FAQ's
SA 8000:2014 (Social Accountability 8000) is one of the first international certifications on social responsibility. The certification’s objective is to make sure of the workers’ rights in a way that is accommodating towards companies, workers, trade unions and government.
The Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency, an NGO which was later renamed to SAI - Social Accountability International, launched SA 8000 in 1997. The SA 8000:2014 is the latest release of the corporate social responsibility certificate program.
The Social Accountability 8000 is based on satisfying local legislation and International Labour Organization, the International Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, international human rights’ conventions. The standard proposes to deliver basic rights to the workers involved in the production process.
The accreditation body has specified some requirements for the organizations that are seeking to implement the SA 8000 standard 2014 version. These organizations need to implement proper workers’ rights, and be within the following guidelines:
SA 8000 allows the accreditation of the corporate social responsibility certificate. It follows a similar structure to both the Quality Management Standard ISO9000 and the Environment Management Standard ISO14000. SA 8000 also emphasizes the importance of an on-going improvement process.
Organizations that are seeking the certification of SA 8000 compliance must have robust management systems in place and must undergo an audit by an accredited certification body.
The accreditation of certification bodies is overseen by SAI and it’s Advisory Board. The bodies are required to demonstrate an extensive background in systems auditing, intensive training in SA8000, and the institutional capacity to assure quality and responsiveness.
We at Samarth Consultants provide the training required for the successful accreditation of the SA 8000:2014 certification. We provide training courses to the staff of the organization as well as the upper management in the certificate course in corporate social responsibility.
The implementation of SA 8000 Standard can be done through these two options:
Organizations with multiple production facilities can seek to have their facilities certified. This enables the organization to customize the facilities to specific requirements of the certification.
As consultants, we provide all the information for a corporate social responsibility certificate online. Organizations that are operating in the retail industry can join SA 8000 Corporate Involvement Program.
The CIP is a two-level program that helps companies evaluate SA8000, implement the standard, and report publicly on implementation progress. The following are two steps:
The SA 8000 provides the following benefits: