Governance & Policy
Social Standard
Definition
A social standard is a documented, auditable set of requirements for the treatment of people — workers primarily — that organisations can be assessed and certified against. The archetype is SA8000 (Social Accountability International, 1997, based on ILO conventions), covering child labour, forced labour, health and safety, freedom of association, discrimination, discipline, working hours, remuneration and management systems; sectoral variants include fair trade standards, ethical trading base codes and the social modules of sustainability certification schemes.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “Social Standard” is defined and used.
Source imported for editorial provenance.
Overview
How it is used
Social standards structure supplier codes of conduct, certification and audit programmes, responsible sourcing requirements, and the social criteria of sustainable public procurement.
Why it matters
Social standards are the private-law machinery of labour protection in global supply chains — imperfect, but often the only machinery present.