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Are there other social certification systems?
Yes. A number of social certification systems operate around the world mainly focusing on workers rights based on the International Labour Organisation conventions (ILO). Examples of such ethical codes include Social Accountability International and its SA8000 standard, the Clean Clothes Campaign and the Fair Labor Association. Most of these were developed for the footwear and apparel industry and the primary goal is to protect workers rights. While the actual code or standard used is very similar there are a number of differences in their verification rules and procedures.
These systems are generally used by brand name companies to monitor and improve the labour conditions of their supply chain partners. They are generally not used as an end consumer tool and therefore, rarely use product labels.
These systems can be complementary to the Fairtrade certification systems in that there is a common interest in ensuring workers rights. However, Fairtrade also has a developmental and capacity building focus and given this, the entry point into the system may be different from other systems. Fairtrade is also the only social system that includes an in-built mechanism to fund required improvements through the social premium. Given this developmental focus, a producer group could graduate from the Fairtrade system and move into a other social systems.
FLO Labelling
IFAT Organisations