CCC Reference Guide on Code Implementation & Verification
Section 3. MSI's and other overseeing mechanisms

Social Accountability International (SAI)

In 1997, the Council of Economic Priorities (CEP), a US-based NGO, established the Council of Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency (CEPAA). This CEPAA, later renamed to Social Accountability International (SAI), was set up to administer the "verification" system that was developed for its SA 8000 "standard", which is a code of conduct.

SA 8000 standard is developed by the US-based Social Accountability International (formerly the Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency) in 1997. The SA8000 system is modeled on the ISO 9000 system used by companies to ensure quality control. SAI trains and accredits social auditing firms and individual auditors, who then are hired by companies to certify their and/or their suppliers' compliance with SA8000 standards.

SAI is intended to be a standard-setting body that trains and accredits other organisations to certify compliance with its code (the SA 8000 standard). The idea is that a supplying company asks an organisation (which needs to be authorised by SAI to issue SAI certifications) to issue a certificate that indicates compliance with the SA 8000 standard. The supplier can then use this certificate to assure sourcing companies that its working conditions are consistent with the SAI code.

The SAI has three major documents which it considers as standards and which are revised from time to time. These are its code (SA 8000), the accompanying guidance document, and an "Accreditation Package" for organisations that want to become SA 8000 "certifiers".

SAI is governed by a Board of Directors (currently seven members). The Board members alone have the power to decide who their successors will be. SAI also has an advisory board (currently 22 members), which includes representatives from companies, NGOs and trade unions, including from two international trade union organisations, ITGLWF and UNI. SAI charges organisations for the training and authorisation that they will need in order to issue certifications. SAI also receives support from various sources, including the US government.

More information:

Contact:
SAI
220 East 23rd Street
Suite 605, New York,
New York 10010
USA

E-mail: info@sa-intl.org
Tel: ++1-212-684.14.14
Fax: ++1-212-684.15.15

Relevant resources:

• 54 kb) SA 8000 standard.

• http://www.sa-intl.org/

• Nov 2004, WE Europe: A report on CSR and SA 8000

• Nov-2001, Memo, Codes Memo: Number 9 - Maquila Solidarity Network

• August 2001, Memo: codes update - Maquila Solidarity Network, SA8000: CAN COMMERCIAL AUDITING PROMOTE WORKER RIGHTS?

• November 2000, SAI: A New Name for CEPAA

• Okt 2000, News from the multi-stakeholder initiatives FLA, SA8000, WRC, ETI and CCC