Nearly 300 delegates attended the first meeting of the new International Organization for Standardization (ISO) working group that will develop ISO 26000, the planned standard on social responsibility (SR). By the end of the meeting, the working group had formulated 32 resolutions, mainly regarding the scope of the standard, which will include guidelines on product manufacturing, fair pay rates, and appropriate employee treatment and hiring practices.

Unlike SA8000, which was released by Social Accountability International in 2000 and specifically addresses employee working conditions, ISO 26000 will be advisory in nature. It’s not a management system and will not be used for certification purposes.

ISO opted to develop the standard in response to its members’ strong interest in the issue. Interest was particularly high among developing nations. Of the 37 member countries that voted to form a committee to develop the standard, 32 asked to be part of the process.

 …