Surya Nepal has been conferred with the SA 8000-2001 Social Accountability Certification from Det Norske Veritas (DNV) for this year, based on the audit carried out by DNV in December 2006.

SA 8000-2001 Social Accountability Certification is considered as one of the respected standards in Social Accountability. This is the first time a company in Nepal has been awarded this certification.

“For Surya Nepal, it is another milestone and a testimony to its adherence to universal human rights compliance at the workplace, as also its commitment to social responsibility towards the community in which it operates,” the company said in a statement after the receipt of the award.

The SA 8000 – 2001 certification is awarded for stringently adhering to human rights standards in the workplace – a certification that has been developed jointly by Non-Governmental Organizations [NGOs], the trade unions and business groups of the USA.

Surya Nepal had also invested in Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives under the banner of Surya Nepal Prakriti for environment protection, Surya Nepal Asha for community empowerment, Surya Nepal Suswasthya for community health, and Surya Nepal Khelparyatan for promoting sports and tourism.

“Surya Nepal always believes that investments in new high-end technology ultimately benefit the end-consumers in terms of quality. That the company has invested in state of the art garment and cigarette facilities during the last five years is adequate testimony to this fact,” the company said.

DNV is one of the world’s leading certification bodies/registrars offering the latest in management systems certification services with more than 50,000 certificates issued worldwide. DNV is a leading international provider of services for managing risk.