ISO 26000 Social responsibility standard
Final Draft available for comment.
In the current environment, organizations and their stakeholders are becoming increasingly aware of the need and benefits of socially responsible behaviour. The objective of social responsibility is to contribute to sustainable development i.e. development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This has never been more relevant especially now where resources are becoming scarce and more costly. There is now more focus and indeed an onus on organizations to assess their performance in relation to the society in which it operates and in terms of the impact it may have on the environment. There is a growing recognition of the need to ensure healthy ecosystems, social equity and good organizational governance.ISO 26000 – Guidance on Social Responsibility:
The standard provides guidance to all types of organizations, regardless of their size or location on:a) concepts, terms and definitions related to social responsibility;
b) the background, trends and characteristics of social responsibility;
c) principles and practices relating to social responsibility;
d) the core subjects and issues of social responsibility;
e) integrating, implementing and promoting socially responsibility behaviour throughout the organization and through its policies and practices within its sphere of influence.
f) identifying and engaging with stakeholders; and
g) communicating commitments, performance and other information related to social responsibility.
The standard is intended to assist organizations in contributing to sustainable development and to promote a common understanding in the field of social responsibility.
ISO 26000 is not a management system standard and does not contain any requirements. It is not intended or appropriate for certification purposes. Any offer to certify or claims to be certified to ISO 26000 would be a misrepresentation of the intent and purpose and a misuse of the standard.
Content:
The content of the current standard consists of the following:1 Scope
2 Terms & definitions
3 Understanding social responsibility
4 Principles of social responsibility
5 Recognising social responsibility and engaging stakeholders
6 Guidance on social responsibility core subjects
7 Guidance on integrating social responsibility throughout and organization
Annex A Examples of voluntary initiatives and tools for social responsibility
Annex B Abbreviated terms
Bibliography.
Current stage of development:
ISO FDIS 26000 has been circulated by ISO to all National Standard Bodies (NSB's) for final comment. This is the final draft of the standard before its publication which is due by the end of 2010. At this stage only editorial comments will be considered. Voting is open from the 12th of July to the 12th of September 2010.- Copies of the final draft ISO FDIS 26000 can be purchased by logging onto www.standards.ie
- If you wish to submit any comments please use the ISO comments template.
- See also "Draft standards for public comment" section.
- All comments are to be submitted by the 1st of September 2010 to Linda Hendy
- Queries about ISO 26000 should be sent to Linda Hendy or by phoning 01 807 3867.
