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Social Fingerprint® Online Courses
- Getting Started in Your Company
- Building Your Internal Social Performance Team SA8000® Online Auditor Training Courses - SA8000® Revision Course
SA8000® Basic Auditor Training
Nov 7-11, Lisbon, Portugal Nov 14-18, Istanbul, Turkey Nov 14-18, New Delhi, India Dec 5-9, Shanghai, China Dec 5-9 Brussels, Belgium
SA8000® Advanced Auditor Training Nov 14-16, Bucharest, Romania
December 7-9, New Delhi, India
Full training schedule ____________________
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Spring 2011 Internships
(New York, NY)
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Social Accountability International (SAI) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established to advance the human rights of workers by promoting decent work conditions, labor rights, and corporate social responsibility through voluntary standards and capacity building.
SAI is headquartered in the United States with field representation in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Philippines, Switzerland, and UAE.
For newsletter inquiries contact:SAI Communications Manager- Joleen Ong, jong@sa-intl.org |
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 Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue - "The Genius of SAI"
Reflections from SAI Advisory Board Member, Dr. Morton Winston, on the recent meeting in Florence, Italy
In 1999, Dr. Morton Winston joined SAI's Advisory Board. Drawing from his NGO experiences with Amnesty International and academic expertise as a professor of philosophy at the College of New Jersey, Dr. Winston played a fundamental role in developing key SAI materials and methodologies, including the SA8000® standard, guidance document, and multi-stakeholder dialogue model. SAI is most grateful for his critical contributions, and is very pleased that he will continue to be involved in our work as a member of the SAAS Board of Directors. Below is Dr. Winston's reflection on the Advisory Board meeting in Florence on October 4-6.
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Dr. Morton Winston
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I recently attended the SAI semi-annual Advisory Board meeting in Florence, Italy in early October. It was a bittersweet experience. Sweet because it took place in what is surely one of the world's most beautiful cities, and was hosted by Advisory Board member, Gucci. It was also memorable because I served as Acting Chair of the Advisory Board at this meeting. However, the meeting was also sad because at the end, I announced that after twelve years on the board, I had decided not to stand for re-election.
I prepared for this meeting with some apprehension because I knew that there were several controversial issues that would be discussed. We did indeed have vigorous discussions, but, by the end of the meeting, the SAI Advisory Board reached consensus. It was another remarkable demonstration of the value and durability of SAI's multi-stakeholder dialogue model of governance.
I joined the SAI AB in 1999, filling an NGO seat as a representative of Amnesty International, whose US board of directors I chaired for several years. During my tenure on the AI-USA board I had convened one of the first international meetings to chart Amnesty's Business and Human Rights strategy. >>Read more For more information, contact Joleen Ong at JOng@sa-intl.org.
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Apparel Industry Call to Action on Sandblasting
SAI supports the ITGLWF's campaign, and applauds five Corporate Program members that have already signed on to this commitment
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Workers applying this extremely hazardous sandblasting technique to demin. [Photo credit: Signature9]
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In support of the ITGLWF's Call to Action to ban sandblasting throughout the garment industry, SAI has signed on to encourage companies to eliminate this hazardous, and sometimes fatal, technique in supply chains worldwide. The ban is consistent with SA8000® OSH requirement 3.1 and good practices that SAI promotes through all of our programs.
This strong industry support against sandblasting is a critical force to leverage and bring further visibility to this issue. SAI applauds its five Corporate Program members that have signed on to eliminate this technique in the supply chain - Carrefour, Gap Inc., Gucci, Tchibo and Timberland- and other supporting brands such as Levi Strauss & Co., H & M, Bestseller, C&A, Versace, Benetton, Burberry, Carrera Jeans, Esprit, Mango, Metro, New Look, Pepe Jeans and Replay.
Apparel sandblasting involves projecting fine sand with compressed air to fashion a 'worn look' on denim and other garments. It is extremely hazardous to workers' health >>Read more
For more information, and to get involved, view the ITGLWF's Call-to-Action, or contact SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong at JOng@sa-intl.org.
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The Billabong Group Earns Leader of Change Award The Billabong Group is the second SAI Corporate Program member to receive this honor for its sustainability efforts  | |
The Billabong Group accepts the Leader of Change Award in New York. [From left: Louise M. Guido, Foundation for Social Change; Derek o'Neill, the Billabong Group; Genevieve Bahrenburg, Above Live; Will Kennedy, UN Office for Partnerships]
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On October 7, 2011, SAI Corporate Program Member, the Billabong Group, received the Leader of Change award from the UN-supported Foundation for Social Change. Billabong received this award in recognition of its actions to improve social and environmental outcomes throughout its business.
Only ten companies received this award: other recipients included Marks & Spencer, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Domini Social Investment Fund. This is the second time that a member of SAI's Corporate Programs was so honored. In 2010, the first year of the awards, Anvil Knitwear was awarded for its sustainability efforts.
Billabong CEO Derek o' Neill accepted this award in New York on behalf of the company. "The Leader of Change Award is great third party recognition that we are addressing social and environmental issues throughout the business and it shows that people, in this case an advocate of social change, are always watching and are ready to acknowledge effort," said O'Neil. "We credit a considerable part of the award to our work with Social Accountability International and we remain firm advocates of SA8000®." >>Read more
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Stakeholder Conference in Zambia Engages Key Members of Cotton Supply Chain
The Cotton made in Africa Initiative and the Competitive African Cotton Initiative (COMPACI) convenes its 5th Stakeholder conference
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Group shot from Livingstone, Zambia at the 5th Stakeholder Conference convened by the Cotton made in Africa initiative and the COMPACI.
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On October 12-14 in Livingstone, Zambia, the Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA) initiative and Competitive African Cotton Initiative (COMPACI) convened its 5th Stakeholder Conference. Over 90 representatives from all levels of the textile supply chain- such as cotton businesses, farmer cooperatives, textile companies and NGOs- from Africa, Europe and the US met to share their experience and engage in strategic dialogue on all aspects of the project.
SAI Director of Corporate Programs and Training, Craig Moss, presented at this event. SAI is the official US-based representative for CmiA, introducing this initiative to American companies and helping them to start using the initiative's socially responsible cotton. SAI Corporate Program member Anvil Knitwear is the first one to sign on to the program. Mr. Moss' presentation focused on how to scale up marketing efforts in the U.S., and used Anvil Knitwear as a case study to demonstrate and address some of the challenges and opportunities behind sourcing cotton from Africa. >>Read more
For more information, contact Joleen Ong at JOng@sa-intl.org.
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SAI India Update: PPP Project Supplier Workshops As part of SAI's joint development project (PPP) in India, SAI leads a series of supplier workshops from September - November  | |
October 14- Participants gather outside of the workshop, "Managing the Supply Chain for Social Performance" that was hosted by PGC Switcher. The workshop included representatives from India PPP partners - PGC Switcher, Gap Inc., and Timberland. (Photo left) September 29- SAI Lead Trainer, Sanjiv Singh leads the workshop - "Management Systems for Social Performance" in Bangalore. (Photo right)
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As reported in the August 2011 newsletter, these supplier workshops are taking place in New Delhi, Bangalore and Tirupur, and focus on four key topics: 1) Internal auditing for social performance; 2) Management systems for social performance; 3) Managing the supply chain for social performance; and 4) Workplace communications. Key goals of the project are to develop a trainer network and to create affordable training modules. This will increase the participation of micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) by reducing costs and increasing scalability. Thus far, around 200 individuals from supplier factories attended the workshops, as well as corporate representatives from Gap Inc., Timberland, PGC Switcher and Wal Mart. >>Read more
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New Statistics: SA8000® Around the World
Over 1.5 Million Workers are Employed in SA8000® Certified Facilities
# Certified Organizations: 2,680
# Countries Represented: 61
# Industries Represented: 65
# Accredited Organizations: 20
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Meet SAI's New Intern: Ayesha Salim
Based in London, Ms. Salim will be supporting SAI remotely on research and communications projects
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Ayesha Salim
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About Ayesha Salim: I am a law graduate from the University of Birmingham, UK, with a background in online journalism. In the past, I have written articles on social and environmental standards affecting various sectors in the economy. In one of my articles I examined SA8000® and its impact on China. From this, I became interested to learn more about SAI and its work. It is very interesting to witness first hand, the process of implementing SA8000®, and also the challenges involved behind this process.
I have been working with the communications department and am currently preparing an article for the annual report and assisting with promotional materials. >>Read more
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SAAS Board of Directors Welcomes Disney's Laura Rubbo
Bringing in over a decade of experience in labor standards, Ms. Rubbo will greatly enhance the diverse group of board members
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Laura Rubbo, Director, Corporate Citizenship, International Labor Standards (ILS) Department at the Walt Disney Company
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Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) is pleased to announce that Laura Rubbo, Director, Corporate Citizenship, International Labor Standards (ILS) at the Walt Disney Company is now a member of the SAAS Board of Directors. Ms. Rubbo's experience in labor standards and the supply chain at both the brand and NGO level will greatly enhance and help to steward the direction and growth of SAAS as an independent accrediting body.
With over a decade of experience, Ms. Rubbo was nominated to join in recognition of her significant contributions in the area of social compliance, human rights, labor standards and technical assistance to suppliers. At Disney, she is responsible for overseeing Disney's global factory monitoring program to assess compliance with Disney's Code of Conduct for Manufacturers. >>Read more
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Meet SAAS' New Client Coordinator: Melanie Bower
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Melanie Bower, SAAS Social Certification Client Coordinator
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SAAS is pleased to welcome new staff member, Melanie Bower as Social Certification Client Coordinator. In this position, Melanie will be managing the oversight, scheduling and reporting for SAAS and supervision of accredited certifying bodies as they audit to SA8000® and the BSCI code.
Prior to joining SAAS, Ms. Bower coordinated evaluation projects at City Harvest and Asphalt Greene. She has also worked at the Museum of the City of New York, where she oversaw the research department. Ms. Bower recently completed her master's degree in Urban Planning at Hunter College, where she focused on food systems and sustainability. >>Read more |
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Highlights & Announcements
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Snapshot from Masaya, Nicaragua: During a trip to Nicaragua, Alan Harper (right) meets with SAI Project Cultivar Regional Director Rafael Barerra (left) and his mother (middle). Mr. Harper is a much appreciated long time supporter of SAI.
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Ethical Performance: How to Drive Supplier Social & Environmental Performance On October 25 in New York, SAI Director of Corporate Programs & Training, Craig Moss participated in a panel discussion titled, "Identify your critical suppliers and know what to get from them."
SAI Advisory Board member Joe Iarocci has been elected to the board of directors of Citizen Effect, a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide everyday citizens the tools and networks they need to work directly with poor communities around the world.
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Representatives from PGC Switcher, a corporate participant in the India PPP project, visited SAI's offices in early October. [From left: Salah Husseini, SAAS; Rochelle Zaid, SAAS; Jane Hwang, SAI; Suresh Jerry, PGC Switcher; Eileen Kaufman, SAI; and T.M. Balasubramanyam, PGC Switcher]
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