IQNET SR 10

The publication of the ISO 26000 International Standard Guidance on Social Responsibility has a definite impact on the society and, in particular, in the way in which organisations relate to their stakeholders. ISO 26000 is a valuable guide that details the basic principles on which all organisations’ social responsibility must be grounded.

However, this standard does not contain provisions for determining the minimum requirements for the practical implementation of the social responsibility principles and cannot be certified by organisations that are willing to demonstrate compliance with such principles. Organisations need models to support them integrating the recommendations, guidelines and principles of ISO 26000 in their daily business.

SR 10 is an international specification, developed by IQNET Association and its Members, and initially supported by the RS 10 specification issued by AENOR, Spain. It is aimed to integrate social responsibility management into organisations’ business strategy and to communicate the achievements obtained through certification. 

On 30 October 2024, IQNET published the 3rd edition of the International Specification SR 10 Social Responsibility Management Systems Requirements.

The revision achieved the following objectives:

•   checking for alignment with ISO Guide 82 (Guidelines for addressing sustainability

    in standards)

•  identifying the correspondence and contribution to United Nations’ Sustainable Development

   Goals (UN SDGs)

•  reinforcing SR 10 positioning, as a path for sustainable development including requirements

   related to new concerns, threats and opportunities. 

More details on the revision outcomes and the transition expectations can be found here.

The specification is aimed to assist any organisation in meeting its expectations, large ones and SMEs, public and private, and from all sectors; both for companies that are starting to implement their corporate social responsibility strategy, and for those who are already there and now need to integrate the actions they have been working on into their daily operations. It is an added-value solution for organisations that wish to move forward from generating employment and wealth to also developing sustainably, from customer-focused to focus on their stakeholders, and from merely drafting and executing social responsibility plans that stand alone from the rest of their business policies and strategies towards integrating social responsibility into their global strategy.

In addition to those mentioned above, other characteristics that contribute to the success of SR 10 are:

SR 10 considers the principles and core subjects of the international standard ISO 26000 Guidance on social responsibility, is aligned with relevant UN and ILO Conventions and addresses the UN SDGs. While principles and guidance are largely available, SR 10 provides a practical pathway on how to implement them and what actions to take to ensure continual improvement in their overall performance, culture, operations, and processes.
 
SR 10 addresses the core subjects covered by harmonized and/or national legislations such as CSR, modern slavery, supply chain due diligence and transparency and facilitates the development of a system to ensure continual compliance with such requirements.
 
SR 10 condenses the sustainability principles and recommendations into a verifiable format, based on the harmonized structure and the PDCA cycle of continual improvement. It is easily integrated with (and compatible to) other management system standards (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, PAS 24000).
 
SR 10 management system implementation facilitates the identification, collection and disclosure of ESG, social responsibility and/or sustainability related information.
 
SR 10 integrates all organization’s stakeholders. Without being limited to employees or supplier chain, SR 10 includes requirements to satisfy owners and shareholders, employees, customers, users and consumers, product suppliers, service providers and partners, governments, public authorities and regulatory bodies, community, society and social organizations, environment, and competitors.

* Note: Although ISO 26000 was used as a basis for the establishment of this specification, its implementation and certification cannot be used by an organisation to claim conformity to ISO 26000.

By implementing an SR 10 Social Responsibility Management System, your organisation will be positioned as socially responsible, standing out from the competition and positively strengthening your image with all stakeholders.

Leadership and Business Management Benefits

•  Positions the organisation as socially responsible

•  Assists in effectively embedding ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance Factors)

    in own activities

•  Supports own organizational contribution to the UN SDG (Sustainable Development Goals)

•   Improves communication and understanding of expectations and needs of all stakeholders

•   Promotes a more balanced decision-making process that involves all stakeholders

•   Allows integration with management systems based on other standards (ISO 9001,

    ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 37001, SA8000, PAS 24000 etc.) and excellence models (EFQM,

    etc.)

•   Improves the organisation’s risk management practices

•   Increases employees’ loyalty, involvement, participation and morale

•   Improves workers’ health and safety

•   Has a positive impact on the capacity to hire, motivate and retain employees

•   Generates innovation.

Social and Environmental Benefits

•   Reduces negative impacts on society and the environment

•   Favors the promotion and start-up of SR initiatives and programs

•   Stimulates the implementation of actions and initiatives that represent a positive impact

    on ecosystems and biodiversity.

Financial and Commercial Benefits

•  Improves competitiveness and contributes to accessing funding and relations with investors

    and partners

•  Supports an organisation to positively differentiate from the competition

•  Strengthens the organisation’s image with clients, consumers, shareholders,

    investors, community

•  Increases savings associated with increased productivity and resource efficiency,

   decreased energy and water consumption, reduced wastes and the recovery

   of valuable by-products

•  Prevents or reduces potential conflicts with consumers on products and services.