SA8000:
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
It is a company’s responsibility to make sure they are doing all they can to protect the wellbeing of not only those who work for them but also employees of the organisations they interact with. That is why Certifications such as SA8000 are so important to maintaining a fair and prosperous working environment for all. Here, we catch-up with Mark Bauer, our Environment Specialist, at Forbo Flooring Systems and Martin Coles from International Associates to learn more about this Certification and what it means.
So, what is the SA8000 certification?
International Associates: The SA8000 Certification is one of the world’s leading social certification programs. It provides a framework for all different types of organisations, in any sector, to conduct their business in a fair and decent way. The certification focuses on areas such as, how people are treated in the workplace – including areas like working hours, health and safety, freedom of association and fair remuneration, to name just a few.
It involves developing a management system, opening your organisation up to independent auditing and ensuring the organisation is aware of the risks that you are exposed to by your supply chain. There is then the need to have a robust program to work with suppliers on to reduce those risks. This is to ensure that at every point in your global supply chain organisations are conforming to the standard.
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What are the benefits of the SA8000 Certification and why is it important to Forbo?
Mark: In short, having the SA8000 Certification can help employers to have better relationships with their workers, suppliers, customers and other external stakeholders. In a wider context, we continue to see the impact the continued development of the Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) is having on the way businesses conduct themselves. In essence the ‘social pillar’ identifies with many of the aspects of SA8000; the two become entwined and can be viewed as business as usual.
The benefits of the SA8000 include, but are not limited to, an enhanced reputation that could lead to growth, with businesses and consumers attracted by more sustainable and ethically produced products. Workflows are also improved, which increases productivity and quality, and by creating better, safer and healthier working environments, fewer accidents happen.
Employees have been shown to respond more positively in these environments and by enriching the workplace for existing employees, new talent can be attracted into the business. Further benefits are realised through associated cost savings (reducing waste, fewer accident investigations, improving yields for example), optimising investment returns and maximising grants and assistance from government support bodies.
The certification is important to us at Forbo as it provides a framework that assists us in developing management programs to ensure better working conditions for our workers and those within our supply chains. It also comes with the added benefit of minimising the risk of finding Modern Slavery within our supply chain.
In your experience what do you think are the key requirements that companies face in acquiring and maintaining Certification?
International Associates: With the ever-changing regulatory landscape it is important that companies keep up to date with the changes as they become mandatory. The other issue that a lot of organisations struggle with is the management of their supply chain, as in many cases whilst the organisation themselves strive to have compliance, this is not always the same for their suppliers, particularly as you go further down the supply chain.
What are Forbo doing to comply with the standard?
Mark: We have robust internal and external audit programs that are carried out annually, to ensure our management system meets the requirements of the standard. We have also formed Social Performance Teams who oversee local performance and lead in developing improvement objectives.
Learning is also a key element of our compliance. In fact, in 2022 we rolled out a new updated E-learning module to UK employees, which is now incorporated into our induction programs for all new full-time employees. Externally, our Purchasing Team engage with individual suppliers through meetings, on site visits and audits, to ensure they are in compliance with the standard. Our management system is also audited by 3rd party auditors. These assessments ensure that our supply chain discharge their responsibilities to their employees in accordance with the requirements of SA8000.
What does the Certification mean to Forbo's customers?
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