ISO Publishes New International Standards on Social Responsibility

On November 1, 2010, the International Standards Organization (ISO) launched ISO 26000, a long-awaited guidance for business and public sector organizations on social responsibility (SR).

ISO Secretary-General Rob Steele commented: “The publication of ISO 26000 is eagerly awaited by organizations worldwide, whether they are business enterprises, or public sector organizations. Operating in a socially responsible manner is no longer an option. It is becoming a requirement of society worldwide. What makes ISO 26000 exceptional among the many already existing social responsibility initiatives is that it distils a truly international consensus on what social responsibility means and what core subjects need to be addressed to implement it. In addition, it is based on broad stakeholder input, including from developing countries, business, government, consumers, labour, nongovernmental organizations and others.”

According to the standard, the perception and reality of an organization's performance on social responsibility can influence, among other things:

• Competitive advantage
• Reputation
• Ability to attract and retain workers, members, customers, clients or users
• Maintenance of employees' morale, commitment and productivity
• View of investors, owners, donors, sponsors and the financial community
• Relationship with companies, governments, the media, suppliers, peers, customers and the community in which it operates.

The development of ISO 26000 began in 2005; it is the work of the ISO Working Group on Social Responsibility (ISO/WG SR) whose membership was the largest and the most broadly based in terms of stakeholder representation of any single group formed to develop an ISO standard.

Six main stakeholder groups were engaged: industry; government; labour; consumers: nongovernmental organiza tions; and service, support, research and others, as well as a geographical and gender-based bal ance of participants.

It was made up of experts from ISO members (national standards bodies – NSBs) and from liaison organizations (associations representing business, consumers or labour, or inter-governmental or nongovernmental organizations).

At the last meeting of the ISO/WG SR, in July 2010, there were 450 participating experts and 210 observers from 99 ISO member countries and 42 liaison organizations involved in the work, including the United States.

ISO 26000 provides guidance for all types of organization, regardless of their size or location, on:

1. Concepts, terms and definitions related to social responsibility

2. Background, trends and characteristics of social responsibility

3. Principles and practices relating to social responsibility

4. Core subjects and issues of social responsibility

5. Integrating, implementing and promoting socially responsible behaviour throughout the organization and, through its policies and practices, within its sphere of influence

6. Identifying and engaging with stakeholders

7. Communicating commitments, performance and other information related to social responsibility.

ISO 26000 is a voluntary guidance standard that is not to be used for certification, unlike other ISO standards.

This is a major step toward global standards for acceptable corporate behavior and should be monitored closely by every major corporation throughout the world.