March 2026 Newsletter

SA8000 2026: What has changed?

SAI has released the updated SA8000:2026 Standard, bringing clearer expectations and stronger alignment with global human rights frameworks. The new version modernizes the structure and improves transparency while still maintaining the core principles.

What's new:

Foundational Criteria: focusing on the baseline responsibilities and expectations for organizations.

Principles: introduces management system principles and decent work principles that are meant to guide the interpretation and understanding of criteria.

Management systems structure and clarity: restuctured and simplified for easier understanding and use. It follows a clearer, more logical structure that aligns with other international standards.

Decent work criteria: reorganized for clarity and focuses on the positive outcomes for workers. It also introduces a new privacy requirement to address how organizations handle worker data.

Risk-based approach: sets clear expectations for identifying and addressing risks, including the organization's value chain.

SA8000:2026 Auditor Upgrade Course Translations Now Available

The SA8000:2026 Auditor Upgrade Course now includes expanded language support with new translations in Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Italian, and European Portuguese.

Learn More

SA8000:2026 Decent Work Translations now Available

SA8000:2026 translations are now available! SAI has released translations of SA8000:2026, supporting more organizations worldwide to strengthen decent working conditions. This month, we have added Vietnamese. The standard is also available in Chinese, Italian, Spanish, and both European and Brazilian Portuguese.

Learn More

SAI's Global Strategy Meetings in New York

SAI’s global team met in New York earlier this month for an energizing week of strategic and planning sessions. This was a rare opportunity to step back from our day-to-day, reflect on the progress SAI has made in recent years, and get concrete about future goals and dreams. As some team members met for the first time and others reconnected after many years, we were reminded of the vast experience and knowledge of the people representing SAI and especially the deep care and commitment that each of us bring to our work advancing human rights for workers. Thank you to all our staff who journeyed (from near and far) to make this possible.

We look forward to sharing more about our plans throughout this year.

Trainings

Introduction to Living Wages Online Training + Applied Learning Session

This online, on-demand training introduces key concepts of living wages and their importance for responsible business conduct. It can now be paired with a live, virtual Q&A session with SAI and Anker Research Institute experts to discuss a company’s due diligence approach related to living wages.

Working together, we will assess company needs and practical next steps to put knowledge into practice. The training and applied learning sessions are available in English and Spanish.

Learn More

SA8000:2026 Auditor Upgrade Training Requirement

This online, on-demand training is now available to SA8000 training certificate holders to ensure you stay current with updated requirements, terminology, and human rights due diligence principles.

This training course will focus on changes from SA8000:2014 to SA8000:2026

Now available in Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Italian, and European Portuguese.

Learn More