Organisations and their stakeholders are becoming more aware of their need to behave responsibly and consider their impacts on Human Rights, the Environment and Ethical/sustainable behaviour.
There are several standards, guidelines and tools which address corporate social responsibility, here we take a brief look at the voluntary International Standard, ISO 26000:2010, Guidance for social responsibility.
ISO26000 is not a ‘management system’ standard and there is no certification for it. It is intended to help organisations of all types and sizes contribute to sustainable development.
The standard defines 7 core subjects for social responsibility which are interdependent:
6.2 Organisational Governance
6.3 Human Rights
6.4 Labour Practices
6.5 The Environment
6.6 Fair Operating Practices
6.7 Consumer Issues
6.8 Community Involvement and Development
Within each of these core subjects, the standard identifies issues which should be addressed.
ISO26000 can be used in conjunction with other measures implemented by a company to managed it’s corporate social responsibilities (CSR)
Poor working Conditions in Apple’s Supply Chain?
In early 2012, technology company Apple made an unusual move and released a list of it’s suppliers in an attempt to deal with poor working conditions in Asian factories that supplied Apple components.
Its said, they conducted 229 supplier audits over the previous year and found various areas for improvement, which the company is now addressing.
Perhaps bold for such a large corporate to admit failings in order to progress to a sustainable supply chain.
References
ISO26000:2010 standard page: https://www.iso.org/iso-26000-social-responsibility.html
7 Core Subjects poster:
https://www.iso.org/publication/PUB100259.html
BBC News, Apple publishes supplier details for the first time: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16570765
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