CD3 of ISO 26000

1
CD3 of ISO 26000

• Maureen Breitenberg
• NIST
• 9/27/07

2
Status

• The third working draft (WD3) of the standard has
  been issued.
• Many significant issues have been identified by
  all stakeholder groups.
• Positions will continue to be formulated by
  stakeholder groups until standard reaches CD
  level, then normal development.
• U.S. stakeholder groups (except government and
  labor) met at the U.S. met before or after U.S.
  TAG Meeting held on August 7th.
• I sat in on the industry groups discussion.
  They have a paperon issues and I gave them a copy
  of the major govt issues.
• The U.S. delegation (composed of representatives
  of stakeholder groups) will meet within their
  stakeholder groups in Vienna, Austria on 5th
  9th November  2007.
• U.S. government rep. will be Mary McKiel (EPA).
  We will only fill one of our two slots.
• First time USG will have any direct input into
  wording/requirements will be in Vienna when EPA
  attends.
• Outcome of Vienna meeting may be a WD4 or a CD.
• U.S. TAG wants a WD4. If it becomes a CD changes
  will be harder to make.

3
NISTs Role

• NISTs role is limited to monitoring the
  standards development for purposes of responding
  to inquiries and encouraging participation by USG
  stakeholders in the standard.
• Standard not relevant to NISTs metrology-
  related mission.
• NIST has therefore not taken a leadership role
  nor will it participate at the international
  level.

4
Current USG TAG Members

• Maureen Breitenberg, NIST (national participation
  only)
• Marcus Hambrick, USDA (national participation
  only)
• Aston Hinds, Port of Houston Authority (Has not
  attended a TAG meeting to date)
• New Member Mary McKiel, EPA (international and
  national participation)

5
General Concerns with CD3

• Too long close to 100 pages. Length of sections
  not consistent.
• Too much duplication.
• Many inconsistencies.
• Help boxes not always relevant, helpful, or
  consistent in the type of information they
  provide.
• Part of the problem is that different sections of
  the standard are being written by different
  groups each pushing their own agendas.
• Good definitions currently lacking for many terms.

6
Concern with Introduction

• Really needs statement such as
• Statements regarding conformity
• ISO 26000 is designed to be used solely as a
  guidance document. Any statements claiming or
  implying conformity to this International
  Standard are inconsistent with the purpose of
  this document International Standard and shall
  therefore be avoided.
• NOTE Statements claiming or implying conformity
  to this International Standard are thus
  inappropriate in any promotional and
  communication material such as press releases,
  advertisements, marketing brochures, videos,
  staff announcements, logos, slogans and catch
  lines for diverse media ranging from print and
  broadcasting, to Internet and multi-media
  applications, to product labels, signs, and
  banners.
• Similar statement now appear in FDIS of ISO 10001
  and 10003 Precedence.
• Major concern continues that this guidance
  standard will be used in certification schemes.

7
Some Concerns with Principles

• Principle of respect for internationally
  recognized instruments
• Currently requires compliance with intl law no
  such thing. Doesnt become law till country
  adopts it as such.
• Suggested revision
• 5.2 Principle of Respect for Internationally
  Recognized Instruments
• An organization shall observe all domestic laws
  that implement its governments obligations under
  international treaties, directives, declarations,
  conventions, resolutions and guidelines. Where
  domestic laws are silent about an issue, an
  organization may also wish to consider other
  applicable international treaties, directives,
  declarations, conventions, resolutions and
  guidelines when developing policies and
  practices.

8
Sustainable Development

• Sustainable development is an important issue
  that should be factored into decision-making
  along with other societal welfare-related issues.
• Suggested revision
• 5.6 Principle of Consideration of Societal
  Welfare
• An organization shall consider the impact of its
  actions on the short term and long term welfare
  of society and take actions that are in the best
  interests of society as a whole.

9
The Precautionary Approach Principle

• Problem is obvious.
• Suggested change
• 5.8 Principle of Risk Management
• An organization shall analyze and manage the risk
  associated with its actions to eliminate or
  minimize societal harm or risk to the extent
  possible while maximizing benefits to its
  stakeholders. Risk analysis should incorporate
  the results of research undertaken using
  scientific principles and methods as well as
  other information that might be available to an
  organization.
• Note ISO has a draft standard on risk management
  may help.

10
Other Issues with Principles

• U.S. industry also has concerns with whether all
  principles in the principles section are really
  principles.
• In addition to precautionary approach and
  sustainable development concerns, they also
  raised the issue of whether Human Rights and
  Diversity are actually principles or core issues
  that should be included in another section.
  Should not be both.

11
Other Industry concerns

• Terminology (e.g., supply versus value chain).
• Mention of international treaties/document
  implies their endorsement. OK when USG is a
  signatory, not good when were not.
• -Also a concern regarding limitations of sphere
  of influence. Companies cannot always control
  actions of suppliers and customers. Concern that
  they could be held accountable for actions of
  organizations that they dont control.

12
Another concern

• 1603 When new materials and/or production methods
  such as nanotechnology or genetic
• 1604 engineering are used, the full documentation
  of the risk assessment should be made publicly
  available. The
• 1605 organization should not launch goods or
  services where a significant proportion of the
  population has
• 1606 expressed strong reservations or even
  opposition (for example, genetically modified
  food).
• Note that in the U.S., we would have little in
  the marketplace if nothing could be marketed
  where a group objects.

13
Are there other concerns?

• Many.
• Issues like the precautionary approach are
  littered throughout standard.
• Sections ranging from climate change to labor law
  need to be reviewed by USG experts.

14
USG Input So Far

• USG has had no direct input into standard's
  content since it has not participated at
  international level in the government
  stakeholders group.
• NIST has been working with industry stakeholder
  group to get some major USG concerns addressed
  a limited, back door approach.
• First opportunity for USG input will be in
  Vienna.

15
Future

• According to ITA attendee, at recent ISO General
  Assembly session on international standards and
  public policies, there was a significant degree
  of positive support for ISO's work on social
  responsibility.
• ISO 26000 was heralded as a new model of
  inclusiveness in standards development.  It was
  also put forward as the prototype for future ISO
  work in sustainable development. Speakers such as
  Bjorn Stigson from the World Business Council for
  Sustainable Development, Georg Kell from the UN
  Global Compact, and Consumers International said
  they want the process to succeed. 
•  Prof. Jonathan Koppell (Yale), the keynote
  speaker, said that ISO 26000 encourages
  participation of those not normally involved in
  ISO work and that this lends credibility to the
  effort.  This buy-in by other groups increases
  the likelihood of the final product being
  accepted by all.