Corporate Responsibility
BERR leads the Government's interest in Corporate Responsibility, also referred to as Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate Responsibility can be defined as how companies address the social, environmental and economic impacts of their operations and so help to meet our sustainable development goals.
The Government has a role in setting standards in areas such as environmental protection, health and safety and employment rights. it can also provide a policy and institutional framework that stimulates companies to raise their performance beyond minimum.
The UK Government approach is to encourage and incentivise the adoption of Corporat3e Responsibility, through best practice guidance, and where appropriate, regulation and fiscal incentives.
ISO 26000 - Social Responsibility
ISO 26000, from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), covers voluntary guidance on social responsibility. It is intended to be a worldwide standard and is aimed at both public and private organisations. It will inform participating organisations how to operate in a socially responsible way, and will be a distillation of international experience of what social responsibility means in practice.
The standard is being developed to be consistent with other relevant declarations and conventions from the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The standard will cover terms and definitions; social responsibility principles; core guidance on social responsibility; and guidance on implementation. The standard has been in development since 2003/4 and is expected to be published by Autumn 2010.
Further information on ISO 26000 can be found at www.iso.org/sr