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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
Professional Development Series - SA8000� Introduction Sao Paulo, Brazil March 26 & June 4, 2012
SA8000� Basic Auditor Training
Feb 13-17, Istanbul, Turkey Feb 13-17, Hamburg, Germany Feb 19-23, Dhaka, Bangladesh Feb 20-24, Mumbai, India Feb 27-March 2, New Jersey, USA
Feb 8-10, Shanghai, China
Feb 8-10, Bucharest, Romania
Feb 13-15, Shanghai, China
Feb 29-March 2, Hamburg, Germany
Full training schedule
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(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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 SAI President Recognized as one of 2012's Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior
For the second year in a row, Alice Tepper Marlin was chosen by Trust Across America™, after a competitive selection period
 | SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin was recognized as one of 2012's Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior for the second year in a row
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SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin was recognized as one of 2012's 100 Top Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America (TAA). The Top 100 Thought Leaders were chosen after an 8-week public nomination period, followed by a competitive selection process by a panel of 6 judges that represent diverse backgrounds.
The recipients of this honor include individuals from both the public and private sector and varied backgrounds -- authors, consultants, researchers, academics and CEOs. Honorees this year include Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo; Terry Mollner, Executive Director of Trusteeship Institute, Inc.; Ron Berenbeim, Professor at NYU; Jed Emerson, Executive Vice President of ImpactAssets; Thomas Friedman, NY Times columnist; and Hazel Henderson, Founder of Ethical Markets Media.
TAA, a New York-based think tank that seeks to measure and applaud responsible business conduct, states, "an organization cannot be deemed trustworthy without a culture that embraces the following characteristics: Financial stability and strength >>Read more
To learn more about Trust Across America and to see the full list of honorees, please visit the Trust Across America website at http://trustacrossamerica.com. For more information, contact SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong at JOng@sa-intl.org.
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Social Fingerprint� at Timberland's Global Summit
The 1st Social Fingerprint� Trainer Certification course - Timberland assessors to help improve supplier capacity
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SAI Dir. of Corporate Programs & Training, Craig Moss, leads two-day Social Fingerprint training in China for Timberland's assessors to help their suppliers' capacity.
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On January 12-13, 2012, SAI Director of Corporate Programs & Training, Craig Moss carried out a two-day training on Social Fingerprint� at Timberland's Global Summit in Zhuhai, China. At the Summit, Mr. Moss trained Timberland assessors on how to use Social Fingerprint� as a methodology to help its suppliers improve.
The training opened up with an exercise to help the auditors understand the attitudes, skills and knowledge needed to be a good auditor, and then compare that with the attitudes, skills and knowledge needed to be a good consultant. Auditors are focused on identifying issues in factories, whereas consultants are focused on identifying and implementing the solutions to those identified issues. This exercise also supports the assessors' transition from auditing to their new focus on supplier capacity building. The auditing function is now managed by VF staff, since Timberland was acquired by the VF Corporation in September 2011. >>Read more
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RAGS Project in India: Supplier Communications
SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong joined SAI's Team in India to promote the RAGS Project & supplier communications
 | | From left: 1) SAI Lead Trainer Sanjiv Singh (left) and Communications Manager Joleen Ong (right) with Mridula Jain, Managing Director of Shingora Textiles (SA8000� certified); 2) Chandra R, General Manager, Operations of Bharat Silks (left) shows one of Bharat's creations to SAI India Director Rishi Singh (right); Joleen Ong stands with Mahima Shethi, HR Executive (center) and Creche Teacher, Jeevamani (right) at Shahi Exports (SA8000� certified). |
 In January 2012, SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong joined SAI's team in India to support the RAGS Project with supplier communications. From the wool manufacturing cluster of Ludhiana in the North, to the silk producing hubs of Bangalore in the South, Joleen visited five factories (several SA8000� certified) to learn more about their operations, and elicit feedback on their efforts to maintain social compliance. In Ludhiana, Joleen visited Shingora Textiles (SA8000� certified) with SAI Lead Trainer Sanjiv Singh. In Bangalore, with SAI India Director Rishi Singh, she visited these workplaces: Shahi Exports (SA8000� certified) with S. Ravi and Sandhya Suresh from Bureau Veritas; Concord Creations (SA8000� Certification pending) with S. Muralidharan and Dr. Kalpana Muralidharan from RINA; Bharat Silks; and JJ Creations.
During these visits, Ms. Ong was pleased to discover several provisions for workers' welfare that also benefit the local community, such as on-site child care facilities, health clinics, reverse osmosis water filtration systems for potable water, and summer camps for workers' children. >>Read more
For more information about SAI's RAGS Project, visit www.sa-intl.org/indiaRAGS, or contact Joleen Ong at Jong@sa-intl.org. Back to top |
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Corporate Member Spotlight: Gucci
Gucci enhances its SA8000� path through CSR intiatives, and achieves Responsible Jewellery Council certification
 Together with its long lasting values of high quality and craftsmanship, Gucci - a SAI Corporate member since 2007- applies the principles of social, environmental and economic sustainability to every area of its business. This article specifically reports on several 2011 actions.
When, in 2004, the Florentine company defined a path of social responsibility, it included the entire production process, so that every link of the supply chain would adhere to strict environmental and social standards. This ambitious goal started to become a reality in a few years. In 2006, Gucci's suppliers in Italy participated in an EC-funded training on SA8000� in leather tanneries. This project was in collaboration with ETUF and the ITGLWF.
Since that time, the company has conducted 2,000 annual inspections of working conditions and about 400 supplier audits aimed at verifying compliance with sustainability principles. Regarding implementation of policies on personnel management, the company earned SA8000� certification in September 2011 for all of its Italian stores. This certification was awarded by Bureau Veritas. >>Read more For more information, contact Rossella Ravagli, Corporate Social & Environmental Responsibility Department at Gucci - rossella.ravagli@it.gucci.com- and Niccolo Moschini, Corporate Communications Department - niccolo.moschini@it.gucci.com.
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China: Exploring CSR Strategies - Electronic Industry
At a seminar hosted by CESA, strategies were explored to promote social responsibility in the booming electronics/IT sector
 | | CESA and CNTAC sign an memorandum of understanding at the CESA Seminar in Beijing on December 21, 2011 |
On December 21, 2011, the Launch Conference of the Social Responsibility Committee of the Chinese Electronics Standardization Association (CESA) and the First Members Assembly was held in Beijing. The focus of the seminar was to explore strategies to promote social responsibility in China's electronics/IT sector. Electronics/IT is China's number 1 export sector, with more than $500 billion US dollars export value in 2010. CESA is a business association affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
43 participants attended the seminar, mostly leading electronics/IT companies such as Lenovo, Huawei, China Electronics, Nokia, Sony etc. At the seminar, CESA launched a CSR Committee consisting of 27 members. It also signed a MOU for collaboration on CSR promotion with the CNTAC (China National Textile & Apparel Council, representing China's no. 3 export sector), which developed the CSC9000T, China's first sector-wide management system on CSR. >>Read more
For more information, please contact SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong at JOng@sa-intl.org.
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SAI Board of Directors Welcomes Joe Iarocci
After serving on SAI's Advisory Board for almost a decade, Mr. Iarocci also joins SAI's governing Board of Directors
 | | Joe Iarocci |
SAI is pleased to announce that Joseph J. Iarocci, President of Mission-Driven Partners and the former Chief of Staff at CARE USA, is now a member of SAI's Board of Directors. Mr. Iarocci has been a member of the SAI Advisory Board since 2003. His experience in both the nonprofit and business sectors will greatly contribute to the Board's existing diversity and expertise.
In his role at Mission-Driven Partners, Mr. Iarocci works with nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that seek greater innovation, growth and impact.
Mr. Iarocci served as Chief of Staff of CARE USA, one of the largest international NGOs dedicated to ending global poverty. Mr. Iarocci joined CARE in 1998 as General Counsel, serving as CARE's chief legal officer until 2004, when he was appointed Chief Financial Officer. In 2008, he became CARE's Chief of Staff, managing CARE's strategy and executive functions. >>Read more
For more information, contact SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong at JOng@sa-intl.org.
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Enroll in Global SA8000� Auditor Training Courses
International Locations & Online Courses Available | |
SAI Lead Trainer, Sanjiv Singh (right), with participants from SAI's SA8000� Basic Auditor Training Course in New Delhi, India - 14-18 November, 2011
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Upcoming: SA8000 Basic Auditor Training Course
Location: Fairfield, NJ - Date: February 27-March 2, 2012 SAI training courses are designed to encourage proficiency in social compliance issues and emphasize the implementation of management systems. Learn about a management-system approach to social compliance auditing and supply chain management. These courses are required for all SA8000� or BSCI auditors, and are also valuable for auditing to any labor code or standard. The courses are open to all, and aimed towards social auditors, buyers, suppliers and corporate compliance managers.
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SAI Team Expands in New York
Please join us in welcoming the latest additions to SAI's team
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From left: Stephanie Wilson, Training Coordinator; Roshana Nabi, Research Associate; Yuting Zhu, Research Intern
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Stephanie Wilson, Training Coordinator
Stephanie Wilson joins SAI with extensive experience from her prior position as a Training Coordinator for a global IT training company. She has a long-standing interest in development and human rights and recently moved from Perth, Australia. >>Read more
Roshana Nabi, Research Associate
Roshana Nabi is experienced in the field of international development, particularly in issues regarding corporate social responsibility and international migration. She worked for the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and recently worked on projects with the UNHCR and the WTO. >>Read more
Yuting Zhu: Research InternYuting Zhu is a recent graduate of Boston University School of Law with a degree of Master of Laws (LLM), with a focus on labor rights and CSR. At SAI, she will help to support SAI's work in China, and the revised SA8000� guidance document. A native of China, she earned her first law degree with honors from Wuhan University Law School. >>Read more
For more information, please contact Stephanie Wilson, SWilson@sa-intl.org; Roshana Nabi RNabi@sa-intl.org; and Yuting Zhu, ZYuting@sa-intl.org.
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New Statistics: SA8000� Around the World
Over 1.6 Million Workers are Employed in SA8000� Certified Facilities
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Number of workers, by country
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# Employees:1,648,086
# Certified Organizations: 2,785
# Countries Represented: 62
# Industries Represented: 65
# Accredited Organizations: 20
SA8000� Certified Facilities List
For more information, contact SAAS Program Manager, Lisa Bernstein at LBernstein@saasaccreditation.org.
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Highlights & Announcements
 | SAI Lead Trainer Sanjiv Singh stands with participants at the SA8000� Basic Auditor Training Course in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Jan 16-20, 2012. Participants included members of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, and certification bodies' staff.
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SAI participated in Meta-Culture's second Garment Sector Roundtable Meeting in Bangalore, India, Jan 19-20. From left: Ashok Panikkar, Meta-Culture; Joleen Ong, SAI; Beth Fascitelli, Meta-Culture, Rishi Singh, SAI.
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2nd Annual Garment Sector Roundtable On Jan 19-20 in Bangalore, SAI participated in Meta-Culture's second multi-stakeholder Garment Sector Roundtable to discuss key issues in the Indian garment sector (see photo, left).
SAI Presents at Wellesley College's Albright Institute On Jan 17, SAI Executive Director Eileen Kaufman spoke at Wellesley College's Madeline Albright Institute for Global Affairs 2012 Program. Her talk is available online @bit.ly/zIE1Ok
Social Fingerprint� & SA8000� Training Seminar in Shenzhen SAI conducted a one-day seminar on the Social Fingerprint� program and the SA8000� standard. During the seminar, key issues discussed were the difficulties in the field of social compliance auditing, and possible solutions (see photo, right).
 | On Jan 16 in Shenzhen, China, SAI led a seminar on Social Fingerprint�� and SA8000� in Shenzhen, China. From left: Mike Lee, Lead Trainer; Cherry Liu; Phoenix Zhang; Craig Moss, Dir. of Corporate Programs & Training; and Shirley To, Lead Trainer.
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Social Fingerprint� Webinar in the Middle East On January 25, SAI Lead Trainer, Sanjiv Singh, and SAI Director of Corporate Programs and Training, Craig Moss, hosted an online demo of the Social Fingerprint� Program for Middle East and South Asia-based participants.
Public Comment Period: UN Women Gender Equity Standard In response to SAI & UN Women's public announcement for feedback on the standard, we received over 100 responses from a wide variety of people, including NGOs, academic, intergovernmental agencies and gender experts. The public comment period closed Jan 31, 2012.
ASHCA Workshop: Implications of Public Policy & Corporate Practice On Jan 26 in Washington, D.C., SAI Senior Manager Matthew Fischer-Daly presented presentation at this event on SAI's Project Cultivar and findings from the Project's final report on impact. More info @www.ashca.com
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