ISO 26000 Social Responsibility Management System

ISO 26000 gives guidance on social responsibility: what it means, and how socially responsible behaviour is integrated into an organisation's strategy, systems, practices and processes. It imposes no requirements and speaks to organisations of every size and sector, private, public or non-profit, in developed or developing countries. It is guidance rather than a specification and expressly non-certifiable, so any claim of certification against it misrepresents its intent; what an organisation can do is adopt it proportionately to its context and evidence how.

The seven principles — accountability, transparency, ethical behaviour, respect for stakeholder interests, respect for the rule of law, respect for international norms of behaviour and respect for human rights — run through a Social Responsibility Management Manual and a documented system scheme. Each core subject then gets a procedure of its own: organisational governance, human rights, labour practices, the environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, and community involvement and development. Registers, assessments, checklists and awareness training carry the guidance across the sphere of influence, alongside other management system standards rather than duplicating them.