ISO 26000:2010 Guidance on social responsibility

<strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>:<strong>2010</strong><strong>Guidance</strong> on social responsibilityDr Ruth Hillary,Technical Director of Sustainability, WYGUK Expert to <strong>ISO</strong> WG developing <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>BSI Committee member SDS1/1With acknowledgment to Nina Abbassi,Abbassi Ltd

Presentation Structure•Development of <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>•Overview of <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>•Benefits and strengths of <strong>ISO</strong><strong>26000</strong>•Future of <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>

Timetable of <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>Committee on consumer policyCOPOLCOresolution<strong>ISO</strong> ApprovalWG SRBrazilMeetingThailandmeetingPortugalMeetingAustraliaMeetingAustriaMeetingChileMeetingQuebecMeetingCopenhagenMeeting<strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>issued2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 <strong>2010</strong>

<strong>ISO</strong> Working Group Membership• 450 participating experts & 210 Observers• 99 Countries represented• 42 Liaison organisations• 6 stakeholder groups

A new approach• Joint leadership between Sweden and Brazil• First time that there has been moredeveloping than developed countryinvolvement in standard• MoUs with ILO, UNGC and OECD6

Stakeholder GroupsShowing numbers of experts at Copenhagen Meeting <strong>2010</strong>

Consensus driven

<strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong> & other standards• <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>:– Refers to other standards– Discusses the relationship between the standardand the law• <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong> is not:– A management system standard (<strong>ISO</strong> 9000 or<strong>ISO</strong> 14001)– A certifiable standard• <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong> is a guidance standard

Overview of <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>

Structure of the Standard1. Scope2. Terms and definitions- 27 Terms3. Understanding social responsibility4. Principles of social responsibility5. Recognizing social responsibility and engagingstakeholders6. <strong>Guidance</strong> on social responsibility core subjects7. <strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating social responsibility• Annex A – Social Responsibility Initiatives• Bibliography

SR DefinitionSocial Responsibility: responsibility of anorganization for the impacts of its decisions andactivities on society and the environment,through transparent and ethical behaviour that– contributes to sustainable development including healthand the welfare of society;– takes into account the expectations of stakeholders;– is in compliance with applicable law and consistent withinternational norms of behaviour; and– is integrated throughout the organization and practised inits relationshipsNOTE 1 Activities include products, services and processesNOTE 2 Relationships refer to an organization’s activities within its sphere ofinfluence

The objective of social responsibility is tocontribute to sustainable development.Sustainable Development : developmentthat meets the needs of the present withoutcompromising the ability of futuregenerations to meet their own needs."Brundtland report 1987 (Report of the World Commissionon Environment and Development)- same definition alsoused by <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>:<strong>2010</strong>

The Role of the Principles• 7 principles provide the basis for allorganisational responsibility• Each core subject also has principlesassociated with it

The 7 principles• Accountability• Transparency• Ethical behaviour• Respect for the interests of stakeholders• Respect for the rule of law• Respect for international norms of behaviour• Respect for human rights16

Role of the principlesAn organisation should be:-• accountable for its impacts on society, the economyand the environment• transparent in its decisions and activities that impacton society and the environment• behave ethically• respect, consider and respond to the interests of itsstakeholders.• accept that respect for the rule of law is mandatory.• respect international norms of behaviour, whileadhering to the principle of respect for the rule of law• respect human rights and recognize both theirimportance and their universality17

Structure of the Standard1. Scope2. Terms and definitions3. Understanding social responsibility4. Principles of social responsibility5. Recognizing social responsibility and engagingstakeholders6. <strong>Guidance</strong> on social responsibility core subjects7. <strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating social responsibility• Annex A – Social Responsibility Initiatives• Bibliography

Recognizing social responsibility andengaging stakeholders• Recognising social responsibilityimpacts, interests and expectations,recognising the core subjects and issues• Stakeholder identification and engagement

Structure of the Standard1. Scope2. Terms and definitions3. Understanding social responsibility4. Principles of social responsibility5. Recognizing social responsibility and engagingstakeholders6. <strong>Guidance</strong> on social responsibility core subjects7. <strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating social responsibility• Annex A – Social Responsibility Initiatives• Bibliography

Core Subject Structure1. The Core subject2. Issues for each core subject.For each core subject information isprovided on its scope; description of theissue; and related actions andexpectations.

e.g. Core subject: The environmentIssue 1: Prevention of pollutionAn organization can improve its environmentalperformance by preventing pollution, including:– Emissions to air– Discharges to water– ….To improve the prevention of pollution from itsactivities, an organization should:– identify the aspects and impacts of itsdecisions and activities on the surroundingenvironment– …..

Integrating <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>

Structure of the Standard1. Scope2. Terms and definitions3. Understanding social responsibility4. Principles of social responsibility5. Recognizing social responsibility and engagingstakeholders6. <strong>Guidance</strong> on social responsibility core subjects7. <strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating social responsibility• Annex A – Social Responsibility Initiatives• Bibliography

Approaches• Investigate appropriateness– Understanding the organisation– Understand the organisation’s context• Conduct due diligence• Determine relevance & significance• Assess and exercise sphere of influence• Establish priorities for addressing the coreissues

Practices• Internal capacity building- raisingawareness and building competence• ‘setting the direction’• Systems & procedures- Governence• Communication• Credibility of communication• Monitoring and review• Initiatives (the Appendix)

Challenges1. Assessing sphere of influence2. Establish prioritieso Practical implications – of impact, resources,timing, etc

Benefits and Strengths of<strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>

Benefits of <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>• Brings existing work on social responsibility together –provides a one stop shop reference/resource for studentsand newcomers to SR• Creates an opportunity to extend the understanding andimplementation of SR by:– Helping to develop international consensus on what SRmeans and the SR issues that organisations need toaddress– Providing guidance to help translate SR principles intoaction– Highlighting best practices that have evolved anddisseminating the information worldwide.30

<strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong> – Key Strengths• It focuses on “taking responsibility” for the impacts of anorganization's decisions and activities• It can be applied to private and public sector organizationsof any size in any sector• It translates principles into effective actions at the strategicand operational levels• It extends the understanding of OrganizationalResponsibility by guiding organizations through the fullrange of issues/actions they need to consider• It is not a certifiable standard – it is a guidance framework• It is internationally recognized and supported31

The Future of <strong>ISO</strong> <strong>26000</strong>• Adoption• Certification• Review and update

Further information:http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/management_and_leadership_standards/social_responsibility/sr_iso<strong>26000</strong>_overview.htm