ISO 26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility

Correct use of ISO 26000

September 2010 Guido Guertler, ICC Observer and NORMAPME Expert to ISO/TMB WG Social Responsibility ; www.26k-estimation.com

What is a “guidance”?

  

Guidance is an offer:

ISO 26000 offers recommendations, advice, proposals, and orientation Guidance versus guideline: - “guidance” is something from which to select what can be successfully applied - “guideline” would be something one needs to apply as a whole ISO 26000 deliberately is not a “guideline”

The ISO 26000 scope says:

“This International Standard is not a management system standard. It is not certification purposes or intended or appropriate regulatory or contractual for use. 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 this International Standard. As this International Standard does not contain requirements Standard.” , any such certification would not be a demonstration of conformity with this International

What is ISO 26000?

     ISO 26000 is a guidance document, without requirements one could fulfill or meet One can follow “implemented” a guidance but guidance cannot be ISO 26000 is a “standard” only formally because it is published by a standards organization Its content is guidance that organizations, individually may be used by The Guidance is nothing “standardized” (so that / as if / it would apply everywhere in the same way)

An organization’s correct use internally 1/2

1. Evaluates the offered guidance 2. Selects, checks and prioritizes issues, using

The Check Tool * My organization

3. Follows the guidance contained in selected issues 4. Communicates with and encourages others

* Downloadable from http://www.26k estimation.com/html/check_tool_iso_26000_download.html#CheckTool

An organization’s correct use internally 2/2

The Check Tool is designed to support the

selection and prioritization process

by identifying those issues where an organization can most effectively contribute to a more favorable development of society. The six questions per issue are:

Is the core subject and its issues judged What leverage does my relevant for my organization?

organization have on this issue?

What kind of activities can my organization undertake on this issue?

Have I ensured that planned activities are not in conflict with applicable law?

What impact will my activities have?

Which stakeholders could I involve in this issue?

Selected

are those issues where all six questions got positive answers; for these the ISO 26000 guidance can be usefully applied

Correct use externally 1/2

My organization uses ISO 26000

In contracts: For certification: NO* NO* For Encouragement: YES Business partners * Using ISO 26000 in contracts or for certification would be a

misuse

Correct use externally 2/2

Customers

may use ISO 26000

Governments

may use ISO 26000 For Encouragement: In contracts: For certification: YES NO NO For Encouragement: In procurement and contracts

*

: For certification: YES NO NO

My organization uses ISO 26000 *

According to the scope of ISO 26000 it would be a misuse making its application a condition in contracts (which includes public-private ones)

Communication 1/2

Task Group 2 of this ISO project (“Communication”) recommended to communicate about the use of ISO 26000 (see their Newsletter of 12 December 2009 at http://www.26k-estimation.com/TG2_N089_ _SR_Newsletter_12_-_20091217__2_.pdf

) or FAQ #9 on the ISO website at http://isotc.iso.org/livelink/livelink/fetch/2000/2122/830949/3934883/393509 6/07_gen_info/faq.html

):

Communicating about ISO 26000 FAQ: How can my organization refer to its use of ISO 26000?

ISO 26000 is a voluntary International Standard providing guidance on social responsibility. Organizations of all types are encouraged to acknowledge their support and use of ISO 26000 as follows: ” Organization” recognizes ISO 26000 as a reference document that provides guidance on social responsibility.

and /or “Organization” has used ISO 26000 as a guide to integrate social responsibility into our values and practices.

Communication 2/2

A more practical master text for this communication (that may be individually adapted) is available at

http://www.26k estimation.com/html/user_guide_iso_26000.html#att6 : We hereby state that our organization is well acquainted with ISO 26000, its kind and content, and how it may be used to prioritize and to work with social responsibility.

We recognize ISO 26000 as a reference document that provides guidance on social responsibility. We have used it as a guide to integrate social responsibility into our values and practices.

More details are given on and/or in . For any further information please contact the undersigned.

Date and place…..

Name and Address Signature(s)…..

Encouragement

 Feel encouraged to practice a correct use of ISO 26000  Feel great when encouraging others to follow your good example  Feel encouraged to for publication on notify* good and bad examples of using ISO 26000, www.26k-estimation.com

*

By mail to [email protected]