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The ISO 26000 standard was discussed for eight years by 400 experts from
over 90 countries. The Brazilian delegation had Petrobras as the
representative of the domestic industry. The final document outlines the
society's expectations regarding corporate performance on issues such as
human rights, labor, environment, governance, and other issues of social
responsibility.
To Ana Paula Grether, this standard is very important because it provides
guidance all organizations insofar as socially responsible operations are
concerned. "The ISO 26000 is a milestone and, perhaps in the future, it
will become a social compact between the society and businesses.
Moreover, because it was drawn up by several hands, it represents what
society expects of us on the social responsibility issue," said the
coordinator for the Petrobras Sustainability Report and industry
representative on the Brazilian delegation to ISO 26000.
The standard is considered innovative because it is the first ISO standard
built by a working group chaired jointly by a developed nation, Sweden,
and a developing one, Brazil. Furthermore, this was the first time ISO
used a participatory system consisting of six stakeholders (industry;
government; worker; consumer; NGO; and academic, research and consultancy
representatives). It is noteworthy that the standard is voluntary and is
to be used as a guide, not implying in certification or external
verification by third parties.
Petrobras, in partnership with the ABNT, supported the Brazilian
delegation in preparing the standard. In four years, 14 seminars were held
in Brazil, which brought together over a thousand participants, to discuss
the themes covered by the standard. "These events show the role Brazil
plays in the disseminating the standard's participatory construction. No
other country involved in discussing the standard promoted such a major
internal debate over its construction," explains Ana Paula Grether.
The partnership between Petrobras and the ABNT will continue after the
launch of the standard. From 2011, more seminars will be held in all
Brazilian regions (Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Salvador,
Manaus, and Porto Alegre) to disseminate the application of ISO 26000. The
standard, which will cost R$ 180.60 to buy in Brazil, will be distributed
free of charge in the seminars.
Ana Paula also highlights the pioneering role Brazil played in the social
responsibility process. "The Brazilian delegation had great participation
in the ISO 26000 development process, bringing the contribution of
different stakeholders to the international working group: industry,
government, workers, consumers, and civil society organizations. The focus
now is on encouraging the implementation of the standard in the country,"
said Ana Paula.
In addition, Petrobras is the first Brazilian company to commit to
adopting the ISO 26000. "We monitored the entire process involved in
building the standard. So we have taken this knowledge to the company and,
based on it, we have created requirements for excellence in social
responsibility, with specific lines of action," emphasizes Petrobras'
representative.
Petrobras prepared 80 requisites for excellence in Social Responsibility,
following the ten principles of the Global Compact and also based on the
content of the standard and other indicators of international
significance, such as the Global Reporting Initiative and the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index survey.
Petrobras' internal actions with regard to implementing the ISO 26000
guidelines include formatting a specific course on the issues covered by
the standard for its employees at Petrobras University and providing
training in social responsibility to suppliers in partnership with SEBRAE.
The first initiative is related to the issue of human development and
empowerment in the workplace and to the integration of social
responsibility throughout the organization, matters the standard deals
with. And the second one is aligned to the Sphere of Influence concept,
which is also laid down in the standard. ISO 26000 lists the themes of
social responsibility that must be considered within the sphere of
influence and in the organization's value chain, including, for example,
its suppliers, business partners, distributors, and customers. |
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Among other topics, the ISO 26000 standard defined the concept of social
responsibility: "An organization's responsibility for the impacts of its
decisions and activities on society and the environment, through
transparent, ethical behavior which contributes to sustainable
development, including the health and well-being of society; takes into
account the expectations of stakeholders; complies with laws in force and
is compatible with international standards of behavior; and is integrated
throughout the organization and implemented in its relations. "91-120-4224-700
The standard's core themes are:
Organizational governance - This deals with decision-making,
empowerment, and control processes and structures. The theme is both
something on which the organization should act and a way to incorporate
the principles of social responsibility into how its daily operations
are carried out.
Human rights - This includes the verification of obligations and
situations of risk; conflict resolution; civil, political, economic,
social, and cultural rights; fundamental rights at work; avoiding
complicity and discrimination; considering vulnerable groups.
Labor practices - This involves both direct employment and
outsourced jobs and self-employment. It includes employment and labor
relations; working conditions and social protection; social dialogue;
occupational health and safety; human development of workers.
Environment - This includes preventing pollution; sustainable
resource use; fighting and adapting to climate change; natural
environment protection and restoration; and the principles of
precaution, life cycle, and environmental responsibility.
Fair operating practices – This includes fighting corruption;
responsible political involvement; fair competition and trade; driving
social responsibility in the organization's sphere of influence; and
respect for property rights.
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