What's Your Social Fingerprint™?
Measure and improve how you touch the world. Includes ratings and 90 tips from SAI Lead Trainers.
Great for brands to use with their suppliers or for suppliers to use on their own.
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Invitation for SA8000 Certified Facilities
 Sign up for the SA8000 Supplier Database to help increase your business!
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Upcoming Training Events
SA8000:2008 Standard Training Revision Course Ongoing- Web-based
SA8000 Basic Auditor Training
February 28-March 04, Bangalore, India
February 28-March 04, Lisbon, Portugal
March 14-18, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
SA8000 Advanced Auditor Training
March 9-11, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
March 9-11, Karachi, Pakistan
March 23-25, Milan, Italy
Full training schedule
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The Corporate Responsibility Code Book, 2nd Edition
 Click here to order a copy
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Social Accountability International (SAI) is a non-profit,
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 is headquartered in the United States with field representation in Brazil, China, Egypt, India, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Turkey, Vietnam, and UAE.
For newsletter inquiries contact:
SAI Communications & Development Coordinator- Joleen Ong, jong@sa-intl.org |
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 Four Key Corporate Responsibility TrendsGuest Author: Deborah Leipziger  | There have been many significant developments in corporate responsibility. This article examines four trends and interprets what they mean for SA8000. Interestingly, many of these cutting-edge developments have happened beneath the radar.
1. Sustainable stock exchangesA number of the world's stock exchanges are working to become more sustainable. With support from the UN Principles for Responsible Investing (UN PRI), the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), participating stock exchanges are working on these goals: How can exchanges encourage long-term investment? How can stock exchanges promote greater transparency? A wide range of stock exchanges are looking at establishing listing requirements to promote greater disclosure of ESG (environmental, social and governance) data. In 2010, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange became the first stock exchange to require listed companies to move towards integrated reporting. As stock exchanges require greater disclosure, companies will increase reporting on adherence to standards such as SA8000. 2. Trade agreements and CRA number of bilateral trade agreements are beginning to reference CSR. For example the trade agreement between Canada and Peru which entered into force in 2009 is groundbreaking in that it creates a forum to address CSR issues. >>Read More
For more information about Deborah Leipziger, visit her website: www.deborahleipziger.com.
For more information about writing a guest article, please contact SAI Communications & Development Coordinator, Joleen Ong- JOng@sa-intl.org |
Mexico: "Improving Competitiveness through Labor Standards Compliance"
A workshop in Mexico City convenes brands and suppliers to address, "Improving Competitiveness through Labor Standards Compliance" shared and discussed compliance challenges and key issues in Mexico.
SAI Program Director Judy Gearhart (bottom right) gathers with the MFA Forum's Mexico Working Group at the meeting in Mexico City. Meeting participants included brands and suppliers from eight major brands.
 | February 15-16 in Mexico City, SAI and the MFA Forum's Mexico Working Group collaborated to develop, convene, and facilitate a workshop for U.S. brands and their suppliers about shared compliance challenges. Eight major brands -- Gap, Inc., Disney, Levi's, Nike, New Balance, American Eagle, Adidas and Wal-Mart -- informed the development of this program, and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) provided ancillary materials for the workshop. The MFA Forum Mexico Working Group, chaired by Lynda Yanz, Executive Director of the Maquila Solidarity Network, identified and prioritized key compliance issues to address. SAI Program Director- Judy Gearhart- served as the lead facilitator for the group. >>Read moreFor more information about the Working Group, please contact the Chair, Lynda Yanz, at lyanz@maquilasolidarity.org. |
Project Cultivar Interview: "S�, Se Puede"
Mr. Carlos "Felito" Zorilla, a Dominican Sugarcane Producer Shares his Farm's Improvements through Project Cultivar Mr. Carlos "Felito" Zorilla is an independent sugarcane producer who lives and works in the eastern region of the Dominican Republic, the heartland of the country's sugarcane production. Mr. Zorilla is one of 15 sugarcane producers or "colonos," who have participated in SAI's Project Cultivar, a USDOL-funded project, which seeks to help local agricultural producers in the CAFTA-DR region improve their compliance with internationally accepted labor standards. SAI Program Associate Eliza Wright interviewed Mr. Zorilla to discuss his experiences with Project Cultivar:SAI: As the owner, or the "colono" of this farm, could you explain the historical origin of this word "colono"?
Zorilla: I am a colono. I have my own land to grow sugarcane to sell to the sugar mill refineries. The word "colono" comes from the time when the colonizers came. They introduced sugarcane to the Dominican Republic and formed small groups where they planted sugarcane and sent it to the sugar mills for processing. Through the years, colonias (or colonies) became the name of the Dominican sugarcane plantations, so a colono is the person who has a colonia for planting sugarcane. My father's colonia is
the one I am tending to now, he is the one who started it. When I was
younger, my grandfather also had a small colonia that has increased in
size -from generation to generation. There are more than three
generations of colonos in my family. >>Read more This interview was conducted in Spanish and translated. For more information, please contact Eliza Wright at EWright@sa-intl.org. |
Snapshots from India: SAI, BSCI & GIZ Strategy
The Implementation Committee's Strategy Workshop of the Joint PPP Project, "Scaling Up Indian CSR Initiatives" Met in New Delhi, January 19-21.The Implementation Committee of the joint PPP project, " Scaling Up Indian CSR Initiatives" meets every few months to review the strategy and progress of the project activities. The focus of this January meeting was on the strategy, business model and business plan for the Expertise Center, which is a major expected output of the project. The joint PPP Implementation Committee gathers outside the meeting venue in New Delhi. From left: Bimal Arora, GIZ; Olga Orozco, BSCI; Dr. Dietrich Kebschull, BSCI; Ashwamegh Banerjee, GIZ; Jane Hwang, SAI; Rishi Singh, SAI; Dheeraj Nakra, GIZ; Christoffer Brick, GIZ.
 | GIZ Junior Project Officer Ashwamegh Banerjee (center), leads a brainstorming session on trainer selection criteria with GIZ Technical Advisor, Bimal Arora-GIZ (left) and Dr. Kebschull-BSCI (right)
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SAI India Project Director Rishi Singh leads a brainstorming discussion on the project's strategy and process of the Trainer Selection Criteria
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SAI Comments on Ruggie's "Protect, Respect and Remedy" Framework
U.N. Special Representative John Ruggie's proposed framework on business and human rights was open for public consultation until the end of January. Over 100 submissions were received from a wide array of stakeholders, including NGOs, governments, trade unions, companies and academia. Here is SAI's submission:
Social Accountability International (SAI) welcomes Professor John Ruggie's Draft Guiding Principles to the UN Human Rights Council for the operationalization of the "Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework." The recommendations have great potential, and we note, below, two of them in particular: grievance mechanisms and corporate due diligence. SAI highlights the value placed on the development of grievance mechanisms by multi-stakeholder and industry initiatives aimed at advancing human rights standards in the practices of their corporate members, emphasized in Paragraphs 100-101. >>Read more
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Meet SAI's New InternsInterns play an important role here at SAI. This Spring we have Jeevika Makani and Emily Smith, who will be contributing both their expertise and their keen international perspectives. We are pleased to welcome Ms. Makani and Ms. Smith. In their own words:
Jeevika Makani  | Jeevika Makani:
I recently graduated from the University of Melbourne with a BA (Hons)
in Economics & History. I wanted to come to NY on a mission to start
'doing' instead of 'theorizing.' I have long been passionate about
market-based approaches to development. SAI's mission to advance
human rights in workplaces inspired me to apply for this internship. I am currently working with Matt Fischer-Daly to research best practices regarding labor rights performance indicators, particularly factory-level labor rights performance indicators. I am passionate about this project because proper performance indicators are invaluable when it comes to measuring effectiveness and making improvements. >>Read more
Emily Smith
 | Emily Smith: I am an LL.M. student at Fordham Law School, studying international human rights and social justice. Previously, I worked as a corporate lawyer in the UK and Hong Kong before leaving private practice to run a small non-profit supporting community projects in Hong Kong and southern China. I have always been an active supporter of corporate social responsibility. I heard about SAI through my LL.M. program and immediately contacted Eileen Kaufman about intern opportunities. I believe that businesses can make a valuable contribution to the international human rights agenda. I am working with Eileen on a number of reports on companies in Sri Lanka. >>Read more
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Highlights & AnnouncementsAt the Guaruma banana farm in Honduras, SAI Project Cultivar Regional Director, Dr. Rafael Barrera (far right) and SAI Senior Manager Matt Fischer-Daly (left, in white) coordinates a roundtable discussion with the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras (next to Dr. Barrera, on right), farm management, and other stakeholders about Guaruma's work with Project Cultivar.
 | January 2011 - Religion & International Development Course Taught by SAI Advisory Board Member at Emory University Joe
Iarocci, Chief of Staff at CARE USA, led this course at his alma mater
during its January term. This course included a look at trends in social
enterprise and the importance of corporate social responsibility.
January 18 - SAI President a Guest Lecturer for NYU World Honors College Students Alice Tepper Marlin gave a presentation on CSR to a select class of undergraduate students visiting from Abu Dhabi at the NYU Stern School of Business. The students were part of the charter class of the NYU "World Honors College" in Abu Dhabi, visiting New York for a 3-week intensive course in Marketing. January 26 - US Embassies in Nicaragua and Honduras reflect on visits to Project Cultivar farms As reported in SAI's January newsletter, following visits to farms in their respective countries, the U.S. Embassy in each country distributed press releases: Nicaragua @ http://bit.ly/fCtaqU; Honduras @ http://bit.ly/hFFWsU.
January 31 - Prominent Italian Business Newspaper Highlights SA8000 Available in Italian, this article "Primato Etico al Sistem Italia" recognizes SA8000's presence in Italy. Italy is the #1 country in the world for the number of SA8000 certified facilities (India and China following are #2 and #3) @ http://bit.ly/ge0UzLFebruary 8 - "Changing Course- A Study into Responsible Supply Chain Management" The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark published this new study that provides analyzes the limitations and shortcomings to current approaches. SAI's Executive Director Eileen Kaufman and other stakeholders helped to inform the research in 2010 through a questionnaire. @ http://bit.ly/fMlKx6February 17 - Anvil Knitwear Showcases ShirtScan™ Initiative at Film Festival Signatory Corporate Program Member Anvil Knitwear showcases its new Shirt Scan™ traceability initiative to a large audience at the Boulder International Film Festival in Colorado. Through a smart phone app, the Shirt Scan™ initiative utilizes a QR code that allows customers to trace the origins of their product as well as deliver custom branded content for Anvil's customers. February 21 - ISEAL Independent Review: Call for Experts The ISEAL Alliance is currently accepting expressions of interest for individuals to undertake compliance reviews, as part of its Independent Review mechanism for assessing member compliance with ISEAL Codes of Good Practice. Deadline- March 11. For more information, click here. April 4 - SAI President to Co-Teach "Corporate Branding & CSR" MBA Course at NYU Alice Tepper Marlin will be co-teaching this Spring course at NYU's Stern School of Business with Dr. Bruce Buchanan, C.W. Nichols Professor of Business Ethics & Professor of Marketing. |
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