Procedure of Euro Veritas (accreditated from BAR-UK): EVL/SRCI/C-A/4566/C-8
The Certification of SRCIMS as per the Procedure/Scheme EVL/SRCI/C-A/4566/C-8 is basically a cumulative of ISO 26000:2010 and SA 8000:2014). The SRCIMS is an indigenous standard developed by Euro Veritas (accreditated from BAR-UK).
ISO 26000:2010- Guidance on social responsibility
ISO 26000:2010 is an International Standard published form ISO and provides guidance to all kinds of organizations, regardless of their size or location, on:
• concepts, terms and definitions related to social responsibility;
• the background, trends and characteristics of social responsibility;
• principles and practices relating to social responsibility;
• the core subjects and issues of social responsibility;
• integrating, implementing and promoting socially responsible behavior throughout the organization and, through its policies and practices, within its sphere of influence;
• identifying and engaging with stakeholders; and
• communicating commitments, performance and other information related to social responsibility.
ISO 26000:2010 is intended to assist organizations in contributing to sustainable development. It is intended to encourage them to go beyond legal compliance, recognizing that compliance with law is a fundamental duty of any organization and an essential part of their social responsibility. It is intended to promote common understanding in the field of social responsibility, and to complement other instruments and initiatives for social responsibility, not to replace them.
While implementing the standard of ISO 26000:2010, it is advisable that an organization take into consideration- societal, environmental, legal, cultural, political and organizational diversity, as well as differences in economic conditions, while being consistent with international norms of behavior.
ISO 26000:2010 is intended to provide organizations with guidance concerning social responsibility and can be used as part of public policy activities. However, for the purposes of the Marrakech Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO), it is not intended to be interpreted as an “international standard”, “guideline” or “recommendation”, nor is it intended to provide a basis for any presumption or finding that a measure is consistent with WTO obligations. Further, it is not intended to provide a basis for legal actions, complaints, defenses or other claims in any international, domestic or other proceeding, nor is it intended to be cited as evidence of the evolution of customary international law.
ISO 26000:2010 is not intended to prevent the development of national country-wise standards that are more specific, more demanding, or of a different type.
• It is intended as guidance
• Presents a comprehensive documentation of social responsibilities including core subjects and issues related to those subjects
• Was published in 2010 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a specialized international agency for standardization composed of the national standards bodies of more than 160 countries
• Was written by a unique multi-sectoral group representing governments; non-governmental organizations (NGOs); industry; consumer groups; labor; and academic, consulting, and other organizations around the world
The ISO 26000 standard provides guidance on:
• Recognizing social responsibility and engaging stakeholders
• Ways to integrate socially responsible behavior into the organization
• The seven key underlying principles of social responsibility:
• Accountability
• Transparency
• Ethical behavior
• Respect for stakeholder interests
• Respect for the rule of law
• Respect for international norms of behavior
• Respect for human rights
• The seven core subjects and issues pertaining to social responsibility:
• Organizational governance
• Human rights
• Labor practices
• The environment
• Fair operating practices
• Consumer issues
• Community involvement and development
In addition to providing definitions and information to help organizations understand and address social responsibility, ISO 26000-2010 emphasizes the importance of results and improvements in performance on social responsibility.
WHO SHOULD USE ISO 26000?
Organizations in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, whether large or small, corporate or SMEs, Governmental or non-Governmental and whether operating in developed or developing countries, use ISO 26000. All of the core subjects of social responsibility are relevant in some way to every organization.
Since the core subjects cover a number of issues, organizations will benefit when they identify which issues are most relevant and significant for them through examination of their own considerations and dialogue with stakeholders.
What does ISO 26000 accomplish?
ISO 26000 aims to:
• Assist organizations in addressing their social responsibilities while respecting cultural, societal, environmental, and legal differences and economic development conditions
• Provide practical guidance related to making social responsibility operational
• Assist with identifying and engaging with stakeholders and enhancing credibility of reports and claims made about social responsibility
• Emphasize performance results and improvement
• Increase confidence and satisfaction in organizations among their customers and other stakeholders
• Achieve consistency with existing documents, international treaties and conventions, and existing ISO standards
• Promote common terminology in the social responsibility field
• Broaden awareness of social responsibility
This standard is not intended to reduce government’s authority to address the social responsibility of organizations.
CORE SUBJECTS OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AS PER SRCIMS STANDARD W.R.T. PROCEDURE / SCHEME NO. EVL/SRCI/C-A/4566/C-8
The SRCIMS standard as developed by Euro Veritas (accreditated from BAR-UK) as per PROCEDURE / SCHEME NO. EVL/SRCI/C-A/4566/C-8 defines the core subjects of social responsibility. Core subjects comprise a number of issues, but it is each organization's responsibility to identify issues are relevant and significant to their stakeholders and/or need to be addressed.
The seven core subjects have been explained here as follows:
1st Core subject: Organizational governance
Decisions are to be made in consideration of the expectations of society. Accountability, transparency, ethics, and stakeholders should be factors in the organization’s decision-making process.
2nd Core subject: Human rights
All humans have the right to fair treatment and the elimination of discrimination, torture, and exploitation.
• Due diligence
• Human rights risk situations
• Avoidance of complicity
• Resolving grievances
• Discrimination and vulnerable groups
• Civil and political rights
• Economic, social, and cultural rights
• Fundamental principles and rights at work
3rd Core subject: Labor practices
Those working on behalf of the organization are not a commodity. The goal is to prevent unfair competition based on exploitation and abuse.
• Employment and employment relationships
• Conditions of work and social protection
• Social dialogue
• Health and safety at work
• Human development and training in the workplace
4th Core subject: Environment
The organization has a responsibility to reduce and eliminate unsustainable volumes and patterns of production and consumption and to ensure that resource consumption per person becomes sustainable.
• Prevention of pollution
• Sustainable resource use
• Climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Protection of the environment, biodiversity, and restoration of natural habitats
5th Core subject: Fair operating practices
Building systems of fair competition, preventing corruption, encouraging fair competition, and promoting the reliability of fair business practices help to build sustainable social systems.
• Anti-corruption
• Responsible political involvement
• Fair competition
• Promoting social responsibility in the value chain
• Respect for property rights
6th Core subject: Consumer issues
The promotion of just, sustainable, and equitable economic and social development with respect to consumer health, safety, and access is the organization’s responsibility.
• Fair marketing, factual, and unbiased information and fair contractual practices
• Protecting consumers' health and safety
• Sustainable consumption
• Consumer service, support, and complaint and dispute resolution
• Consumer data protection and privacy
• Access to essential services
• Education and awareness
7th Core subject: Community involvement and development
The organization should be involved with creating sustainable social structures where increasing levels of education and well-being can exist.
• Community involvement
• Education and culture
• Employment creation and skills development
• Technology development and access
• Wealth and income creation
• Health
• Social investment
SA8000 Standard
The SA8000 Standard is one of the leading social certification standard for factories and organizations across the globe. It was established by Social Accountability International in 1997 as a multi-stakeholder initiative. Over the years, the Standard has evolved into an overall framework that helps certified organizations demonstrate their dedication to the fair treatment of workers across industries and in any country.
SA8000 measures social performance in eight areas important to social accountability in workplaces, anchored by a management system element that drives continuous improvement in all areas of the Standard. It is appreciated by brands and industry leaders for its rigorous approach to ensuring the highest quality of social compliance in their supply chains, all the while without sacrificing business interests.
The Standard reflects labor provisions contained within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions. It also respects, complements and supports national labor laws around the world, and currently helps secure ethical working conditions for two million workers.
Regular revisions ensure the Standard’s continuing applicability in the face of new and emergent social and human rights issues. Organizational buyers, independent codes of conduct, and private sector initiatives have all recognized SA8000’s multi-sector applicability and responded to growing public interest by integrating SA8000 criteria into their compliance processes. Similarly, governments wishing to encourage and strengthen social performance in the workplace have created incentive programs specifically recognizing companies with an accredited SA8000 certification.
The current version of the SA8000 Standard is SA8000:2014.
Elements of the SA8000 Standard
1. Child Labor
2. Forced or Compulsory Labor
3. Health and Safety
4. Freedom of Association and Right to Collective Bargaining
5. Discrimination
6. Disciplinary Practices
7. Working Hours
8. Remuneration
9. Management System
SRCIMS as per the Procedure/Scheme EVL/SRCI/C-A/4566/C-8 is basically a cumulative of ISO (26000:2010 and SA 8000:2014)
Euro Veritas (accreditated from BAR-UK) offers a wide selection of resources to help organizations maintain and continually improve their social performance, including capacity building, stakeholder engagement, collaboration between buyers and suppliers, and the development of tools to ensure continued improvement.
Earning an accredited certificate from Euro Veritas (accreditated from BAR-UK) is an attestation to an organization’s compliance SRCIMS Standard which has been indigenously developed by Euro Veritas as per Procedure / Scheme No.- EVL/SRCI/C-A/4566/C-8 and hence compliance to both the Standards of ISO 26000 & SA 8000 for 3 years. An accredited SRCIMS certification provides ongoing and reliable assurance that an organization is upholding social performance expectations, while also continuously improving their management systems to address and prevent social and labor risks.
As a voluntary standard, it is central to Euro Veritas (accreditated from BAR-UK) and SRCIMS that organizations take ownership of their performance and continuously monitor and improve their own social controls. Independent oversight and regular surveillance audits by approved third-party certification bodies provide confidence that the organization is managing its operations effectively and has a low risk of non-conformities to the Standard.
Some characteristics of an SRCIMS-certified organization form Euro Veritas (accreditated from BAR-UK) are:
• Holistic management system to maintain compliance to the Standard
• Worker engagement and dialogue
• Cross-functional internal collaboration
• Collaboration in the supply chain
While accredited certification is a valuable tool to evaluate performance and drive supply chain improvement by committing an organization for three years, it is important to recognize that no code or monitoring system can provide absolute assurance or drive positive change alone. All social auditing practices need to be considered as part of a larger effort to improve labor conditions, including equitable contractual cooperation between buyers and suppliers, worker and management training, capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and various other tools to improve systems and collaboration.
WHAT IS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORTING?
SRCIMS: Guidance on social responsibility urges that, at appropriate intervals, organizations should report on their performance on social responsibility to the stakeholders affected. The standard suggests that the report should include:
• Information about objectives and performance on the core subjects and relevant issues of social responsibility
• How and when stakeholders have been involved in the reporting
• A fair and complete picture of performance, including achievements and shortfalls, and the way in which shortfalls will be addressed
SRCIMS suggests that the credibility of reports would be enhanced by addressing conformance to the reporting guidelines of an external organization.
• Develop and manage a sustainability reporting framework. The document provides assistance to organizations who wish to use guidelines as the reporting framework for their implementations of SRCIMS.
• CSR & Sustainability Reports, a collection of current and past corporate sustainability, social responsibility, and environmental reports, as well the press releases that accompanied the reports.
