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Turn to UL for Expert Social Accountability Guidance

What is SA8000?

SA8000 is an international standard for assessing the social accountability of suppliers and vendors. Developed by Social Accountability International, SA8000 provides the requirements and audit methodology to evaluate workplace conditions. The elements included in this standard are:

  • Child labor
  • Forced labor
  • Health and safety
  • Freedom of association
  • Discrimination
  • Disciplinary practices
  • Working hours
  • Compensation
  • Management systems

What is social accountability?

Social accountability is a broad term created as a business response to a host of operational factors affecting a company's diverse stakeholders. These stakeholders include employees, the community, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, management, owners and stockholders.

Operational factors include working environment, employment compliance, safety, diversity, discrimination and equal rights, human rights, community responsibility, environmental concerns, product life cycle, legal issues and regulatory requirements. These factors may not be directly tied to the company's manufacturing process, but they do create need for the company to assess compliance, conformance and risk affecting the company, its environment and its profitability.

Social accountability programs are often referred to as "factory monitoring" or "corporate social responsibility." Other SA8000-type social accountability standards include the Fair Labor Association Code, the American Apparel Manufacturers Code, and the International Council of Toy Industries Code, as well as many company-specific codes. Each vary somewhat in scope, monitoring requirements and acceptance.

Primary market drivers for social accountability codes include:

  • Retailers seeking supply chain assurances, positive media and public relations management
  • Consumer demand

Why UL?

UL offers a range of social accountability services, including:

  • Preliminary evaluations to the requirements of SA8000
  • Assessments to UL's Factory Monitoring Program requirements, as well as industry and company codes of conduct
  • Assessments to other standards and codes of conduct, such as FLA (Fair Labor Association), WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production) or ICTI (International Council of Toy Industries)

Noncertification social accountability assessments are complementary to our Commercial Inspection and Testing Services, Follow-Up Services and other supply chain services.

Contact us

UL's Customer Service professionals are available from 7:00 AM-6:00 PM across all North American time zones to answer any questions about UL's social accountability services or any of our other Management Systems Solutions offerings. Call 1-877-ULHELPS (within the U.S.), and you will be connected with someone who will immediately assist you or take your information and have a specialist call you back.

For locations outside North America, you can contact your local UL office for assistance.

You can also e-mail our Customer Service directly at cec@us.ul.com or complete our online Contact MSS form.

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