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| L to R: Tom Nelson (VF Corporation), Alice Tepper Marlin, Mark Jones (Elevate). Photo by JT Marlin. |
One evening of their meeting, Elevate took the opportunity to convene a reception in Manhattan to honor Alice Tepper Marlin for her 45 years of work on behalf of better workplace conditions.
The event was appropriately held on West 45th Street, at the Perfect Pint.
Based in Hong Kong, Elevate was formed in 2013 by a merger between Level Works and INFACT.
(I am privately informed that other groups intend to host tributes before the end of 2015, when Alice is set to retire as CEO.)
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| L to R: Alice Tepper Marlin, Ian Spaulding, Laura Rubbo. Photo by JT Marlin. |
Her work on behalf of better workplaces throughout the world was as founder and head of two different organizations:
CEP, 1969-1996: Alice founded and headed the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP), the first organization to focus on research for social investment funds.
CEP pioneered in policy analysis on energy. It was a training ground for many leaders in the CSR arena.
It is probably most remembered for its best-selling book, Shopping for a Better World (CEP and Ballantine Books), which sold one million copies between 1988 and 1991.
CEP was even-handed, identifying corporations that did more than they were required to do by law, as well as the worst offenders.
As a centrist NGO, CEP dissatisfied some of those on the left who believed that there is no good corporation, and those on the right who believed that there is no bad one (the social responsibility of a corporate executive being, in their view, to make money and stay out of jail).
SAI, 1997-2015: Alice then founded a new organization, Social Accountability International (SAI), to develop auditable standards for a decent workplace.
Built on principles (or "conventions") developed by the International Labor Organization, SAI created the nine-point SA8000 standard.
SAI in turn created Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) to ensure that auditors against the SA8000 standard were qualified.
CEP pioneered in policy analysis on energy. It was a training ground for many leaders in the CSR arena.
It is probably most remembered for its best-selling book, Shopping for a Better World (CEP and Ballantine Books), which sold one million copies between 1988 and 1991.
CEP was even-handed, identifying corporations that did more than they were required to do by law, as well as the worst offenders.
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| "Selfie" of Participants by Ian Spaulding (Elevate), partly visible front left. L to R, first row, Laura Rubbo (the Walt Disney Company) and Alice Tepper Marlin (SAI). Center: Badri Gulur (SAI) and behind him Christian Ewert (BSCI). Behind Rubbo: Mark Jones (Elevate). Others - behind Jones, Alex Katz (SAI). Left second row, Didier Bergeret (GSCP). |
As a centrist NGO, CEP dissatisfied some of those on the left who believed that there is no good corporation, and those on the right who believed that there is no bad one (the social responsibility of a corporate executive being, in their view, to make money and stay out of jail).
SAI, 1997-2015: Alice then founded a new organization, Social Accountability International (SAI), to develop auditable standards for a decent workplace.
Built on principles (or "conventions") developed by the International Labor Organization, SAI created the nine-point SA8000 standard.
SAI in turn created Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) to ensure that auditors against the SA8000 standard were qualified.
The CEO of Elevate, Ian Spaulding, presented Alice with a huge bouquet of flowers.
He told the group how Alice was one of the first to identify and use the multi-stakeholder model. She managed meetings of leading corporate executives, trade unionists and NGOs to arrive at a consensus on a shared mission for Human Rights at Work, developing the highly respected SA8000 standard. Ian attended the first meeting that established SAI.
Laura Rubbo of the Walt Disney Company described the successful SAI 100-day project, now named TenSquared, and the benefits that her company has enjoyed from being an SAI corporate member.
SAI worked with Disney on designing its licensee program and it delivered the Social Fingerprint screening for companies seeking to qualify as Disney licensees.
Christian Ewert, newly appointed head of the Foreign Trade Association of Europe (FTA), shared his appreciation of the oversight services delivered to FTA's Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) by SAAS, and of Alice's service on the BSCI Stakeholder Council. He presented Alice with a box of premium Belgian chocolates.
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| L to R: Alice Tepper Marlin, Christian Ewert (FTA), Laura Rubbo (Walt Disney Company). |
Laura Rubbo of the Walt Disney Company described the successful SAI 100-day project, now named TenSquared, and the benefits that her company has enjoyed from being an SAI corporate member.
SAI worked with Disney on designing its licensee program and it delivered the Social Fingerprint screening for companies seeking to qualify as Disney licensees.
Christian Ewert, newly appointed head of the Foreign Trade Association of Europe (FTA), shared his appreciation of the oversight services delivered to FTA's Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) by SAAS, and of Alice's service on the BSCI Stakeholder Council. He presented Alice with a box of premium Belgian chocolates.
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