ABSTRACT
Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) is a global and verifiable standard designed to make workplaces more humane. SA8000 is a certification standard developed, overseen and updated through multi-stakeholder dialogue with trade unions, companies, non-governmental organisations and academics. SA8000 is both a process and a performance standard in a field dominated by standards that are generally one or the other. SA8000 applies to companies around the world and across industries, serving as a common benchmark to ensure that basic rights are respected within the supply chains of those companies and industries. The global nature of SA8000 allows companies selecting suppliers to use a common system across their operations. Although SA8000 is suited to all companies, the majority of the companies seeking certification are those where labour conditions are known to be problematic, including those in the textiles, garments, shoes, toys and agriculture sectors.
