Social Accountability

SEAM, Inc.

SEAM Standard Pillar

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.

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What is Social Accountability

Accountability goes beyond the building

A building’s impact doesn’t begin at the job site and it doesn’t end at the property line.

Social Accountability in SEAM addresses the people who are often furthest from the conversation: the workers in the supply chain whose labor produced the materials inside the building, the contractors on site whose safety depends on clear standards, and the occupants and community members whose health is shaped by how the project is managed.

Focus areas

Five ways for accountable improvement.

Social Accountability in SEAM is achieved across 2 concepts, spanning 5 actionable objectives.

Human Rights

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.

Human Rights

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.

Human Rights

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.

Human Rights

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.

Health + Safety

Health, Safety, + Wellness

Protect the physical wellbeing of everyone your project touches: occupants, surrounding community, construction workers, and the structural safety of all spaces.

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.

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