What exactly is SA8000®?
This is a standard that defines the requirements for a certifiable management system for social responsibility and ensuring appropriate working conditions in companies.
This standard places particular emphasis on various aspects to ensure that companies act in an ethical and socially responsible manner. The criteria highlighted by SA8000® include: no child or forced labour, minimum health and safety standards, freedom of association & right to collective bargaining, no discrimination or physical or psychological punishment, compliance with working time laws and a living wage level.
The implementation of SA8000® has numerous positive effects for companies like Sedus:
SA8000® helps to improve working conditions and protects workers' rights, ensuring upliftment and security for staff.
By complying with the SA8000® criteria, Sedus can clearly communicate and demonstrate its social responsibility to customers, resulting in improved customer communication and a defined social profile.
Sedus is committed to regularly reviewing the individual SA8000® criteria and ensuring that they are consistently met. This ensures that the company continuously adheres to the highest standards of social responsibility.
The establishment of a Social Performance Team (SPT) at Sedus, which meets regularly, enables continuous improvement of social standards within the company by sharing ideas and best practices.
Transparent reports on compliance with SA8000® standards are communicated to employees, leading to increased transparency and building trust within the company.
Sedus has established a reporting office for violations and appoints a contact person for human rights violations to ensure that potential violations can be quickly identified and remedied.
These measures are monitored and certified by external auditors, who ensure that the high standards of SA8000® are continuously adhered to, thus guaranteeing the highest level of social responsibility within the company.
In an interview with Simon Roquette, Head of Sustainability at Sedus, and Anja Peter, Environmental Officer and Safety Specialist, we explain how the SA8000® certificate was implemented.
What motivated Sedus to strive for the SA8000® certificate?
Simon: We have noticed that both legislation and our customers are increasingly interested in social issues. So we had to look at which standard would provide us with the greatest depth and credibility for these issues. The choice quickly fell on SA8000.
How were Sedus employees involved in the process of implementing the SA8000® standard?
Anja: The implementation project team was very multidisciplinary when compared to other management systems. The project team included representatives from management, sustainability, occupational safety, our HR department, the works council and purchasing. Otherwise, our approach is also to communicate a lot about the standard so that the background and content are clear even to those only marginally involved.
What specific measures have we taken to ensure that working conditions meet the SA8000® requirements?
Anja: Irrespective of the introduction of the standard, Sedus has been committed to providing good working conditions for its employees and partners for decades, which is why we only had to redesign processes marginally. Rather, we had to expand the documentation for various things that we already do. Risk management is one of the new elements of the standard. We have assessed both our own business area and our supply chain according to SA8000® criteria, which we now update annually.
In addition to our external employee counselling on psychological stress, we have created a further opportunity to anonymously report possible human rights or environmental violations at Sedus or along our supply chain with the contact point of the Human Rights Officer.
What specific challenges were there in implementing the SA8000® standard at Sedus? Were there any challenges that played a particular role at the different locations?
Simon: The SA8000® standard of the SAI (Social Accountability International) is valid worldwide and is applied 1:1. This means that a company from the textile industry in Pakistan is audited in a similar way. This means that issues that are relevant in emerging and developing countries have to be excluded despite German and European legislation. There were hardly any problems between our locations due to our largely standardised processes.
What steps have been taken to ensure that SA8000® certification is maintained, particularly in view of possible changes in working conditions or company practices?
Simon: On the one hand, we have the Social Performance Team, which is made up of the Sustainability, Works Council, Human Resources and Procurement departments and holds at least three meetings a year to discuss current issues. On the other hand, we want to train all employees in the company on social issues and draw their attention to the content of SA8000® in order to increase the awareness of each individual.
How is the SA8000® certification regularly reviewed and updated at Sedus?
Simon: The Social Performance Team carries out annual internal audits on its own initiative. The external audits differ here from the management systems we have been familiar with to date: These will take place every six months and sometimes unannounced. We are making the best possible preparations for this. As part of the initial certification, the auditors also pointed out potential weaknesses to us, and here too we are doing our best to demonstrate continuous improvement, as we have done with other management systems.
What specific measures have been taken to ensure that exceptions, if any, are communicated and explained transparently?
Anja: With the SA8000® management system, it is not possible to define exceptions. All requirements must be implemented and therefore fulfilled.
To what extent does Sedus see SA8000® certification as a contribution to social responsibility and sustainable corporate management?
Simon: Sedus views this as very important. We have already learned a great deal from the introduction of the standard and will continue to do so. We have now covered the three pillars of sustainability - ecology, economy and social issues - with a management system and our foundation structure, and we believe we are very well equipped for the future.
Sedus would like to thank everyone involved in the introduction. Special mention should be made of the Human Resources department, the Works Council, Procurement and of course the colleagues from our production department who were available for interviews as part of the external audits.
The certificates are available on our homepage here.
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SA8000® is a voluntary standard for auditable third-party verification that defines working conditions and employee rights in organisations. Certification is only possible for certain workplaces. The standard is based on international human rights norms and labour laws. SA8000® is regularly revised, the associated guidelines support implementation and are available on the SAI website. The aim is to improve the standard by involving various stakeholders. More information here.
