ISO
26000 International Standard provides guidance pertaining to concepts and core
issues relating to Social Responsibility, ways to achieve Sustainable
Development by engaging with all Stakeholders, and formulating and implementing
Socially Responsible Policies and Practices throughout the organization. Standard
ISO 26000 sets the guidance to ensure for Health, Safety, Environmental,
Ethical Trade Practices and Principles for the ultimate objective to achieve
Sustainable Development. ISO 26000 is an international standard, which was
developed to provide guidance on how to behave in a socially responsible way.
This standard is applicable to all organizations whose aim is to contribute to
the health and wellbeing of the society, regardless of their size or industry. With
such all-encompassing global implications one of the most important attributes
of the ISO 26000 Standard is that it is internationally recognised and
supported. This is not just because it has been launched by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO), but is more the result of its extensive
multi-stakeholder development process. ISO 26000's aims are to:
·
Assist
organizations in addressing their social responsibilities while respecting
cultural, societal, environmental, and legal differences and economic
development conditions.
·
Provide
practical guidance related to making social responsibility operational.
·
Assist
with identifying and engaging with stakeholders and enhancing credibility of
reports and claims made about social responsibility.
·
Emphasize
performance results and improvement.
·
Increase
confidence and satisfaction in organizations among their customers and other
stakeholders.
·
Achieve
consistency with existing documents, international treaties and conventions,
and existing ISO standards.
·
Promote
common terminology in the social responsibility field.
·
Broaden
awareness of social responsibility.
This
standard is not intended to reduce government’s authority to address the social
responsibility of organizations. ISO 26000 at a Glance :
·
Intended
as guidance, not for certification
·
Presents
a comprehensive documentation of social responsibilities including core
subjects and issues related to those subjects
·
Published
in 2010 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a
specialized international agency for standardization composed of the national
standards bodies of more than 160 countries
·
Written
by a unique multi-sectoral group representing governments; non-governmental
organizations (NGOs); industry; consumer groups; labor; and academic,
consulting, and other organizations around the world
·
More
than 400 experts and 200 observers from 99 countries and 42 international
organizations contributed to the development effort
·
Last
reviewed for possible revision in 2014
User questions & answers