October 27, 2004—ISO, the international standards organization, is to develop a new standard for social responsibility. The ‘guidance document’ will be widely applicable but is not intended for use in certification.
ISO sees this task as somewhat outside its usual role. “Social responsibility involves a number of subjects and issues that are qualitatively different from the subjects and issues that have traditionally been dealt with by ISO,” the group notes.
To develop the standard, ISO will set up a new working group answering directly to the Technical Management Board, which oversees the activities of the organization’s 186 standards-developing sub-committees. That working group is to be led by the standards institutes in Sweden and Brazil.
The ISO has been looking at social responsibility at least since early 2003 when it established a specialist advisory group to identify the way forward. The new standard is expected to be published in 2007.
For more information, contact ISO.
Reprinted with permission; copyright 2004 i-FM
