News from Social Accountability International

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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.

SAI- Human Rights at Work

Website: www.sa-intl.org

For newsletter inquiries contact: SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong, jong@sa-intl.org

SAI Welcomes Bangladesh Accord on Fire & Building Safety

The Accord strengthens a multi-stakeholder coalition to ensure safe working conditions

SAI welcomes the sector-wide Accord on Fire Safety and Building Safety in Bangladesh. It provides an inclusive process for key private sector stakeholders to cooperate, seeking to ensure safe working conditions in Bangladesh. It links these to the Bangladesh Tri-Partite Agreement and the National Action Plan, and centralizes the role of the International Labour Organization (ILO). We hope that under IndustriALL and UNI Global Union's leadership it will draw a very wide coalition.

The timing of this Accord is of critical importance. In the past 6 months, the world has witnessed devastating industrial disasters that have claimed the lives of over 1,000 workers in Bangladesh. These disasters underscore the broader infrastructure risks that workers in Bangladesh and other very high risk sourcing countries face every day. We are pleased that three SAI Corporate Program Members have signed onto this Accord: Tchibo GmbH; Otto and Switcher. Most SAI Corporate Program members do not work in the garment sector and/or do not source from Bangladesh.

'Pillars in Practice' Bangladesh Garment Sector Roundtable

The 'Pillars in Practice' (PIP) Program convened 50 stakeholders in Dhaka to discuss key issues in the garment sector & advance the UN Guiding Principles

From left: 1) Shahamin Zaman, CEO of the CSR Centre, opens the MAC with a welcome speech next to SAI India Program Director Rishi Sher Singh and SAI Development Manager Eliza Wright; 2) Topote Bhattacharjee, Human Rights Investigator at the Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) civil society organization brainstorms on how to bring about positive change in the RMG sector; 3) Nazma Akter of the trade union/NGO Awaj Foundation shares her views on the importance of respecting Bangladeshi law. Ms. Akter stated that if all parties respected Bangladeshi law, they would be respecting human rights.

On May 12-15, SAI, the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DiHR), and the CSR Centre Bangladesh jointly convened two segments of the Pillars in Practice (PIP) Program in Dhaka: 1) a 'Training of Trainers' (ToT); and 2) the "Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Consultation" (MAC) forum to discuss the garment sector's impacts on human rights in Bangladesh.

Looking exclusively at the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh, both sought to advance the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights by government ministries, garment manufacturers, trade unions, and civil society organizations.

SAI India Program Director Rishi Sher Singh and Development Manager Eliza Wright joined Shahamin S. Zaman, CEO of the CSR Centre to co-facilitate these two program segments. Dirk Hoffmann from the DIHR joined via teleconference. The two-day 'Training of Trainers' segment included lectures and group activities to analyze each of the three pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights: 1) the governments duty to protect human rights; 2) the corporate responsibility respect human rights; and 3) and access to remedy.

Both the two-day ToT segment and the MAC began with a moment of silence to acknowledge the victims of the Rana Plaza building collapse. Ms. Wright noted, "At the time, the local media reported the death toll at 1,117. We wanted to pay our respects and convey our sympathies collectively for the loss of life at Rana Plaza. We believe that this set the tone for our substantive discussions."

The ToTs segment trained 10 participants - 5 from the CSR Centre including its CEO Shahamin S. Zaman, and 5 mid-level managers from 4 garment factories who are responsible for compliance and human resources. On the second day of the ToT segment, people stayed past the planned 3:30 pm end time until 5:30 in the evening. Mr. Singh noted, "One of the participants commented that this was the first time reading the 30 Articles of the International Declaration on Human Rights. It was very moving to hear this."

The MAC meeting included the active participation of 48 people from diverse sectors:

Trade Unions: Bangladeshi Labour Welfare Foundation (BLF); Awaj Foundation; Bangladesh Garment &. Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF)
Bangladesh Government Agencies: Ministry of Labour and Employment; Ministry of Planning Commission
Garment Factories/Industry Associations: DBL Group; Viyellatex Group; Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI); Arche Advisors; ABS; Epyllion Group; AZIM Group; Youngone Corporation; Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD); Pou Hung; M.A.C.K. Shirts; Atrium Group; Square Fashions; Xinchang Shoes; Bay Footwear Ltd.
Retailers: Gap Inc.; Tchibo GmbH; Timberland; Walmart; G-Star
NGOs/Civil Society Organizations: Save the Children; UNICEF; Solidaridad; BSR/HerProject; ActionAid; National Human Rights Commission; Change Associates; Alternative Movement for Resources and Freedom Society (AMRF Society); HelpAge International; Ain-o-Salish Kendra
International Government Agencies: German Technical Cooperation (GIZ)

MAC participants agreed on the importance of respecting all human rights and identified the following five human rights issues as priorities for the garment sector: working conditions, trade union issues (freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining), occupational health and safety, environment, security and conflict.

"Developing countries should work together in improving workplace conditions, this is certainly not an area of competition!" said Mr. Singh. "Collective approach is needed at the end of the day."

The Bangladesh garment industry is one of three countries and sectors in which the PIP Program works to advance the UN Guiding Principles. In April 2012, the PIP Program convened these two segments in Nicaragua focused on the agriculture sector, and in July 2013, it will convene others in Zimbabwe focused on the mining sector.

To learn more about the PIP Program, visit www.sa-intl.org/pillarsinpractice and facebook.com/pillarsinpractice. For more information, contact Joleen Ong - JOng@sa-intl.org.

SAI Advisory Board Meeting Convenes in NYC

Outcomes endorse SAAS strong measures to improve reliability of audits and lay the groundwork for SAI's upcoming 5-year Strategic Plan. New chair elected: Amy Hall from EILEEN FISHER

SAI Advisory Board members Ivano Corraini, CGIL with Federico Tani, CGIL; Luna Lee, EILEEN FISHER; David Zweibel, NCLC; Darryl Knudsen, Gap Inc.; Olga Orozco, BSCI; Bob Mitchell, HP; Dorianne Beyer, NCLC; Achim Lohrie, Tchibo GmbH; Robin Cornelius, Switcher; Helio Mattar, Akatu Institute; Anant Nadkarni, TCCI and Alice Tepper Marlin, SAI. They are joined by guests Harriet Lamb, FLO and Laura Rubbo, Disney; SAI staff members Stephanie Wilson, Eileen Kohl Kaufman, Joleen Ong, Richard Cook, Jane Hwang, and Craig Moss; and SAAS staff Lisa Bernstein and Rochelle Zaid.

On May 14-16, SAI convened its semi-annual multi-stakeholder Advisory Board meeting in New York. The meeting focused on the substantial changes enacted to increase the quality of implementation of the SA8000 Standard system and laid the groundwork for the upcoming 5-year Strategic Planning session in Fall 2013. Board members welcomed the participation of an observer, Harriet Lamb, Chief Executive Officer of Fairtrade International and of SAAS board member, Laura Rubbo, Director, Corporate Citizenship, International Labor Standards (ILS) at the Walt Disney Company.

The meeting had a special focus on membership and leadership. SAI welcomes new SAI Advisory Board Chair Amy Hall, Head of Corporate Social Consciousness at EILEEN FISHER, and Vice Chair Ivano Corraini, Head of the National Legal Office at the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL).

The Advisory Board elected new Advisory Board members Margaret Jungk, Founder and Director of the Human Rights & Business Department at the Danish Institute for Human Rights - and Sunil Bhaskaran, Deputy Vice President of Corporate Services of Tata Steel.

Ms. Hall and Mr. Corrani succeed SAI Advisory Board Chair Achim Lohrie, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Tchibo GmbH and Vice Chair Helio Mattar, President of the Akatu Institute. During his term as Chair, Mr. Lohrie has been instrumental in the leadership of SAI. All staff and board members are deeply appreciative of his time, advice, expertise and support for all SAI departments.

Some of SAI's long-time board members have reached the end of their term limits, opening up seats for new members. SAI is deeply appreciative of the service and commitment of these members: Kishor Chaukar, Chair of the Tata Council for Community Initiatives (TCCI) and Managing Director of Tata Industries Ltd. and his alternate Anant Nadkarni, VP of TCCI; Manuel Rodriguez, Senior VP of Government and International Affairs and Corporate Responsibility Officer at Chiquita Brands International and his alternate George Jaksch, Senior Director of Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs; and Robin Cornelius, Executive Chair of the Switcher Group and alternate Aadith Vikram, Vice Chairman and Managing Director at PGC Holdings. Mr. Chaukar, Mr. Cornelius, Mr. Jaksch and Mr. Nadkarni were elected to the SAI Advisory Board Founders Committee.

For more information, please contact Joleen Ong- JOng@sa-intl.org.

SA8000 Standard & Guidance Document Revision Timeline

The SA8000 Standard & Guidance revision process will include extensive stakeholder outreach

The SA8000 Standard and Guidance Document are currently being reviewed, a revision process conducted every 5 years. Similar to the 2008 SA8000 Standard revision process, extensive multi-stakeholder consultations will take place.

SAI has also finalized and released its 2008 Guidance Documents. This guidance builds on the 2004 version and provides further interpretation and examples of application of the SA8000 Standard's requirements for auditors and other users of the Standard. For example, the 2008 Health and Safety Guidance Document has been expanded to include additional information on fire safety, including a template for a comprehensive Fire Safety Risk Assessment with step-by-step instructions for: identifying fire hazards, identifying persons at risk, evaluating risks, and composing action plans.

The SA8000:2014 standard review process will comply with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice. This ISEAL code helps guide the review process and sets expectations around public consultation, stakeholder representation, and transparency. According to the code, the following are some basic aspects the review process must include:

Establishment of a steering committee
A public consultation period of 60 days
Synopsis of how comments were addressed and proposal on revision prepared by the steering committee

The review process will include extensive stakeholder outreach to those who use or are affected by the SA8000 standard. Early in 2014 the new code is scheduled to be posted. Comments received will be reviewed and summarized in a posting on the SAI website.

The SA8000:2014 review plan and timeline is available at http://bit.ly/SA8000revisiontimeline. A summary of the comments received from the SA8000: 2008 revision process is available at http://bit.ly/SA8000revisionreport. For more information, contact SAI Sr. Manager Alex Katz - AKatz@sa-intl.org .

RAGS Update: Gender Equity in India's Garment Sector

The trainings adapted the ILO's participatory gender audits and launched Phase 2 of the project's onsite factory work

"Change starts with me" - Participants celebrate at the end of the training in New Delhi on April 23, 2013. View more photos on SAI's Facebook page. [Photo credit: Rishi Sher Singh]

In late April, SAI launched Phase 2 of its RAGS Project to promote gender equity in India's garment sector. Building on the RAGS Project curriculum - "Management Systems to Address Gender Discrimination," SAI initiated the onsite engagement of factories in India. 30 factories will participate, completing the final phase by July 31.

To kick off Phase 2, SAI carried out 2 workshops in India - in New Delhi on April 23 and in Bangalore on April 25. More than 90 managers from the participating factories attended. The focus of the workshops was to bring factories up to speed on the next steps for the RAGS project and use working methods adapted from the Participatory Gender Audit process developed by the ILO.

At the workshop, women and men were represented in proportions of about one to four. During these hands-on sessions, factory managers worked in small groups, sharing and learning from each other, as well as hearing about the ILO's experience in promoting gender equity in the workplace. SAI's Geneva-based Representative Steven Oates joined SAI India Program Director Rishi Sher Singh to carry out the workshops. Having previously worked with the ILO as a Senior Advisor on Rights at Work, Mr. Oates brought this additional perspective to the table.

A mapping exercise was conducted to identify suppliers' goals for improvement in areas related to workplace communication and gender. "It was really encouraging to see how teams of men and women from different factories, working together, could compare existing problems and risks, and work out plans for progress, " said Mr. Oates. "There is good appreciation of how this in turn leads to greater efficiency in factories."

Participants commented "it is important to involve workers and sensitize them on gender issues. One should not be gender biased in personal as well as in professional life, linking to the women rights issues in India." A brand manager who joined the workshops added, "the supplier participation was amazing, the agenda was well structured and simple but very effective. Interesting to note the gender biases during discussion on man and woman's role in a 24-hour day."

Mr. Singh concluded, "it has been a very valuable session by bringing factory mangers together and forming an intense learning group. It is interesting to note the priority areas of improvements mapped by managers and a clear commitment to create change in their respective factories. A great learning experience supporting Steven in these workshops!"

To learn more about SAI's RAGS Project, visit www.sa-intl.org/indiarags. View photos from the RAGS Project trainings on SAI's Facebook Page. For more information contact Mr. Singh at rishi@sa-intl.org.

Invitation: Consultations on Auditing Gender Discrimination

As part of SAI's RAGS Project, these consultations in India will provide a forum for auditors to give input on a newly developed guide to audit gender discrimination

Seats are limited for this free event, June 18 & 20. Please contact SAI Program Director Rishi Sher Singh - Rishi@sa-intl.org for more information.

On June 18th and June 20th, SAI and SAAS will organize two field auditor meetings in Delhi and Bangalore. The purpose of these meetings is for field auditors to provide input on a newly developed guide to auditing gender discrimination that has been produced by SAI under the RAGS Project.

SAI has developed a guidance document for auditors, specifically focused on the topic of managing gender discrimination issues in the supply chain. The guidance will serve as a field manual that auditors can use while they conduct a social audit. It will help auditors to verify criteria indicating gender discrimination as well as identify the management systems and processes that relate to gender discrimination. This guidance is applicable to all social audits where discrimination is an auditable element of the standard or code.

If you are a social auditor working in India and interested in attending, please contact SAI Program Manager Rishi Sher Singh - Rishi@sa-intl.org to express your interest. Seats are limited and space is not guaranteed. The meeting on June 18 will take place in Delhi and the meeting on June 20 will take place in Bangalore.

Growth in Conscious Consumption in Brazil

Research by the Akatu Institute highlights this growth and impact on purchasing decisions

Cover of the 2012 Akatu Research Report: "Towards a Welfare Society"

On April 23, the Sao Paulo-based NGO, Akatu Institute, released its Research report: "2012 Akatu Institute Research: Towards a Welfare Society." This is the eighth edition of a series of publications on Corporate Social Responsibility - Perception of the Brazilian Consumer.

The survey portrays how Brazilian consumers show more interest and a better knowledge of sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, and are also increasingly critical and demanding about companies' practices. Sponsored by Grupo P�o de A��car, Natura, Nestl� and Unilever, the survey interviewed 800 adults over 16 years old, from all social classes and from twelve different metropolitan areas.

Although the survey found a stable number of consumers classified as "Conscious" - around 5% of the population - there has been a growth in the practice of conscious consumption, on an occasional (but not yet continuous) basis. Eight of eleven behaviors indicative of conscious consumption showed an increase since 2010, including: planning the purchase of food and clothing, turning off lights, closing taps, using both sides of paper and reading product labels.

This trend is reinforced by another important result of the research: when asked to prioritize their wishes, a significant majority of the respondents chose more sustainable solutions. In five of eight subjects (affection, food, water, mobility, durability, energy, waste and health) they prioritized alternatives regarding "the path to sustainability" over those related to "consumerism". An example is the theme of affection, which shows the largest difference among the consumers, who prefer a more sustainable scenario (spending time with friends and family - with a priority index of 8.3 on a 0-10 scale) as opposed to the consumerists (buying gifts - with an index of 2.6). It is worth noting that the preference for the "path to sustainability" occurs in all social classes, age groups and in all socioeconomic and geographic segments.

For Brazilians, the concept of happiness is related to the preference for more sustainable ways. Two-thirds of respondents stated that being healthy and/or having a healthy family is an essential factor for happiness. Sixty percent said getting along with family and friends gets them closer to happiness. Only three out of ten mentioned financial stability as an answer to the question "what is happiness to you?"

"The survey shows that much of Brazilian society already shares, even in an irregular and barely conscious way, the idea that once the basic needs are met, the pursuit of happiness involves taking the path of sustainability and not of consumerism, said Helio Mattar," President and CEO of the Instituto Akatu.

Purchasing Decisions

By valuing a more conscious consumption and more sustainable options, Brazilian consumers have also become more demanding with respect to the performance of companies. The survey found that respondents report corporate behavior has a direct impact on their purchasing decisions. They highlight five aspects as motivators of their preference or admiration for certain businesses: "Not mistreating animals" (52%), "Having good relations with the community "(46%)," Having environmental protection certificates "(46%)," Helping to reduce energy consumption "(44%) and " Having good working conditions certificates "(43%). The two practices that most negatively impact the consumer's willingness to buy products from a company were the same in previous years: "Having products that can cause damage to the physical integrity of its consumers" (72%) and "Making false advertising" (71%).

"Knowing this information...this is a warning sign for companies and leaders in general, who should deeply evaluate their strategies to further explore a model that does not conflict with the aspirations of consumers and their concept of happiness," indicated Mr. Mattar. "Sustainability and social responsibility are and will always be the key pillars to support the transition of civilization in which we are all involved. Therefore, these pillars must be incorporated into the actual practices of the companies" he adds.

The research also found an increase in skepticism of Brazilians concerning businesses: the percentage of consumers - already low in 2010 - who wholeheartedly believed in what companies disclose about their Corporate Social Responsibility practices fell from 13% to 8%.

The increasing skepticism is possibly associated with the growth of understanding about sustainability and the interest in having information. The number of Brazilians who "have heard about" the word "sustainability" has jumped from 44% to 60% in two years, as has their interest in seeking information on the subject (14% to 24%). When compared to many others, the only two subjects showing a significant growth in interest were precisely Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: in 2010, they both were at a level lower than all others, but in 2012, 24% indicated their interest in the topic of Sustainability and 25% in Corporate Social Responsibility, virtually the same level as in traditional subjects such as Companies/Business (26%) and Politics (30%).

Reflecting on the role of businesses, Mr. Mattar noted, "there are certainly key roles to be played by all social actors. But it is also true that companies have a key role in the process, encouraging and giving concreteness to the path towards a more sustainable society, in order to include the billions of human beings still deprived of the basic conditions for the promotion of their welfare and material security, respecting the limits of the planet. "

Mr. Mattar is a member of SAI's Advisory Board. Read the report in Portuguese at http://bit.ly/ZHAk7H

Call for Suppliers: Brazil Worker Engagement Program

SAI invites S�o Paulo factories to join the Worker Engagement Program to improve health & safety systems implementation

Companies in the S�o Paulo Region will be selected to participate in this program. Learn more at sa-intl.org/brazilregistration.

Download Brochure:

>>English [PDF | 1MB]
>>Portuguese [PDF | 1MB]

Over the past decade, it has become clear that workplace improvement requires management systems and effective ways to engage teams in tackling specific problems.

Established October 2012, SAI's Brazil Worker Engagement Program aims to improve health and safety in workplaces of companies in the S�o Paulo region. This program is designed to build worker/manager teams at supplier factories to enhance health and safety systems to make the workplace safer and meet international labor standards.

The program will work with groups of companies to each set 100-day internal goals towards improving a specific health and safety issue. It will utilize the award-winning Rapid Results Institute (RRI) methodology for change management to set and achieve goals through team building.

It will also leverage cutting-edge mobile technology to help support internal communications during the process.

Delivered in partnership with RRI, the program will:

Address root causes of health and safety issues
Expand on existing health and safety committees to form worker-manager Social Performance Teams
Make measurable improvements in one specific health and safety issue in a 100-day Rapid Results project - a methodology that can be used for further achievements in other areas

Thanks to generous support from the Walt Disney Company, the partners will offer this training and cutting-edge technology at no cost. Additional program services will come from Good World Solutions' 'Labor Link' initiative and The Cahn Group, both of which have deep expertise in working with manufacturers around the world.

Participating companies will be selected from applicants in a range of industries, company sizes and health and safety performance levels. Commitment of senior management will be factored into the final selection.

For more information, visit www.sa-intl.org/brazilregistration. For inquiries, contact SAI Senior Manager Jane Hwang - JHwang@sa-intl.org.

How Companies Can Implement the UN Guiding Principles for Business & Human Rights

Two-day training event in Brazil & the Netherlands demonstrates how companies can transform principles to practice

>>Register Now

June 25-26, 2013

S�o Paulo, Brazil

Sept. 23-24, 2013
Utrecht, The Netherlands

June 2011, the UN adopted the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights, written by UN Special Representative John Ruggie. One of the tenets of the principles is that businesses are expected to respect human rights in their company and in their supply chains. But what does this mean and how is it accomplished?

The training addresses these questions. It will provide understanding on:

Content, scope and implications of the Guiding Principles
How companies can meet their responsibility to respect human rights
Distinguishing whether a company has caused, contributed to or is linked to adverse human rights impacts, and what actions are expected of the company as a response
Avoiding adverse impacts in the supply chain through collaborative approaches and mutual buyer-supplier responsibility
Key human rights risks and how to prioritize among them
The business case for human rights

Additionally the course introduces a six-step method on how to implement a supply chain management system that integrates respect for human rights. The six steps are:

Committing to a human rights policy
Assessing human rights impact
Integrating human rights in policies, procedures and responsibilities
Tracking human rights implementation
Communicating human rights impact
Remediating adverse human rights impacts

Expected Participants
The training is applicable to companies in any industry and size. It is designed for use by senior management, as well as professionals in the human resources, corporate social responsibility, compliance and sourcing departments. In addition, the training is also intended for CSR experts and consultants who train or advise companies, as well as for NGO, trade union and government representatives to learn about the implications of the Guiding Principles for their work.

Trainers
The training in Sao Paulo will be carried out jointly by SAI Trainers Edwin Koster and Beat Gr�ninger. Mr. Koster heads Max Value, SAI's Authorized Representative office in Europe. He has broad experience in sustainable supply chain management and is the co-author of the Handbook and Toolkit used in the Training. Mr Gr�ninger is a partner of BSD Group and Director of BSD Brazil, SAI's Authorized Representative office in S�o Paulo. He has been a consultant for Fair Trade USA for several years and is currently a local manager leading a Fair Trade USA/USAID Responsible Sourcing Project in Brazil, in addition to being a key participant in SAI's Brazil Worker Engagement Program.

For more information, please contact SAI Training Manager Stephanie Wilson - SWilson@sa-intl.org.

SAI Team Grows in NYC: Emily Crain

Emily Crain is SAI's new Administrative Assistant for the Training Department

SAI welcomes Emily Crain to SAI's New York headquarters. In this role, Ms. Crain will work with the training department to coordinate the global SA8000 auditor training courses, as well as help training participants with follow up support. She is currently working part-time at SAI while pursuing a Masters degree at NYU's Global Affairs program. Her current area of research is Gender in International Relations and Development.

Prior to her studies at NYU, she earned her undergraduate degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution, with a minor in Sociology, and regional study on Southern Africa at Chapman University. In South Africa, Ms. Crain volunteered in Cape Town with the Amy Biehl Foundation to help lead after-school classes on HIV/AIDS education and outreach. Additionally, she worked in Estel�, Nicaragua, where she worked with a community organization that led workshops for juvenile youth and gangs.

For more information, contact Ms. Crain - ECrain@sa-intl.org.

Highlights & Announcements

Seven Reasons Why Sweatshops Still Persist SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong wrote a guest article for the online news site TriplePundit.com which explains some of the key supply chain dynamics that play a role in enabling sweatshop conditions. Read it @bit.ly/ZehR97

Fair Wage Network Conference On May 21 and 22 in Geneva, SAI Representative Steven Oates attended the conference, which was organized in cooperation with the ILO, Fair Wear Foundation and Fair Labor Association. To learn more about the Fair Wage Network's work visit fair-wage.com.

Bangladesh Factory Collapse Sparks Worker Fury In the wake of the Rana Plaza building collapse, SAI Lead Trainer Badri Gulur was briefly interviewed on Radio France Europe about the repercussions of this event. Listen to it @rfi.my/12TQC0N

WNYC: Eileen Fisher: Social Consciousness and Clothing On April 26, Amy Hall, Director of Social Consciousness for EILEEN FISHER and SAI's Advisory Board Chair was a guest on the Brian Lehrer radio show to discuss the company's attention to social and environmental issues in sourcing. Listen to it @wny.cc/180F6GE.

Corporate Branding & CSR This Spring 2013, SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin co-teaches a course at the NYU Stern School of Business with NYU Professor Bruce Buchanan. On April 8, EILEEN FISHER's Amy Hall was a guest lecturer, followed by Disney's Laura Rubbo on May 13. Check out the syllabus - http://bit.ly/11ucNKj.

GSC Webinar on Social Investment Financial Inclusion On April 24, SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin was a panelist on this webinar, which included ACCION and IBM. Listen to it @bit.ly/172qgQo

GSCP 3rd Workshop on Capacity Building SAI India Program Director Rishi Sher Singh participated in this event in New Delhi on April 16-17, where he also led the group session on the "business case for capacity building." Learn more @bit.ly/194vNnV

Hewlett Packard 2012 Global Citizenship Report SAI Signatory Corporate Program member Hewlett Packard released their report, which included details on its work and alignment with SAI to continuously improve supply chain working conditions. Read its section on "Society" @bit.ly/1a6SaH2

Impacts & Innovation: ISEAL's Annual Conference The conference on June 11-13 in London will look at how standards can harness new tools and innovations to deliver greater social and environmental benefits and transform supply chains. SAI Sr. Manager Alex Katz will participate in this conference. Learn more @iseal.org/conference.