For Immediate Release
ASQ Seeks Input on New Social Responsibility Standard
Draft of ISO 26000 Released
Milwaukee, Wis., September 18, 2009 — ASQ (American Society for Quality), the U.S. secretariat of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) that is contributing to the development of an International Standard, ISO 26000: Guidance on Social Responsibility is making the Draft International Standard (DIS) available on its Web site www.asq.org/knowledge-center/standards/index.html.
The DIS was released September 14, 2009, under the governing body International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Geneva, Switzerland, which expects to publish the final ISO 26000 in mid-to-late 2010.
By making the draft available, ASQ is expanding its national SRO (Socially Responsible Organization) movement to both inform and obtain input from businesses and organizations of all sizes and types. ASQ is encouraging businesses and organizations to review the document and provide feedback on the draft standard at standards@asq.org by the public comment due date of December 14, 2009. ASQ will share the public comments with the U.S. TAG for consideration, as its subject matter experts help finalize ISO 26000.
As secretariat to the U.S. TAG on SR, ASQ is leading the U.S. effort and collaborating with experts from more than 90 countries to develop the future International Standard as a guidance document for every kind of private, public and nonprofit organization.
ASQ’s other efforts include establishing an International Social Responsibility Think Tank that will bring together some of the world’s leading experts later this year, and sponsoring a national conference in Milwaukee to celebrate the release of the final ISO 26000 Guidance in late 2010. For the latest information, visit http://thesro.org/.
"ASQ is committed to its role in working with a wide range of businesses and organizations to develop this guidance through a rigorous process so it will be a credible resource," said Paul Borawski, ASQ executive director and chief strategic officer. "We are using our status as an international source of quality expertise to help every sector—including healthcare, education, manufacturing, governments and nonprofits—understand the ISO guidelines, the busiess case for social responsibility and the role of quality to achieve results."
ISO 26000 is an examination of seven topics core to social responsibility, including organizational governance, human rights, labor practices, the environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues and community involvement and development. The guidelines can be integrated into organizational strategies, systems, practices and processes.
According to Borawski, the new draft is extremely timely as companies and organizations are demonstrating how social responsibility has evolved into a business quality and improvement strategy and competitive advantage. According to a February 2009 McKinsey report:
- 45% of investment professionals believe global economic turmoil has increased the importance of governance programs.
- 66% of chief financial officers agree that environmental, social and governance programs create value for shareholders in typical times.
- 66% of executives believe shareholder value created by environmental and governance programs will increase in the next five years relative to their contributions before the economic crisis. [1]
"Businesses, organizations and government entities that seek to be better positioned for the future need to understand the importance of addressing social responsibility through quality management and improvement tools that help reduce costs, improve efficiency and have a positive impact wherever they operate," says Borawski. "They’re finding tremendous opportunities, including lower utility bills, healthier employees and stronger communities."
Examples of companies and organizations that are linking quality and social responsibility:
- The state of Iowa used a Design for Lean Sigma event to create its Office of Energy Independence, which sets the strategic direction for Iowa's clean energy future by identifying goals to achieve desired results.
- The nonprofit Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin transformed its retail operations through kaizen process improvement techniques and lean thinking.
- Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee, Wis., is improving employee health and reducing its own healthcare costs by offering employee programs and financial incentives that encourage healthy eating, weight management, smoking cessation, stress management, physical activity and medical self-care and measuring the impact through Health Risk Assessments.
ASQ, www.asq.org, has been the world’s leading authority on quality for more than 60 years. With more than 85,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers. ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., ASQ is a founding sponsor of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
[1] McKinsey & Company — "Valuing Corporate Social Responsibility: McKinsey Global Survey Results"
