Job Openings
Director of SAI India Office
Social Accountability International (SAI)
India/New York
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InternshipsSAI and SAAS
now accepting applications
for Fall 2010 interns
New York, NY |
The Corporate Responsibility Code Book
 The Corporate Responsibility Code Book, 2nd Ed. Published by Greenleaf, author Deborah Leipziger's forthcoming 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.
Forthcoming Publication
July 2010
Pre-order a copy
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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.
For newsletter inquiries contact: Joleen Ong, jong@sa-intl.org |
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New Tools: Publication of "Measure and Improve Your Labor Standards Performance" Handbook
SAI & IFC Release their Practical Reference Book for the World Bank's International Finance Corporation
"Measure & Improve Your Labor Standards Performance"  | The Handbook and Toolkit, written and designed by SAI for all IFC- invested companies, is a practical reference book, and aims to provide an understanding of the fundamental management systems and internal staff capabilities required for improving the labor standards performance, both in a company and in its supply chain. Additionally, it provides a step-by-step guide to assist company management to develop or improve labor standards performance management systems. The wealth of resources within the handbook was informed by SAI's years of training experience in the field and work with leading companies on the use of management systems to improve labor standards performance in a company and its supply chain, and IFC's experience in a broad range of industry sectors and countries worldwide. It features SAI's process-based rating system to help companies measure and improve their performance. It aims to support senior management, as well as professionals in the human resources, compliance, and sourcing departments. Especially unusual is its wide applicability to companies in any industry. >> Learn more |
Innovating Academia with Social Dialogue Program in Honduras
SAI Project Cultivar's Local Partner in Honduras CDH Teams Up with Local University UNAH to Educate Future Leaders
[Photo: SAI Project Cultivar Local Partner- CDH convene for a meeting. From left, Efrain Arrivillaga- President, Adelina Vasquez- Executive Director, Dr. Hector Hernandez- Labor Consultant and Professor, Daisy Mejilla- Project Manager]
 | SAI's local partner in Project Cultivar, the Center for Human Development (CDH), and the Universidad Nacional Aut�noma de Honduras (UNAH) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, recently announced the creation of the Diploma in Social Dialogue and Management Systems, an innovative academic program offered by UNAH that will educate future leaders on fundamental issues in labor relations.
Since the June 2009 coup that shook Honduran society, a palpable
weakening of democratic institutions engendered by the precarious
political context has impacted social and economic aspects of
national life. To work to stem the tide of the intensifying polarization within
society, CDH and Project Cultivar evaluated their operational strategy
and concluded that a useful way to promote social dialogue between
the public and private sectors was not to wait until individuals become
employees and executives but to provide a new vision of professional
development for those who will eventually hold decision-making roles. The central objective of the Diploma
is to introduce a tripartite approach to the societal discourse by
involving companies, workers and government and linking this process
to the university. >>Learn more |
Benchmarking Social Responsibility: Comparing ISO26000 & SA8000
The forthcoming ISO 26000 guidance standard for social responsibility has the potential to reach wider audience of companies and organizations
[Figure above: Information in the table is from "SA8000: The First Decade. Implementation, Influence, and Impact.]  | The development and recent approval of the ISO 26000 guidance standard
on social responsibility, as the first ISO standard on social
responsibility, seeks to leverage the work of
social responsibility initiatives into one comprehensive document covering human rights, labor rights, environment, fair operational
practices, consumer issues, and community involvement. Additionally, it will leverage ISO's ability to engage a wider audience, as many producers in developing
countries are familiar with working with existing ISO standards. The
development of this guidance standard took a multi-stakeholder
approach. SAAS Executive Director, Rochelle Zaid has been a member of
the ISO Working Group on Social Responsibility since it
was founded 5 years ago. >>Learn more |
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"So, how are we doing compared to our peers?"
SAI Pilots its 'Supply Chain Management Rating System' to Measure Six Companies' Progress for Supply Chain Improvement
"How are we doing compared to our peers?" is one of key questions that SAI receives from its member companies. Additionally, many people from the investment community and beyond ask, "How are companies doing?" The frequency of these questions emphasizes the importance of comparative improvement through a process-based approach, allowing companies to put their progress into context and to map out next steps.
Over a year ago SAI began developing a pilot project to develop indicators that could demonstrate a measurable way to report on companies and their suppliers' labor practices, and progress towards its social responsibility goals. Launched last month, this project is working with 6 Corporate Program members to pilot the 'Supply Chain Management Rating System,' part of SAI's process-based rating tools to help companies measure their progress in managing their social compliance in the supply chain. The ratings system is on a scale of 1-5, with 5 indicating a mature management system that is well-implemented. Ultimately, this Supply Chain Management Rating System tool can be utilized in three ways: - Internally- to identify strengths and weaknesses in order to drive improvement
- Benchmarking- to assess its performance in comparison to other participating companies
- Public Reporting- data and metrics to be transparent
In addition, the project involves Aaron Bernstein and Larry Beeferman from the Harvard Law School Labor and Worklife Program's Investor Initiative to utilize the findings from the pilot to seek input from the financial community. >>Learn more
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 SA8000 Certification Statistics as of March 31, 20101.2 Million and Counting!
Workers Employed by Country
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# Employees: 1,234,335
#Certified Facilities: 2,151
# Countries Represented: 60
# Sectors Represented: 67
SA8000 Certified Facilities List
These certification statistics were compiled by SAAS Program Intern, Amy Finnegan. For more information, please contact SAAS Program Manager, Lisa Bernstein, lbernstein@saasaccreditation.com.
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In Their Own Words: SAI's Summer InternsSAI welcomes its northeastern fleet of interns- Representing Wellesley College, Cornell University & Syracuse University. They will be contributing to SAI's new blog- 'Human Writes at Work.' SAI is proud to introduce them, in their own words.
 Stefanie Colish: "I am a graduate student at Syracuse University working toward my masters in International Relations, with a
concentration in Economic Development and Human Rights. Through my course work
and previous experiences I have become particularly interested in CSR and how
to implement ethical corporate practices through certification." >>Read more
 Nathalie Herman: "I am an Economics and French major at Wellesley College
interested in issues of human rights and poverty, focusing particularly on
developing countries. I chose to intern at SAI because of its honorable focus
on improving labor standards and promoting sustainable development worldwide." >>Read more  Allison Kwan: "I'm
a rising senior at Wellesley
College majoring in
Economics and minoring in Women's Studies. I'm a native of California who is venturing to the East
Coast to explore. Over the past year, I studied abroad in Beijing,
China, and became fascinated
with China's
labor and human rights issues." >>Read more  Weiye Kou: "I am a rising junior at Wellesley College,
double-majoring in History and Economics. I first got involved in environmental
activism and, later, CSR, in China
and Singapore.
I am very concerned about workers' welfare in China, where much of the consumer
goods in supermarkets were manufactured." >>Read more 
Dianne Milner: "I am a rising senior in the School
of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University with a minor in International
Relations. As a first semester junior I took courses in International
Labor Law, Peace & Conflict Studies, and Corporate Social Responsibility,
which sparked my overall interest in labor and human rights abuses across the
globe." >>Read more |
Highlights & Announcements
May 10-14- The Ethos Institute Annual Board Meeting & International Conference included the participation of SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin, where as an Ethos Board member, she engaged in discussions that focused on the implementation of Ethos' 10 Year Plan.
May 20- Congratulations to Olinda Hassan, former SAI Intern Summer '09 and Wellesley '10 graduate, who received a Fulbright Scholarship for work in the English Teaching Assistantship program in Bangladesh! Click here to read more about her upcoming work, and her words of wisdom for SAI's new interns.
SAI Lead Trainer Vic Thorpe, center, discusses with training participants at SAI's Advanced SA8000 Auditor Training Course in Bucharest, Romania June 9-11 2010. Photo credit: Eugen Manu.
June 11- Send Us Your Best (Training) Shot! Thanks to Eugen Manu, participant in SAI's Advanced Auditor Training Course in Bucharest, for sharing the above training photo. Got something to share? Send Kate Critchell your best shot! June 15- SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin and SAI Advisory Board member, Dr. Morton Winston joined
discussions at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which focused on the
proposed changes to their Policy and Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability.
June 16- SAI Launches 'Human Writes at Work," a collaborative blog with postings contributed by SAI Interns and produced by SAI's Joleen Ong.  Get connected!
June 16-17- The IFC 2010 Corporate Responsibility Forum included participation from SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin, and focused on strategic community investment and measuring returns on sustainability investments. June 24- From Principles to Practice: The Role of SA8000 in Implementing the UN Global Compact- published at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit, a joint report of SAI, UNGC and CIPE. Case studies of six companies in different countries and different industries, using SA8000 to meet and report on the UNGC principles. Excerpts and ordering information in next newsletter. July 2010- The Corporate Responsibility Code Book, 2nd Ed. Published by Greenleaf, author Deborah Leipziger's forthcoming 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. Pre-order a copy.
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