Overview of SASA

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Overview of SASA Social Accountability in
Sustainable Agriculture A joint project of FLO,
SAI, SAN and IFOAM November 2003 Bangkok,
Thailand Dr. Sasha Courville, project
coordinator mailtosasa_at_isealalliance.org
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FLO - Fairtrade Labelling Organizations
International SAI - Social Accountability
International SAN - Sustainable Agriculture
Network IFOAM - International Federation of
Organic Agriculture Movements
ISEAL and FAO are Project Partners
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• FLO - Fairtrade Labelling Organizations
  International
• Founded in 1997
• Structure includes 17 national member initiatives
  (more coming!) with producer and trader
  representation
• producer registers coffee, tea, cocoa, honey,
  sugar, orange juice, bananas, rice, with
  more coming
• Main focus fairtrade and social justice for
  smallholders and disadvantaged plantations
  in developing countries
• Key instruments fairtrade premium and minimum
  floor price, long-term trade relationships

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• SAI Social Accountability International
• Founded in 1997
• Wide stakeholder representation
• Focus social accountability in the workplace
• Certifies facilities and their management systems
  across many sectors
• Key instruments SA 8000 standard based on
  fundamental ILO conventions, accredits
  certification bodies worldwide

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• SAN - Sustainable Agriculture Network
• Formed in 1991
• Coalition of independent non-profit conservation
  groups
• Secretariat is Rainforest Alliance
• Main focus social and environmental conditions
  in tropical agriculture
• Key instruments certification and labelling
  ECO-OK and Better Banana Project labels
  now under one
• Products for certification coffee, cocoa,
  bananas, citrus, sugar cane, cut-flowers

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• IFOAM - International Federation of Organic
  Agriculture Movements
• Founded in 1972
• Over 750 member organisations in 100 countries
• Main focus environmental protection through
  organic agriculture, holistic understanding
• Key instruments basic standards, accreditation
  program (International Organic
  Accreditation Service)

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• SASA - Social Accountability in Sustainable
  Agriculture - is a collaborative project of four
  social and environmental verification systems,
  which aims to
• develop tools and guidelines for the
  implementation of social audits across a wide
  range of agricultural systems
• foster convergence between the four collaborating
  initiatives FLO, SAI, SAN, IFOAM through shared
  learning

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• Tools for social auditing
• To develop best practice guidelines for social
  auditing and standard-setting in sustainable
  agriculture
• Supply chain considerations
• To examine supply chain actors impacts and
  responsibilities
• Small holders
• To address particular needs of smallholder
  producers
• Mutual promotion
• To explore the possibilities of mutual promotion
  of complementary systems

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• Workshops and decision-making on specific topics
• Joint research audit exercises at inspection
  level

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• 4 audit exercises completed
• Focus on demonstration of systems and critical
  issues
• Tremendous learning about each initiative
• Exercise in matching the range of social issues,
  standards and auditing methodologies with
  different agricultural systems
• Certain critical social issues needed more
  emphasis
• Working hours in seasonal production systems
• Freedom of association and right to collective
  bargaining

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• More targeted audits? ICS for smallholders,
  integrated audit methodologies, supply
  chain
• Standards level discussion included?
  interpretation of standards, where thresholds are
  set, convergence where possible
• More discussion needed? within Steering
  Committee how to apply results? with key
  stakeholders and constituents preliminary
  results and implementation
• Focus on tools that support convergence

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• On social standards and auditing methodologies
• There is significant convergence in social
  standards of the participating systems on most
  social standards issues
• Further coordination and convergence of standards
  where possible, especially on difficult social
  auditing issues
• Significant learning in best practice audit
  methodologies
• Health and safety in agriculture learning from
  SAN
• Smallholder approaches learning from FLO and
  IFOAM
• Verification of worker rights learning from
  SAI
• Addressing difficult social auditing issues
• Working Hours, Undocumented Workers

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• Background to One Stop Shop Approach
• Context
• SASA initiatives are 4 main verification systems
  in agriculture
• Some overlap but also key differences in approach
  (due to missions) and in target clients that
  makes these systems distinct
• Question - How can these initiatives coordinate
  to
• Reduce overlaps
• Build synergies between complementary systems
• Provide a high quality alternative to
  proliferation of initiatives

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• One possibility One Stop Shop Approach
• SASA initiatives under one roof through ISEAL
  I.e. Star Alliance
• Distinct initiatives but coordination through a
  seamless interface to improve service to
  producers and workers, supply chain companies,
  retailers and consumers
• Requires coordination in delivery of products to
  clients but also in supporting processes to be
  able to deliver effective solutions

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• Currently under discussion
• General information and self-evaluation tools to
  producers
• Capacity building and extension support (without
  conflict of interest)
• Cooperation in auditor training
• Integrated audits and reduced documentation
  burdens
• Appropriate and cost-effective certification
  packages for use by brand name companies,
  retailers and consumers

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Oct. 03 - Feb. 04 Evaluation workshops targeting
key stakeholder groups Nov.03 - Jan 04 Final
audit exercises trialling the One Stop Shop
coffee cotton April 20-21st 2004 Final
SASA Conference at FAO, Rome Then Implementa
tion
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• For Discussion
• What are the current problems you face in using
  various social and environmental certification
  systems?
• How could the One Stop Shop approach meet your
  social and environmental certification needs ?
• Particular features of issues to be considered
  to make the One Stop Shop useful and accessible
  to you