At last: ISO 26000 becomes a reality

The ISO 26000 standard on social responsibility was officially published on 1 November, bringing to an end six years of sometimes tortuous development work.

The voluntary standard, a 100-page document titled Guidance for social responsibility, will cost 192 Swiss francs ($200, £125, €143), and was launched at the Geneva headquarters of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It will be available in hard copy or pdf form from ISO national member institutes or can be obtained directly from the ISO central secretariat.

ISO 26000 applies to all organizations, not just companies, but there will be no certification against it, as it is offered only as a ‘guidance standard’. The ISO insists it will be ‘vigilant in seeing that this is respected’.

The standard was developed by a working group of representatives from 99 ISO member countries and 42 organizations representing business, consumers, labour groups, governments and NGOs.