Social Accountability
Every building is connected to people far beyond its walls. Social Accountability in SEAM addresses the full reach of that connection, from the materials sourced and the suppliers hired to the health and safety of the people it impacts.
Ethical Materials Procurement
Understand the human rights implications of the materials that go into your building through socially sustainable procurement, supply chain risk assessment, and corrective action when violations are identified.
View on the SEAM Standard →Ethical Suppliers Procurement
Extend human rights commitments to the people who work for the companies you hire, requiring contractors, suppliers, and tenants to provide living wages and decent working conditions.
View on the SEAM Standard →Human Rights Reporting
Communicate openly about your project's human rights impacts through public reporting and a formal grievance mechanism that gives workers and community members a direct, retaliation-free channel.
View on the SEAM Standard →Human Rights Awareness
Build internal capacity to identify and respond to human rights risks through procurement training and contributions to broader industry education across commercial real estate.
View on the SEAM Standard →Health, Safety, + Wellness
Protect the physical wellbeing of everyone your project touches: occupants, surrounding community, construction workers, and the structural safety of all spaces.
View on the SEAM Standard →- HR HRa1.1Owner shall proactively specify ethical materials in design and planning documentsHR01Impact
- HR HRa1.2Conduct a supply chain risk assessment and action planHR01Impact
- HR HRa1.3Ethical sourcing of products and materialsHR01Impact
- HR HRa1.4Owner shall remediate materials procurement negative impacts to human rightsHR01Impact
- HR HRa2.1Owner shall provide a living wageHR02Impact
- HR HRa2.2Owner shall ensure decent work conditionsHR02Impact
- HR HRa2.3Suppliers shall provide a living wageHR02Impact
- HR HRa2.4Suppliers shall ensure decent work conditionsHR02Impact
- HR HRa2.5Tenants shall provide a living wageHR02Impact
- HR HRa2.6Tenants shall ensure decent work conditionsHR02Impact
- HR HRa2.7Owner shall remediate Supplier procurement negative impacts to human rightsHR02Impact
- HR HRa3.1Communicate externally about human rights impacts and how the Project addresses themHR03Impact
- HR HRa3.2Establish a grievance mechanism for direct reporting of human rights violations to the enterpriseHR03Impact
- HR HRa4.1Conduct education and training sessions on human rights standards for relevant procurement employeesHR04Impact
- HR HRa4.2Conduct educational sessions to share lessons learned + best practices on Human Rights in the commercial real estate industryHR04Impact
- HS HSa1.1Enhance human health and wellness for occupants of the property through a science-based system of strategiesHS01Impact
- HS HSa1.2Safeguard community health, safety, and wellnessHS01Impact
- HS HSa1.3Provide safe and healthy jobsites and prevent work-related injury and ill health by eliminating hazards and minimizing occupational health & safety risksHS01Impact
- HS HSa1.4Provide safe and secure structure of all occupiable spaces by ensuring structural integrity and compliance with fire safetyHS01Impact
Why it matters
Trust requires proof. Accountability provides it.
Commitments to human rights and worker safety are only as strong as the systems behind them. Social Accountability gives projects the framework to identify risks across their supply chain, set clear standards for the people who build and occupy their buildings, and communicate openly about how those standards are upheld.
Ready to build transparent trust?
Explore the full SEAM Standard or start your project today to embed accountability into every phase of your development.