Deborah Leipziger's revised second edition is a key reference text on corporate codes of conduct. The SA8000 standard is included, along with ETI's base code, and others. Order a copy.

July 14-15-"SA8000 & Trade Unions: An Alliance in the Defense of Fundamental Human Rights"- BSD Consulting, SAI's local authorized representative in Brazil, facilitated this workshop with bank workers' unions that focused on the importance of worker involvement in the SA8000 Standard, and the role of worker empowerment in sustaining compliance in general. Four major banks operating in Brazil were represented- Bradesco, HSBC, Santander, and Ita�/Unibanco.