Bureau Veritas Certification, RINA, SGS, and TUV Rheinland SA8000 Certification Body suspended in India

As of Monday, December 5, 2022, SAAS has suspended the India accreditation scope of four SA8000 Certification Bodies (CB). This is the result of findings from SAAS surveillance visits undertaken following allegations of conflicts of interest between auditors, consultants, and certified organizations.

The affected CBs are Bureau Veritas Certification, RINA, SGS, and TUV Rheinland.

What does this mean for the Certification Bodies?

1. The four suspended CBs must temporarily cease all SA8000 activities in India by December 19, 2022.

2. Each CB will have its suspension lifted upon taking appropriate corrective actions addressing findings of non-conformity. For all CBs, this includes taking steps to ensure that their SA8000 staff and auditors are able to effectively distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate consultant-client relationships.

3. The suspensions apply only to their India operations—all four may continue SA8000 activities outside of India in accordance with their respective scopes of accreditation.