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- Social Accountability (SA) 8000, released in 1997, is the first
international standard dealing with the workplace environment. It requires
employers to pay wages sufficient to meet workers' basic needs, provide a
safe working environment, not employ child or forced labor, and not force
employees to regularly work more than 48 hours a week. Other SA 8000
elements address health issues, freedom of association, discrimination,
disciplinary practices and management.
- Developed by the nonprofit Council on Economic Priorities
Accreditation Agency (CEPAA), with the assistance of a wide range of
business, industry, labor, human rights, certification and audit experts,
and based on several existing international human rights standards,
including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, SA 8000 provides a means to improve
working conditions and meet the social challenges of economic
globalization.
- SA 8000 certification enables a company to project a positive image
and good reputation to clients, employees, suppliers, shareholders and
consumers. This standard gives the general public confidence in the
ethical production of the products they buy, contains mechanisms for
continuous improvement and provides a marketing edge with better labor
practices. Enforcing humane conditions in factories may also lead to
higher quality products on the market.
- For more information, see:
http://www.cepaa.org/
http://www.cio.com/research/scm/
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