ISO 26000, a universal springboard for achieving the SDGs
By following ISO 26000, you are effectively aligning yourself with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are now four years old.
CSR and sustainability
As a sustainable development manager or CSR officer in a company, are you looking to capitalize on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will be four years old on September 24, 2019? Lean on ISO 26000: this international standard covers all 17 SDGs, 100%!
Today, the SDGs are four years old! The SDGs are the Sustainable Development Goals, a series of 17 action programs developed under the auspices of the UN, with a target date of 2030. On September 24, 2019, they are being celebrated with great fanfare in New York! Broken down into 169 targets, they address social and societal issues (gender equality, combating discrimination) as well as environmental (energy, climate, biodiversity) and economic (innovation, decent work, etc.) issues. They are an extension of two international initiatives: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, 2000) and the Earth Summits (Rio in 1992, Johannesburg in 2002, Rio + 20 in 2012).
But are they more than just grand declarations? Yes: since their adoption in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals have come a long way. They are no longer the preserve of UN elites and have become deeply embedded in the economic fabric. Many companies and organizations are using them to build their social responsibility policies. Not all are progressing at the same pace on each of the goals, but this dynamic has the merit of bringing stakeholders together around a common understanding of the issues, around a common language that is understandable on every continent, in multinationals as well as in SMEs.
SDGs and ISO 26000: same fight
In this respect, the SDGs are in line with the spirit of voluntary standards. This is particularly true of those adopted by the 164 members of ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, in which AFNOR represents France. ISO has also listed all applicable voluntary standards to make progress on each of the 17 SDGs, for example some 336 standards on "good health and well-being" (SDG No. 3). AFNOR has them available for you in its collection. . But it is undoubtedly the ISO 26000 which will be most helpful in your SDG anchoring strategy: this voluntary standard from 2010 provides guidelines for implementing a sustainable development policy in seven "core questions," in a spirit of continuous improvement.
You will not be able to obtain certification under this standard. However, if you want to demonstrate your commitment with an objective sign, the CSR Committed label is the ideal tool: it is based on a reference system that mirrors the structure of ISO 26000. "Soon, certified companies will be able to press a button and immediately see the progress of their contribution to the SDGs!" says Mélodie Merenda, CSR advisor at AFNOR Certification. By using ISO 26000, you are a bit like Monsieur Jourdain: you are contributing to the SDGs without even knowing it! Do you have a recognition mark based on ISO 26000, such as Engagé RSE, a trademark of AFNOR Certification? Kill two birds with one stone: let people know that you are meeting the SDGs!
Does this seem abstract, and above all, quite distant from your sector of activity? You should know that there are now various guides adapting ISO 26000 to specific professional sectors, such as viticulture and winemaking. As the tool is relevant to both CAC 40 companies and local players, the AFNOR group is continuing its awareness-raising mission throughout France via its regional delegations. Next meeting: October 25, 2019, in Nantes.
