Index

NEWSLETTER 13, NOVEMBER 2000 Auditing News SAI: A New Name for CEPAA

This summer the Council on Economic Priorities Accreditation Agency (CEPAA), a branch of the American Council on Economic Priorities (CEP) that first launched the SA8000 (Social Accountability 8000) system in 1997, changed their name to Social Accountability International (SAI).

SA8000 consists of a set of social accountability standards applied to business practices within all industrial sectors. As most of our readers know, the labour standards included in SA8000 closely resemble the CCC's Code of Labour Practices. CCC concerns with the SA8000 system deal with the establishment of the system (who is responsible for what) and who is to be monitored.

With SA8000 it's the individual producer who requests certification. In the case of the garment industry then, we are talking about the factories. A retailer or producer, in any case, can of course demand that their suppliers also become certified; but then the responsibility remains with the suppliers. In the case of large standard factories, this is not really a problem; but in the case of smaller factories and ateliers which often do the subcontracting, this can lead to some difficulties. For them it is much more difficult to meet the criteria of SA8000 because they are often left with insufficient means for doing so. In fact, in most cases, without the support of their customers and, for instance, better (more honest) prices for their work, it becomes next to impossible. Therefore, the CCC feels that the responsibility of the companies at the very top of the production chain needs to be addressed.

In the SA8000 monitoring system SAI accredits companies to be able to certify other firms who agree to comply with the SA8000 system's codes. Companies that want the SA8000 certificate, can seek out one of these approved monitors. As of August 2000 there were five organizations accredited to carry out SA 8000 audits: SGS-ICS Ltd., DNV, BVQI, Intertek Testing Services, and Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (Remember: unions and NGOs can also become accredited.) A list of facilities that currently have SA8000 certification can be found at the SAI website <http://www.cepaa.org/certification.htm>.

Note: The CCC is currently working on a critical overview of the SA8000 system. Meanwhile a critique of SA8000 entitled No Illusions (June 1999) is available from , LARIC, a Hong Kong-based coalition of labour organizations. To order this report, please contact the Asia Monitor Resource Center:
AMRC
8B, 444 Nathan Road
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2332-1346
Fax: (852) 2385-5319
E-mail: admin@amrc.org.hk