This is the first book in the field of corporate social responsibility to examine the progress of a standard over a ten-year period

Published in late 1997 and revised in 2001, the Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) standard and verification system is a comprehensive tool aiming to assure humane workplaces throughout the supply chain. The SA8000 system includes: factory-level management system requirements for ongoing compliance and continual improvement; independent, expert verification of compliance by certification bodies; the involvement of all key stakeholders in the SA8000 system; and harnessing consumer and investor concern by helping to identify and support companies that are committed to assuring human rights in the workplace. As of 31 December 2007, nearly 700,000 workers were employed in 1,500 facilities certified to SA8000, in 65 countries and 67 industrial sectors.

Ten years on, what has the impact of SA8000 been and how do its architects and users see it developing into the future? In this book, businesses, NGOs, academics and trade union leaders provide much-needed perspective on the lessons learned from SA8000 and set an agenda for the next decade. The book also provides context on the leading initiatives within the field of CSR (such as ISO 26000 and the Business for Social Compliance Initiative) and how they relate to SA8000. The book features case studies on the experiences of a wide range of companies, including Gucci, The GAP, Chiquita, TNT, Tata and Otto Versand, and on many of the most innovative programmes in the field of CSR, such as the Made-By label. Analysts from emerging economies provide valuable insights into how SA8000 has become a key tool in Brazil and India. The book addresses many of the key themes for corporate responsibility such as traceability, supply chain management and transparency

SA8000: The First Decade provides insights for company managers, NGOs, policy-makers and trade union leaders on how to implement a social standard and will be required reading for any manager seeking to implement SA8000 or any other code of conduct or standard for their suppliers.

Deborah Leipziger is well known for her book The Corporate Responsibility Code Book, published in 2003 and considered to be one of the key reference books in the field of CSR. SA8000: The First Decade is an extension of Ms Leipziger's work over a 17-year career in the field of CSR, in which she has played a role in the development of many social standards, including SA8000 and the Ethical Trading Initiative, and advised many others.

The SA8000 Social Accountability Standard is one of the best known and most comprehensive social auditing standards. It draws from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention for the Rights of the Child and a number of ILO Conventions. The first Standard was published in 1997 and revised in 2001 by Social Accountability International (SAI). To celebrate its 10 years of existence, Deborah Leipziger has brought together various stakeholders who have used SA8000 in the past in this interesting, if  somewhat biased book.

One of the reasons for SA8000’s success and longevity has been its ability to bring together a wide range of different stakeholders, such as companies, trade unions, auditors, NGOs, consultants and academics. All these different perspectives are represented in the book, with a strong emphasis in the first half of the book on corporate case studies. TNT, Tata, Otto, Gucci, Gap and Chiquita all share their valuable insights on working with SA8000 and integrating it within their Corporate Responsibility activities. These contributions offer real insight into the merits of SA8000.

There are also chapters on how business associations and not for profit organisations have tapped into the SAI network and used the standard. The book does address some of the criticisms of voluntary certification in general and SA800 in particular, such as the difficulty in measuring its impact, but understandably focuses more on its achievements rather than its faults. If you’re interested, ERM has published a critical assessment of some of SA8000’s weaknesses. Nevertheless, this remains a good read for those interested in social auditing and certification.

Oliver Dudok Van Heel, Founder, Living Values, in CSR International Book Review Digest, July 2009

This is the time to implement voluntary company standards. The time for a book like this has arrived ... This practical, easy-to-read book is written primarily by practitioners themselves ... In many ways this book is a landmark. This is the first time a voluntary social standard celebrates its first decade, providing a wide range of experiences and lessons learned ... With her wealth of knowledge on codes of conduct and social standards, Ms. Leipziger is the ideal editor for this book. Deborah has been involved in SA8000 since its creation, guiding the original process that led to its creation, and observing the first pilot audits and its implementation in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In her capacity as adviser to many social standards and guidelines, companies, and UN agencies, Ms. Leipziger places the first decade of SA8000 in perspective.
Alice Tepper Marlin, President, Social Accountability International, United States, and John Tepper Marlin, Principal, CSRNYC, and Adjunct Professor, New York University Stern School, United States

Part 1: Implementation

Part 2: Influence

Part 3: Impact

About the contributors
Index