IOE-ITUC Statement on the Systematic review of ISO 26000

IOE and ITUC issue a joint statement on the systematic review of ISO 26000 to be used in national advocacy efforts with relevant standard-setting bodies.

IOE has previously informed our members and partners that ISO 26000 is under a “systematic review”. This review takes place every three years, with the purpose of deciding if this guidance tool for companies and organisations on social responsibility should be: (a) confirmed; (b) revised/amended; or (c) withdrawn.

Each national standards body (and its national mirror committee) is being asked six questions as part of the ISO 26000 “systematic review” process:

1. Recommended action: “confirm”; “revise/amend”; “withdraw” ?
2. Has ISO 26000 been adopted or is it intended to be adopted as a national standard/other publication?
3. Is the national publication identical to ISO 26000 or was it modified?
4. If ISO 26000 has not been nationally adopted, is it applied or used in your country or are products/processes/services used in your country based on this standard?
5. Is ISO 26000 referenced in regulations in your country?
6. In case the committee decided to “Revise/Amend” ISO 26000, will/are you committed to participate actively in the development of the project?

The IOE Policy Working Group on Human Rights and Responsible Business Conduct discussed the issue in its meeting on 26 November and agreed that ISO 26000 should be “confirmed” (ie: the guidance is up-to-date and relevant for another 3 years).

IOE has engaged now with ITUC on producing a joint statement (attached) with regard to the systematic review to support member federations in their advocacy work. Member federations might want to use the joint statement in their engagement with national standardisation bodies.

Suggested action to be taken by IOE members

• IOE strongly recommends that each member contact its national standards body as soon as possible and advise that ISO 26000 should be “confirmed” (ie: the guidance is up-to-date and relevant for another three years).
• IOE does not believe that ISO 26000 should be “revised/amended” or “withdrawn”. The current guidance is still valid and does not need a wholesale revision. Revising ISO 26000 could trigger calls for it to be certifiable and/or become a management system, to which we oppose. It would also lead to a very costly and time-consuming three-year review process with lots of unnecessary international travel.

Please note that this “systematic review” takes place in the context of the decision of the ISO Technical Management Board (TMB) to create a Task Force to advise the TMB on the proposal of the French standardisation Organisation AFNOR to create an ISO Technical Committee on Social Responsibility. The mandate of this ISO Technical Committee is to revise ISO 26000 and to create ISO standards on the topic of social responsibility. The Task Force will take the results of the systematic review in to account when developing the recommendations to the TMB on how to react to the AFNOR proposal.