A facility wishing to seek certification to SA8000 must apply to a SAAS-accredited auditing firm, or certification body. Assessment of compliance to the SA8000 Standard and the issuance of accredited SA8000 certifications are available only through SAAS-accredited, independent organizations.

Once an organization has implemented any necessary improvements to meet the requirements in the Standard, it can earn a certificate attesting to its compliance with SA8000. Certification under SA8000 can apply to companies, NGOs, consulting firms, suppliers, and subcontractors in any industry in any country (except Myanmar), if it meets the requirements set out in the Standard. Certification lasts for three years, with a series of required surveillance audits throughout this three year period. Surveillance audits are an ongoing periodic review of the certified facility’s quality management system to ensure continuous improvement in meeting the Standard.

In order to be certified, SAAS recommends that facilities contact at least 3 of the SAAS-accredited certification bodies to provide a bid for certification services. Auditors from these certification bodies visit facilities and assess corporate practice on a wide range of issues and evaluate the state of a company’s management systems necessary to ensure ongoing acceptable practices. The certificate represents a significant milestone and certified facilities are required to make public their certification. SAAS also publishes this information on its website. Facilities can display their certificate, but individual products cannot be labeled as the certification represents a workplace process, not a product certification.

SAAS does not set a specific amount for the cost of the certification process – the size, scope and location of the facility will determine the cost. The costs vary depending on the number of days and auditors needed to conduct the audit at the facility. In general, the costs typically range between $500-$1,500 per day, as determined by each individual certification body.

Some facilities may require pre-audit work which is separate from the cost of certification. The cost for this work would depend entirely on the state of readiness for implementation of the standard at the facility.

There are four basic types of out of pocket costs associated with certification:
•The cost associated with taking corrective and preventive action in order to qualify for compliance. After this, an organization would seek verification of its compliance.
•The cost of preparing for the audit.
•The cost of an independent audit by a SAAS-accredited CB.
•The cost associated with taking corrective actions to resolve problems (if nonconformances have been identified).

Please visit the list of accredited CBs to begin the process of certification. If your organization is interested in becoming accredited to conduct SA8000 certification, please visit our Accreditation page.