Two-minute brief
SA8000 requirements explained: video brief
A two-minute brief on the three parts of SA8000:2026 and what an auditor tests on the shop floor.
Key takeaways
- SA8000:2026 has foundational criteria, management-system criteria and decent-work principles.
- Where the standard is stricter than local law, the standard applies.
- No one under 15, or the compulsory schooling age if higher, may be employed.
- Auditors test the principles through records, observation and worker interviews.
- All certificates must be on the 2026 edition by 31 May 2029.
Three parts of SA8000:2026
SA8000:2026 has three parts. Foundational criteria require the organisation to meet the law and collective agreements and, where the standard is stricter, to apply the standard. Section 1 lists ten management-system criteria for governance and due diligence. Section 2 states seven decent-work principles, each with performance criteria an auditor tests on the shop floor. This short film walks through them.
The foundational criteria set the baseline. Protection of children and young workers means no one under 15, or under the compulsory schooling age if higher, and young workers protected in hours and night work, evidenced by age verification at hiring, a young-worker register and remediation if a child is found. Freedom of association and collective bargaining means respecting the right to join or form a union and to bargain, with no interference or retaliation.
Management system and decent-work principles
The management-system criteria cover governance, the Social Performance Team, human rights due diligence, managing business partners, grievance and remediation, communication and the review of performance. The decent-work principles cover freedom from forced labour and recruitment fees, non-discrimination, health and safety, working hours, and fair and living wages, alongside the protections for children and young workers and for freedom of association. Each principle has performance criteria the auditor checks through records, observation and worker interviews.
SA8000:2026 was published on 1 January 2026; SA8000:2014 certification closes on 31 December 2026, and every certificate must be on the 2026 edition by 31 May 2029. The standard applies to any employer in any sector or country, from factories and farms to service providers and public bodies. Certification is assessed and decided by an independent certification body accredited by SAAS, and certificates are listed on SAI's public register.
The Social Performance Team is a balanced group of managers and peer-elected workers, and consultants may not serve on it. Auditors select workers at random and interview them in private with no management present, comparing what they say with records on hours, pay and grievances.
SA8000 at a glance
- Purpose
- Decent work: a certified management system that protects workers' rights, hours, wages, safety and voice, and proves it to buyers
- Relevant to
- Any employer, in any sector or country: factories, farms, cooperatives, service providers, NGOs and public bodies
- Edition
- SA8000:2026, published 1 January 2026; SA8000:2014 certification closes on 31 December 2026 and every certificate must be on the 2026 edition by 31 May 2029
- Certification
- Assessed and decided by an independent certification body accredited by SAAS, SAI's accreditation arm; listed on SAI's public register
- Sterling's role
- Implementation with your management and Social Performance Team, Effivity, training, internal audit and certification readiness, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for an SA8000 social accountability management system depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 6 to 12 months
SA8000: questions people ask
Who issues an SA8000 certificate?
A certification body accredited by SAAS, the accreditation arm of SAI, after a Stage 1 readiness review and a Stage 2 audit. SAI writes the standard and keeps the public register but does not certify; Sterling consults and prepares but does not certify either.
What is the difference between SA8000 and SMETA, amfori BSCI or RBA?
SMETA is an audit methodology owned by Sedex: an approved audit company reports findings and a corrective action plan shared with buyers through Sedex; no certificate is issued. amfori BSCI states that it is not a certification; it grades producers for its members. The RBA's Validated Assessment Program verifies conformity with the RBA Code of Conduct and offers recognition, not a certificate. SA8000 is the certifiable management-system standard behind them, and their findings on hours, wages and recruitment are largely the same requirements.
Do we have to pay a living wage to be certified?
SA8000:2026 requires a living wage or the legal minimum if that is higher. SAI has told certification bodies not to raise living wage nonconformities before 1 July 2027 and, after that, to allow closure timelines that reflect the cause of a gap. You need the benchmark, an accurate measurement of the gap and a costed plan, owned by management.
What is the Social Performance Team, and can a consultant sit on it?
The balanced group of managers and peer-elected workers that the standard requires to develop, monitor and improve the system; a worker representative attends the audit's opening meeting. SAAS rules are explicit that consultants may not serve on it, represent management at audits or speak to the certification body for you. Sterling trains and coaches the team; it does not sit on it.
How does the auditor interview our workers?
Workers are selected at random, interviewed in private with no management present, and paid as if they were working. Auditors compare what they say with your records on hours, pay and grievances, and SAAS asks them to look for coached answers. The only preparation that works is a system people experience, not a briefing the day before.
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