ISO Central Secretariat
1, rue de Varembé
Case postale 56
CH - 1211 Genève 20
Switzerland
Telephone
Fax
E-mailWeb+ 41 22 749 01 11+ 41 22 733 34 30
central@iso.org
www.iso.org

TO THE ISO MEMBER BODIESSTAND TMB

2004-10-07

New work item proposal - Social responsibility
Dear Sir or Madam,
As you will be aware, over the last two years, ISO's potential involvement in the field of(corporate) social responsibility has been deliberated in an Advisory Group establishedby the Technical Management Board and these deliberations culminated in theinternational conference on social responsibility held in Stockholm in June 2004.
As a result, the Technical Management Board has now prepared a formal proposal thatISO undertake the preparation of an International Standard giving guidance on social
responsibility and that proposal is attached herewith. Member bodies are invited tovote on the proposal and to return their votes to the TMB secretariat by no later than
7 January 2005.
Recognizing that ISO will be entering into a new area of standardization, in which it willneed to engage new groups of stakeholders, the TMB has decided that, the work would
be conducted in a working group directly under the responsibility of the TMB. In thesecircumstances, and recognizing that this will require some adaptation of ISO's normal
working methods, the TMB has also developed a number of supporting documents which
are also attached. The first of these provides an executive summary of how the ISO/IEC
Directives will be applied to this work, while the second document provides more specificguidance on the operational details of the proposed working group. Finally, the TMB has
also developed a series of suggestions for issues to be discussed by the working group at
its first meeting and these are also attached for completeness.
We would in particular draw your attention to the fact that member bodies wishing toparticipate in this work are invited to nominate up to six experts to serve on the working
group, one for each of the stakeholder categories (industry, government, labour,
consumers, NGOs and others). However, the TMB recognizes that this may not always be
possible and has agreed that member bodies should be left some flexibility in their choiceof experts. It is nevertheless strongly recommended to appoint not more than two experts
from the same stakeholder category. Your attention is also drawn to the fact that it is./.

MAS/lz/13630707

2004-10-07
Page 2

requested that short profiles be provided of the nominated experts (describing theirbackground/experience in social responsibility, etc.). Since it is expected that thedevelopment work within the WG will be delegated to a number of task groups, the profiles
will help the WG leadership in ensuring that the expertise in the task groups is appropriate
for carrying out the tasks with which they are charged.
Yours faithfully,

M.A. Smith
TMB Secretariat
Standards Department

Enclosurescc.

Vice-President (technical management)

MAS/lz/13630707

NEW WORK ITEM PROPOSAL
Date of presentation

Reference

number2004-10-01
Proposer

ISO/TMB

ISO/TMBN 26000

Secretariat

ISO/CS
Proposal (to be completed by the proposer)
Title of proposal (in the case of an amendment, revision or a new part of an existing document, show the reference number and current title)
English title

Guidance on social responsibility

FrenchLignes directrices pour la responsabilité sociale

title(if available)

Scope of proposed project

Please see Annex A

Concerns known patented items (see ISO/IEC Directives Part 1 for important guidance)
Yes

No

If "Yes", provide full information as annex

Envisaged publication type (indicate one of the following, if possible)
International Standard
Technical Specification
Publicly Available Specification

Technical Report

Purpose and justification (attach a separate page as annex, if necessary)

Please see Annex B

Target date for availability (date by which publication is considered to be necessary)
Development track: 3 years
Relevant documents to be considered

Please see Annex C
Relationship of project to activities of other international bodies

Please see Annex D
Need for coordination with:

Liaison organizations

Please see Annex E

IEC

CEN

Other (please specify)

Preparatory work (at a minimum an outline should be included with the proposal)
A draft is attachedAn outline is attached. It is possible to supply a draft by

The proposer or the proposer's organization is prepared to undertake the preparatory work required

Yes

No

Proposed Project Leader (name and address)

Name and signature of the Proposer(include contact information)

Decision of TMB - SIS (Sweden) and ABNT (Brazil)

Ziva Patir
Vice-President(Technical management)

Comments of the TC or SC Secretariat
Supplementary information relating to the proposal
This proposal relates to a new ISO document;This proposal relates to the amendment/revision of an existing ISO document;This proposal relates to the adoption as an active project of an item currently registered as a Preliminary Work Item;
This proposal relates to the re-establishment of a cancelled project as an active project.
Other:
Voting information
The ballot associated with this proposal comprises a vote on:
Adoption of the proposal as a new project
Adoption of the associated draft as a committee draft (CD) (see ISO Form 5, question 3.3.1)
Adoption of the associated draft for submission for the enquiry vote (DIS or equivalent) (see ISO Form 5, question
3.3.2)
Other:
Annex(es) are included with this proposal (give details)

Date of circulation

Closing date for voting

Signature of the ISO/TMB Secretary

2004-10-07

2005-01-07

M.A. Smith
Senior Adviser, Technical Policy
Standards Department

Guidelines on the completion of a proposal for a new work item(see also the ISO/IEC Directives Part 1)a) Title: Indicate the subject of the proposed new work item.
b) Scope: Give a clear indication of the coverage of the proposed new work item. Indicate, for example, if this is a proposal for a new
document, or a proposed change (amendment/revision). It is often helpful to indicate what is not covered (exclusions).
c) Envisaged publication type: Details of the types of ISO deliverable available are given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and/or the
associated ISO Supplement.
d) Purpose and justification: Give details based on a critical study of the following elements wherever practicable. Wherever possiblereference should be made to information contained in the related TC Business Plan.
1) The specific aims and reason for the standardization activity, with particular emphasis on the aspects of standardization to be covered,
the problems it is expected to solve or the difficulties it is intended to overcome.
2) The main interests that might benefit from or be affected by the activity, such as industry, consumers, trade, governments, distributors.
3) Feasibility of the activity: Are there factors that could hinder the successful establishment or general application of the standard?
4) Timeliness of the standard to be produced: Is the technology reasonably stabilized? If not, how much time is likely to be available
before advances in technology may render the proposed standard outdated? Is the proposed standard required as a basis for the future
development of the technology in question?
5) Urgency of the activity, considering the needs of other fields or organizations. Indicate target date and, when a series of standards is
proposed, suggest priorities.
6) The benefits to be gained by the implementation of the proposed standard; alternatively, the loss or disadvantage(s) if no standard isestablished within a reasonable time. Data such as product volume or value of trade should be included and quantified.
7) If the standardization activity is, or is likely to be, the subject of regulations or to require the harmonization of existing regulations, thisshould be indicated.
If a series of new work items is proposed having a common purpose and justification, a common proposal may be drafted including all
elements to be clarified and enumerating the titles and scopes of each individual item.
e) Relevant documents: List any known relevant documents (such as standards and regulations), regardless of their source. When the
proposer considers that an existing well-established document may be acceptable as a standard (with or without amendment), indicate
this with appropriate justification and attach a copy to the proposal.
f) Cooperation and liaison: List relevant organizations or bodies with which cooperation and liaison should exist.

Annex A
Scope of the proposed project
1. Scope of the standard
The standard should• assist organizations in addressing their social responsibilities while respecting cultural,societal, environmental and legal differences and economic development conditions;• provide practical guidance related to- operationalizing social responsibility,- identifying and engaging with stakeholders, and- enhancing credibility of reports and claims made about social responsibility;
•
•
•
•
•
•

emphasize performance results and improvement;
increase confidence and satisfaction in organizations among their customers and otherstakeholders;be consistent with and not in conflict with existing documents, international treaties andconventions and existing ISO standards;
not be intended to reduce government's authority to address the social responsibility oforganizations;promote common terminology in the social responsibility field; andbroaden awareness of social responsibility.

2. Content of the standard
The contents of the standard should be easy to read and understand by non-specialists and the design
specification should cover the following items (as a minimum):••••Provisional table of contents
Identification of core elements of the standard
Scope of the standard
Preliminary definitions and/or concepts of the standard

Other issues to be considered when developing the design specification- issues raised in the Working Report on Social Responsibility developed by the Advisory Groupon Social Responsibility (AG)∗;- issues raised in the resolution of ISO Technical Management Board (TMB) ∗;- issues raised in the Stockholm conference on SR ∗;- issues raised in existing SR requirement and other related requirement documents- other issues such as∗

See at http://www.iso.org/sra) regional differences (respect for culture and customs, awareness of differences in
economic development conditions),b) performance improvement,c) identification of the critical issues,d) follow-up after the standard is published (establishing outreach system, promoting
diffusion, support tools, web use, etc): This is a social responsibility of ISO.
Supporting tools in the form of additional ISO documents shall only be developed after explicit
approval by the TMB.
3. Application of the standard
The standard should be applicable by all types of organizations. (e.g. regardless of their size, location,
the nature of their activities and products, and the culture, society and environment in which they
carry out their activities.)
4 Type of standard
The document shall be an ISO standard providing guidance and shall not be intended for third-party
certification.
The following wording would be appropriate: “This International Standard provides
guidance to enable an organization to formulate SR systems taking into accountcommunication of stakeholders. It is not intended for certification purpose, or regulatory or
contractual use.”
Throughout the standard, the verb form “should” shall be used.
Only one standard shall be developed.
The document shall not be an interim document (such as IWA or PAS)Annex B
Purpose and Justificationa)

The specific aims and reasons for the standardization activity

Detailed information on conceptual issues related to SR, standardization of SR and ISO’s capacity toaddress this subject was covered extensively in the Working Report on Social Responsibility of the
ISO/TMB Advisory Group on SR. The AG's recommendations provide advice on pre-conditions aswell as the scope of work and type of deliverables. Subsequently a broad range of stakeholders in theJune 2004 ISO Conference on SR expressed a need for a guidance document on SR∗.The proposed standard accordingly seeks to•assist organizations in establishing, implementing, maintaining and improvingsocial responsibility frameworks;•
support organizations in demonstrating their social responsibility throughresponsiveness and the effective engagement of all stakeholders including employees, which
may enhance their confidence and satisfaction;•
facilitate credible communications on the organization’s commitments andperformance related to SR; and•promote and maintain greater transparency and fairness in organizations.
The standard will be a tool for the sustainable development of organizations while respecting varying
conditions related to laws and regulations, customs and culture, physical environment, and economic
development.
b)

The main interests that might benefit from or be affected by the activity
•
•
•
•
•
•

c)

Industry
Government
LabourConsumers
Non-governmental organizations
The general public

Feasibility of the activity

Issues that may affect the feasibility of this activity that require additional consideration by the ISO
Working Group include•
applicability of the ISO Standard to all types and sizes of organizations (varying
from local SMEs to multinational corporations);•
limitation on quantitative assessment of SR issues;•
regional differences relating to legal requirements, customs or cultural differences,
physical environmental conditions and economic development;∗

See at http://www.iso.org/sr•
limiting the proliferation of SR sector standards;•
while the objective is improved performance, the guidance will have to address bothprocess and performance;•
the indication that ISO should address what is non-legal (leaving the legal issues tointer-governmental organizations) may not be helpful.
d)Timeliness of the standards to be developed

Given the market confusion that may be caused by the steadily increasing number of SR initiatives,an ISO International Standard may encourage organizations that know and have good experienceswith the ISO “brand”, to operationalize their SR commitments. This document should be written in amanner flexible enough to support current initiatives, conventions and tools as well as future
developments in this field, and in such a way that it does not stifle creativity within organizations as to
how they address social responsibility.
e)

Urgency of the activity

The need is urgent as expressed by stakeholders present at the June 2004 ISO conference inStockholm. The target date for completion of this International Standard will be determined by the
ISO Working Group , but should be within 3 years (i.e consistent with the normal, "default" standards
development track).
f)

The benefits expected from implementation of the standard

It is expected that the standard will•
facilitate the establishment, implementation, maintenance and improvement ofsocial responsibility frameworks in organizations thus contributing to sustainable
development;•
contribute to increasing the confidence and satisfaction in organizations among all
stakeholders (including employees);•
increase awareness of SR through the creation of a single standard accepted by abroad range of stakeholders;•foster greater awareness and wider observance of agreed sets of universal principles
as expressed in United Nations conventions and declarations including the Global Compact
principles and particularly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The International
Labour Organization's Declarations on Fundamental Principles and Right at Work, The Rio
Declaration on Environment and Development and The United Nations Convention Against
Corruption.
•
facilitate trade liberalization and remove trade barriers (implement open and fairtrade);and•
compliment and avoid conflicts with other existing SR standards and requirements.

Annex C
Relevant documents to be considered (non-exhaustive)
Name of Standard or Initiative

Sponsoring Organization

ISO
14000
Management
System International Standards
Standards
Organization
British Standard 8800 on Occupational British Standards
Health and Safety Management Systems Institution
SIGMA Project on Sustainability -- British Standards
Integrated Guidelines for Management
Institution; Forum for the
Future; AccountAbility
OHSAS
18001
Specifications
andGuidance for Occupational Health and
Safety Management Systems
Draft SII 1000 Standard on Social Standards Institution of
Responsibility
andCommunity Israel
Involvement
Standard
on
Corporate
Social Standards Australia
Responsibility
Draft Standard on Ethical Financial Spanish Standards
Instruments PNE 165001
Organization (AENOR)
Draft Standard on Management System Spanish Standards
on Ethics PNE 165010
Organization (AENOR)
Guidelines
on
Corporate
Responsibility (SD 21000)

Social French Association forStandardization (AFNOR)

Name of Standard or Initiative

Sponsoring Organization

Draft Standard on Fair Trading

French Association forStandardization (AFNOR)

Draft Management System for Social
Responsibility and Integrity

Mexican Association forStandardization (IMNC)

Code of Labor PracticeICFTU

BNQ Certification Protocol NQ 9700-950 Bureau de Normalisation
on Corporate Social Responsibility
du Quebec, Canada
CSR management System

Det Norsle Veritas (DNV)

Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises Organization for Economic
Cooperation andDevelopment
Convention on Combating Bribery ofForeign Public Officials in International
Business Transactions,

Organization for Economic
Cooperation andDevelopment

Name of Standard or Initiative

Sponsoring Organization

Global Compact

United Nations

International Bill of Human Rights

United Nations

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

United Nations

Convention on the Rights of the Child

United Nations

International Covenant on Civil and United Nations
Political Rights
International Covenant on
Cultural and Social Rights

Economic, United Nations

Core Conventions on Labor Standards International Labor(Conventions No. 29, 87, 98, 100, 105, 111, Organization
131, 138, 155, 182)
Conventions No. 107
Indigenous Peoples

and

169

on International Labor
Organization

Declaration on Fundamental Principles International Laborand Rights at Work
Organization
Tripartite Declaration of Principles International Labor
Concerning Multinational Enterprises and Organization
Social Policy
Guidelines on Occupational Safety and International Labor
Health Management Systems
Organization
Business Code of Conduct

Asian-Pacific Economic
Cooperation

Name of Standard or Initiative

Sponsoring Organization

Voluntary Principles on Security and
Human Rights (Extractive and Energy
Industries)

U.K. and U.S. Governments

U.S. Model Business Practices

U.S. Department ofCommerce

Green Paper on Promoting a European
Framework for Corporate Social
Responsibility

European Union

Eco-Management and Audit Scheme(EMAS)

European Union

Ethical Conduct Resolutions

European Union

European Convention on Human Rights

European Union

Eco-Label Scheme

European Union

International Environmental Conventions(Pollution from Ships; Transboundary Air
Pollution; Transboundary Movement ofHazaradous Wastes; Montreal Protocol;
Kyoto Protocol; Biological Diversity;
Desertification; Climate Change)

Name of Standard or Initiative

Sponsoring Organization

National Laws on human rights,
workplace and employee aspects, unfair
business practices, organizational
governance, environmental aspects,
marketplace and consumer aspects,
community aspects, and social
development aspects

Name of Standard or Initiative

Sponsoring Organization

Global Reporting Initiative
Global Reporting Initiative(GRI)Sustainability Reporting Guidelines
Domini 400 Social Responsibility Index
Dow Jones Sustainability Group Indexes SAM Indexes GmbH
Calvert Social Index

The Calvert GroupFTSE4Good Index
Consumer Charter for Global Business

Consumers International

Social Accountability 8000

Social Accountability
International

The Business Principles for Countering
Bribery

Transparency Internationaland Social Accountability
International.

AccountAbility 1000

Institute of Social andEthical AccountAbility

Voluntary Codes: The Regulatory Norms of Schulich School ofa Globalized Economy?
Business,York University

Bench Marks for Measuring Business
Performance

Interfaith Center for
Corporate Responsibility

Q-Res project,

University of Castellanza(Italy)Global Sullivan Principles of Social
Responsibility

Reverend Leon Sullivan

Ethos CSR indicators

Ethos Institute for
Corporate Social
Responsibility
Workers Rights Consortium

Ethics Compliance Management System
Standard 2000

Reitaku University (Japan)
Business Ethics andCompliance ResearchCenter

The CERES Principles

Nordic Partnership

Model code of conduct

Coalition ofEnvironmentally
Responsible Economies(CERES)
Danish division of World
Wide Fund for Nature

Name of Standard or Initiative

Sponsoring Organization

Name of Standard or Initiative

Sponsoring Organization

Fairtrade Labels

Fairtrade Labelling
Organization

Storebrand's programme for CSRStorebrand Investments

EcoValue environmental/sustainability
rating reports

Innovest

Standard for payment facilitating

Trace

Oekom-Quality standard

Oekom
Five Winds International

Charter Agreement on Labor Practices

Fair Labor Association

The Base Code

Ethical Trading Initiative

Sunshine Standards for Corporate
Reporting to Stakeholders

The Stakeholder Alliance

Human Rights Guidelines for Companies Amnesty International

Sustainability and CSR

Designing a CSR Structure

Business For Social
Responsibility

Human rights from the perspective of
business and industry - a checklist

Confederation of NorwegianBusiness and Industry

Business Conduct Management System
Standard

Future500
U.S. Ethics Officer
Association

Corporate actors in Zones of Conflict responsible engagement

Confederation of NorwegianBusiness and Industry

Principles for Business

CAUX Roundtable

The Worldwide Responsible Apparel
Production (WRAP) program

The Worldwide Responsible
Apparel Production

Business Charter for Sustainable
Development

International Chamber ofCommerce

Standard - Investors in People.

Investors in people.

GoodCorporation,

GoodCorporation, ltd

Code of Labour Practices for the Apparel
Industry Including Sportswear

Clean Clothes Campaign

Sustainability Tool
Global Sustainability Models

GEMI

Business in Society; Making a Positive and International Chamber ofReponsible Contribution
Commerce
Sustainable Forestry Principles andForest Stewardship Council
Criteria
International Code of Ethics for Canadian Insert names of companies;
Businesses
Canadian Minister of
Foreign AffairsName of Standard or Initiative

Sponsoring Organization

Keidanren Charter for Good Corporate Japan Business Federation
Behavior
AmericanApparelAssociation CodeManufacturers American Apparel
Manufacturers Association

Exploring Pathways to a Sustainable Global Environmental
Enterprise:
Sustainable Development Management Initiative
Planner
The
ValuesManagement
System Centre for Business Ethics
Principles
andConstituentsforSustainability Management
Winning with Integrity - A Guide to Social Business in the Community,
Responsibility
U.K.
Model Code of Conduct
StandardsofCorporate
Responsibility
Standard for Sustainable Fishing

World Federation ofSporting Goods Industry
Social Social Venture Network

Marine StewardshipCouncil
Responsible Care
American ChemistryCouncil
Rules of Conduct to Combat Extortion and International Chamber ofBribery
Commerce

Annex D
Relationship of project to activities of other international bodies
As a result of the report and recommendations of the ISO/TMB Advisory Group on Social
Responsibility and the general consensus of the 21 & 22 June 2004 ISO Conference on
Social Responsibility, the ISO/TMB adopted Resolution 35/2004∗, which stated in part that
the ISO/TMB:
•
•

•
•

recognizes the role of governments and inter-governmental organizations to setsocial obligations or expectations,recognizes the instruments adopted by global inter-governmental organizations(such as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
international labor conventions and other instruments adopted by ILO andrelevant UN conventions), but also that there is scope for private voluntary
initiatives in the field of SR,
concurs that the scope of any ISO activity on social responsibility needs to be
narrowed so as to avoid addressing issues that can only be resolved throughpolitical processes,
recognizes that, due to the complexity and fast-evolving nature of the subject, it
is not feasible to harmonize substantive social responsibility commitments,

Therefore, it is necessary to consider the activities of other bodies that have developed or aredeveloping SR standards, norms, guidelines and tools. United Nations (Global Compact)and other inter-governmental organizations, e.g ILO, OECD, UNHCR and UNEP, would
need to be included in the process, in view of the fact that they already have or aredeveloping international standards. With respect to the wide range of existing
nongovernmental international SR initiatives such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI),
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Fair Labor Association (FLA), these may alsoneed to be considered as their standards could be affected by the introduction of an ISO
deliverable. Some of these initiatives might also have expertise of use to ISO. In the end, an
ISO SR deliverable should be compatible with and/or complementary to these otherinitiatives and preferably add value.

∗

See at http://www.iso.org/sr

Annex E
Potential liaison organizations
Category
Industry

LabourGovernment

Consumer
NGOs

OthersInternational Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC)
International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA)International Council on Mining and Metals
International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN)
International Organisation of Employers (IOE)
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)World Economic Forum
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC)
European Commission
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
UNCSD
UNCTAD
UNDP
UNEP
UN Global Compact
UNHCR
UNIDO
World Bank
WTO
Consumer International
African Institute of Corporate CitizenshipAmnesty International,
Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility
Human Rights Watch
International Institute for Environmental and Development (IIED)International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling(ISEAL) Alliance
IUCN- The world Conservation Union
WWF International
Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
Caux Round Table
Global Environmental
Management Initiative (GEMI)
Global Reporting Initiative
Institute of Social and Ethical Accountability
Social Accountability International (SAI)

Note - This listing should not be regarded as complete and comprehensive and may be added toas appropriate.

ISO/TMB

Operating procedures of the SR working group – Executive summary
Taking into account the report and recommendations of the TMB's Advisory Group on
Social responsibility, which were echoed during the international conference on Social
responsibility (SR) held in Stockholm in June 2004, the Technical Management Board(TMB) decided that this work would be best conducted in a working group directly under
the responsibility of the TMB. This mechanism was considered to be the most appropriate
method of ensuring that all stakeholders can participate as individual experts on an equalbasis in the working group, whilst it was also recognized that the generally desired
outcome was for an International Standard providing guidance on SR. This implies thatthe normal ISO approval processes for International Standards will be applied. The
purpose of this executive summary is to explain some provisions of the general operatingprocedures for the working group and for the development process of the proposed
International Standard.
At its meeting in Geneva in September 2004, the TMB, which had issued a call to all ISO
member bodies to make offers for twinned (developed country-developing country)
leadership of the working group, assigned this responsibility to the ISO member bodies for
Brazil (ABNT) and Sweden (SIS). At that same meeting, it finalized the documentation to
be issued to the ISO member bodies (principally a formal proposal for new work as well as
the attached supporting documentation concerning the organization of the work).
Consistent with the normal ISO procedure for approval of new work, the new work item
proposal will be issued to all ISO member bodies for voting during a period of threemonths and the normal acceptance criteria for new work (approval by a majority of themembers voting and a commitment by at least five members to participate actively in thework) will be applied. Simultaneously, in order to strive towards a balance of stakeholders,member bodies will be encouraged to the extent possible to nominate up to six experts,
one for each of six defined stakeholder categories. Member bodies nominating experts
will be recorded as P-members for the purpose of voting at later stages of the process.
Also simultaneously, invitations will be issued to a number of international organizations tonominate up to two experts to serve on the working group. Such organizations will beconsidered to be in D-liaison with the working group, as defined in the ISO/IEC Directives..
Other interested international or broadly-based regional organizations may apply at any
time for a D-liaison and these will be considered case by case by the TMB, again in
accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives. The TMB's overall aim will be to ensure an
appropriate balance of stakeholder representation within the working group.
It will be the responsibility of ABNT-SIS to organize and convene the first meeting of theworking group. In accordance with the normal ISO working methods, the working groupwill be charged with developing a draft standard that represents a consensus of the viewsof the experts participating in the working group.
At the same time, it is expected that the member bodies which nominate experts will alsoestablish national mirror committees and that these mirror committees will establish
national positions on the successive drafts developed by the working group.

ISO/TMB
Page 2The ultimate aim, obviously, is that the consensus reached in the working group isvalidated through the member body votes on the draft International Standard (DIS).
Therefore, while the participants in the working group will contribute as individual experts,
and will not be expected to represent the national consensus position, they will
nevertheless need to bear in mind national positions on issues that emerge in the working
group.
In particular, at an appropriate moment, the working group may wish to validate its
emerging consensus against the national consensus positions by requesting that a draft
be issued as a committee draft (CD). In such a case, the P-members mentioned above
will be invited to vote and comment on the CD and the D-liaison organizations will be
invited simultaneously to submit their own comments.
It will be for the leadership of the working group to judge when consensus has beenreached and whether there is a strong likelihood that voting on a DIS would be successful.
At that stage, the final draft will be submitted to the Central Secretariat for issue as a DIS.
The usual voting period and acceptance criteria as specified in the ISO/IEC Directives will
apply.
Although approval is determined by ISO member body votes, it is also expected that theprovision in the Directives to seek full and formal backing of liaison organizations on DIS,
be explicitly implemented in this particular case.
Assuming that the outcome of the DIS ballot is positive, the leadership of the working
group will need to decide on how best to address any comments received, according totheir number and nature, but it is likely that these would need to be reviewed in theworking group itself. The intent at this stage is to establish the text of the final draft
International Standard (FDIS) and a report of voting indicating all comments received andthe actions taken on them (and in particular the justifications for rejection of any
comments).
If unanimous approval of the DIS is obtained, the document may proceed directly to
publication. Otherwise, as is usual, the FDIS will be issued for voting, together with thereport of voting on the DIS, in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, again seeking thefull and formal backing of liaison organizations, and with the usual acceptance criteria
applying. If approved, the FDIS, subject to any editorial corrections, will be published asan International Standard. The planned overall development timeframe is in accordancewith ISO's 36-month standards development track.

Operational details of the Working Group on Social responsibility*
1 Management of the working group

1.1 General
The Working Group on Social Responsibility (WG) should be managed effectively and efficiently.
The WG may request the Technical Management Board (ISO/TMB) for special amendments,
exceptions or exemptions from the ISO/IEC Directives where there is a WG consensus that such an
exception/exemption is warranted. Each request shall be accompanied by the rationale.
1.2 Project management
The WG will adopt project management methods. The WG Secretary in consultation with the
Chair will be responsible for the management of all aspects of the project, including the monitoringof progress against agreed target dates.
1.3 Funding
The WG should appoint a Vice-Chair in charge of establishing a funding mechanism inconsultation with ISO/CS and with the involvement of other appropriate organizations in order toencourage developing countries and other underfunded interests to participate.
1.4 Twinning arrangements
The work should be conducted under twinned leadership both at WG level, and where appropriate
at subgroup level. Twinning arrangements may include funding support for the developing country
partner as well as assistance in carrying out leadership roles within the WG and its subgroups.
1.5 Meetings
The WG will determine the schedule of its meetings and those of its subgroups. The schedules of
WG and subgroup meetings shall be coordinated taking into account the resource burdens on all
members (and especially those from developing countries) of attending meetings. The names andaffiliations (but not contact details) of all experts attending WG or subgroup meetings shall be
documented and be publicly available.
1.6 Open and transparent communications
The WG should set up a system to ensure the openness and transparency of the WG's activities topeople inside and outside of ISO. All WG documentation shall be available to the WG
membership (including ISO member bodies having nominated experts ). The WG may also
determine which of its documents to make public and the time at which they should be madeavailable. From the DIS stage, the draft standard will be subject to the usual ISO copyright.
________________________*Agreed by the TMB on 13-14 September 2004.

Page 2

The WG secretary shall be responsible for the maintenance of a WG website. The WG may
determine the types of documentation to be posted to it and the creation of a discussion forum on
the WG website to allow the general public to submit comments, using the ISO commenting
template, on the document developed by the WG. Such comments should be submitted to therelevant ISO member body or D-liaison organization. The website is also to be used fordisseminating best practices in the field of SR.
The WG secretary may delegate the administrative task for maintaining the website to anotherappropriate party, as part of the project management responsibilities. The WG secretary is
ultimately responsible for ensuring that the site is properly maintained and where necessary
improved.
1.7 Reporting to TMB
The WG shall regularly report on its activities to the TMB.
2 WG participation and membership
2.1 General
The WG is made up of experts nominated by ISO member bodies that wish to actively participate,by internal ISO/IEC committee liaisons, and external liaisons (international and broadly-based
regional organizations). ISO member bodies will be considered to be P-members for subsequentvoting purposes.
Each expert appointed by an ISO member body or an external liaison organization acts in apersonal capacity consistent with his or her stakeholder category and not necessarily as the official
representative of the body that appointed him or her. However, it is recommended that experts
keep close contact with their appointing body in order to inform them about the progress of thework and of various opinions in the working group at the earliest possible stage. Profiles of experts
indicating their knowledge and experience related to SR shall be submitted to the WG secretary
when they are nominated. These profiles will be used in particular to ensure appropriate knowledge
and experience is available to any task groups that are formed.
2.2 ISO member bodies
ISO member bodies may nominate a maximum of 6 experts to serve on the WG. It is desirable thata balanced representation of industry, government, consumer, labour, non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) and other interests should be ensured.
ISO member bodies nominating experts should establish a well-balanced national mirror committee
comprising a balance of all national interests and stakeholder categories.
2.3 Internal liaisons
The WG should identify internal (ISO Committee) liaisons and invite them to participate in the
WG's activities.
A maximum of 2 representatives of internal liaisons may participate on the behalf of theircommittees and should not participate in an individual or personal capacity.

Page 3

2.4 External liaisons (D-liaisons)Category D liaison is open to any relevant international or broadly-based regional organization thatwishes to participate in this work. Each candidate for category D liaison will provide a profile ofthe organization, its purpose, its activities, necessity of its participation in ISO’s SR standard
development work, and its intended contribution to such work. Requests for category D liaisonshould be submitted to the TMB Secretary.
Each organization once approved as D-liaison may nominate a maximum of 2 representatives toserve on the WG.

2.5 Observers and the media
An ISO member body that wishes to follow the work as an observer will be able to receive theworking documents and to have the right to submit comments and attend meetings.
The WG should follow the ISO media policy provided in ISO/IEC Directive Part1 Annex SO, 9.
“…When members of the press express interest in a particular ISO meeting, appropriatearrangements should be made to hold press conferences and briefings outside the meeting
sessions…”
2.6 ISO staff and ISO/TMB engagement
A TMB member will be free to attend meetings of the WG and any subgroups created by the WG
as an observer. ISO Central Secretariat shall assign a member of ISO staff to serve as theTechnical Programme Manager (TPM) for the WG. This TPM shall be responsible for monitoring
and facilitating the work of the WG, providing guidance on the ISO/IEC Directives as necessary.
3 Proposed Schedule
The WG should set a target date, within 3 years from the approval of NWIP, for publication of theInternational Standard, and the milestones for all stages of development.

TMB suggestions for consideration by the WG
1 Characteristics of the standard-Simplicity (easy to read, easy to understand by non-specialists)
written in plain language that is understandable and usable by those who are not specialists
in standardization and/or SR.
-Identification of core elements of SR
Identification of core elements which are the main issues to be considered by anorganization in order to implement SR
Common understanding of SR (descriptions, definitions, terminology)
Identification of the terminology to be defined in the standard
Communication process and methods for performance improvement
Identification of indicators for performance improvement-Relationship with existing SR documents
Aim at consistency or compatibility with existing SR requirements and other requirements
such as environmental and quality requirements, and avoidance of duplication of standards
2 Structure of the WG
The discussions in the working group will probably identify many elements or sections that willneed to be included in the International Standard. In order to effectively manage the standard’s
development therefore, it is recommended that the WG take a modular approach using subgroups todraft text for different elements or sections and then integrate them into one document through an
editing committee.
1) Chair’s Coordination group (Advisory group)
A group having advisory functions may be established to assist the chair and the secretary in tasks
concerning coordination, planning and steering of the WG’s work or other specific tasks of anadvisory nature.
2) Editing committee
It is recommended that WG establishes an editing committee for the purpose of reviewing andediting the documents including committee drafts (CD), enquiry drafts (DIS) and final draft
International Standards (FDIS) and for ensuring their conformity to Part 2 of the ISO/IEC
Directives.
3) Task Groups (Ad-hoc groups)
Task Groups may be established under the WG in order to improve the efficiency of the work to be
done. Each Task Group should manage its own meetings. The composition of any Task Group shallbe determined by the WG.
A Task Group leader who is to be appointed by the WG chair may assign a secretary to provide
secretariat support.
Each Task Group may adopt twinning arrangements.

Page 2

All groups should be established with balanced representation of stakeholder groups, as well as ofdeveloping and developed countries, as appropriate.
4) Other groups
The WG should appoint a vice-chair to be responsible for funding and stakeholder engagement
issues.
In addition, a virtual review group could be established of senior leadership people in corporations
and international organizations who would provide, for the benefit of the WG’s information andconsideration, perspectives on higher-level or macro trends and strategic directions for SR.
3 Funding
The TMB suggests the following voluntary funding system:-Allotments of contributions to developing countries from international organizations like theWorld Bank, UNDP, UNIDO and other donor organizations.
-Encouragement of ISO member bodies to seek autonomous funds provision from national
governments and other organizations.
-ISO member bodies are invited to consider funding experts having limited resources from theirown resources.
-Sponsor logo formulas (with logos on meeting pamphlets and signs) will be permitted.
4 Issues to be discussed and be decided at the first meeting of the WG on SR
Although it is the responsibility of Chair and Secretary to consider the issues to be discussed ateach stage, the WG is to be requested to discuss and decide the following items at the first meetingof WG (by the first quarter of 2005).
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

a design specification (an overview of the proposed contents of the standard)
Terms of reference of the WG
the target date for publication of the International Standard with an associated project plan
the structure of the WG (e.g. establishment of Task Groups )the allocation of work to any Task Groups
the working procedures to be used over and above those covered in the ISO/IEC
Directives
how the content will meet the AG recommendations and prerequisites as well as TMB
resolution 35/2004
how to deal with public interest, for example through the website (while respecting ISO
copyright)

Also, it is recommended to•give information to the WG members on their roles and responsibilities, and•give basic information about ISO (its principles and consensus-based working methods).