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Taking responsibility
29 Oct 2007
Topics: Social responsibility, CSR, ISO 26000
ISO has launched the development of the future ISO 26000 standard, providing voluntary guidance on Social Responsibility (SR). This standard is intended for organizations in both public and private sectors, in developed and developing countries.
According to ISO, "Sustainable business for organizations means not only providing products and services that satisfy the customer, and doing so without jeopardizing the environment, but also operating in a socially responsible manner. Pressure to do so comes from customers, consumers, governments, associations and the public at large.
"At the same time, far-sighted organizational leaders recognize that lasting success must be built on credible business practices and the prevention of such activities as fraudulent accounting and labour exploitation."
ISO 26000 will develop an international consensus on what SR means and the SR issues that organizations need to address, provide guidelines on translating principles into effective actions, and highlight examples of best practice for the good of the international community.
ISO 26000 will draw on best practice developed by existing public and private sector SR initiatives. Fifty-four countries and 33 organizations with liaison status are participating in the SR working group, under the joint leadership of the ISO members for Brazil (ABNT) and Sweden (SIS). The standard is currently targeted for publication in 2009.
For more information: www.bsigroup.com/oct07sr
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