Resource Library

Issued January 2025, this statement celebrates 15 years of ISO 26000 and urges National Standards Bodies to confirm the standard without revision. Reaffirms ISO 26000's enduring relevance for ESG, sustainable development, and organisational accountability.

The foundational slide deck for anyone new to ISO 26000 — covers scope, key concepts, principles, core subjects, and practical implementation guidance in an accessible visual format. ISO official training material from 2017.

Official position statement sent to National Standards Bodies ahead of the 2025 Systematic Review. Makes the case that ISO 26000 should continue without revision, citing its influence on ISO 20400, ISO 37001, and regional legislation.

Approved governance document setting out the Vision, Mission and Goals of the ISO 26000 Stakeholders Global Network. Defines SGN's mandate to promote and support ISO 26000 implementation worldwide.

An accessible introduction from ISO Geneva — provides a basic understanding of ISO 26000 for newcomers. Explains what social responsibility means, who the standard is for, and how organisations can begin using it.

Official ISO Geneva brochure with key definitions and terminology of ISO 26000. Covers the standard's scope, principles, core subjects, and guidance on integrating social responsibility throughout an organisation.

PowerPoint slides covering the ISO 26000 framework and its essentials. Ideal for training sessions, workshops, or introducing the standard to new teams — covers principles, core subjects, and integration guidance.

Overview of the seven core subjects of ISO 26000: organisational governance, human rights, labour practices, the environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, and community involvement and development.

Practical overview mapping the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to ISO 26000. Shows how the two frameworks complement each other on human rights, employment, environment, and anti-corruption.

Maps ISO 26000 labour practices to the relevant ILO Conventions and Recommendations. Essential reference for organisations seeking to align their employment policies with international labour standards.

Mapping the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to ISO 26000 core subjects and guidance. Helps organisations understand how ISO 26000 implementation contributes directly to the 2030 Agenda.

How to use the GRI G4 Guidelines and ISO 26000 in conjunction. Maps each GRI disclosure to the corresponding ISO 26000 core subject and issue, enabling integrated sustainability reporting.

An introduction to linkages between the UN Global Compact Ten Principles and ISO 26000 Core Subjects. Shows organisations already committed to the UNGC how ISO 26000 can deepen their social responsibility practices.

Visual slide illustrating central ISO 26000 concepts: an organisation's value chain, sphere of influence, and how social responsibility extends beyond direct operations to suppliers, partners, and communities.

Briefing summary on the linkages between the International Integrated Reporting (IIRC) framework and ISO 26000. Explains how value creation reporting aligns with social responsibility guidance.

The International Integrated Reporting Framework by IIRC. Reference document for understanding how corporate reporting connects strategic goals with social, environmental, and financial performance — in the context of ISO 26000.

Practical OECD guidance on how companies can identify, prevent, and mitigate adverse impacts in their operations and supply chains. Complements ISO 26000's approach to human rights and environmental due diligence.

The 2011 OECD Guidelines — the most comprehensive government-backed recommendations on responsible business conduct. Foundational reference for ISO 26000's fair operating practices and supply chain guidance.

The UN 'Ruggie Framework' — the authoritative global standard on the duty of business to respect human rights. Foundational reference for ISO 26000's human rights core subject and due diligence expectations.

Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of products from UNEP/SETAC. Reference material for organisations using ISO 26000 to assess the social impacts of their products throughout the value chain.

Excel spreadsheet tool from NEN (Netherlands) restructuring the ISO 26000 implementation process into logical, actionable phases. Covers gap analysis, stakeholder identification, materiality assessment, action planning, and performance review.

Interactive matrix for relevance, significance, and priority setting across all 37 social responsibility issues defined in ISO 26000. Connects each issue to relevant stakeholder categories and organisational processes.

Standardised Word template for documenting ISO 26000 implementation case studies. Provides a consistent format for organisations to share their experiences, challenges, and outcomes with the SGN network.

Full agenda for the 2024 ISO 26000 Global Forum on Social Responsibility. Continues the series with updated perspectives on implementation, regional developments, and the standard's evolving role in ESG and sustainability.

Full agenda and speaker profiles for the December 2022 ISO 26000 Post-Pandemic Global Forum on Social Responsibility. Features 14 expert presentations covering country implementations, business applications, and knowledge tools.

Lucía Natale (Argentina) presents the Argentine experience with ISO 26000 implementation — including national adoption challenges, success stories from industry, and the role of academia in promoting social responsibility.

Thomas Thomas (Singapore) provides a pan-Asian overview of ISO 26000 practices — comparing adoption levels across ASEAN nations, identifying regional drivers and barriers, and proposing paths to broader implementation.

Xinyuan Lu (China) provides a 2024 update on ISO 26000 developments in China — covering regulatory changes, new corporate adoption data, and the growing alignment between Chinese CSR policies and the standard.

Ken-ichi Kumagai (Japan) presents on ISO 26000 publication activities and adoption in Japan — covering academic research, industry uptake, JIS Z 26000 national standard, and cross-sector collaboration on social responsibility.

Xinyuan Lu (China) presents the development and implementation landscape of ISO 26000 in China — covering national adoption, government policy integration, and corporate social responsibility uptake across Chinese industries.

Kernaghan Webb (Canada) examines how Canadian law intersects with ISO 26000, exploring legal dimensions of social responsibility, consumer protection frameworks, and the standard's potential influence on regulatory approaches.

Noerman Suharman (Indonesia) shares Indonesia's experience engaging with ISO 26000 — covering how the standard has been adopted across industries, its integration into national policies, and lessons learned from implementation.

Li Li (China) presents how ISO 26000 was applied to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics — a landmark case of using social responsibility guidance in mega-event planning, covering sustainable procurement, community engagement, and environmental management.

Hans Kröder (Netherlands) demonstrates how small and medium enterprises can practically implement ISO 26000 — with simplified approaches, quick-win strategies, and real-world examples from Dutch SMEs.

Program for the October 2023 NGO Stakeholder Corner event on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Management — includes the full session agenda, speaker bios, and relevant quotations from ISO 26000 on community involvement and social responsibility in crisis contexts.

Full recording of the October 2023 NGO Stakeholder Corner event on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Management — featuring presentations by Horie Yoshiteru (Japan), BK Khanna (India), and Joseph Denougbeto on rescue missions, stampede disasters, and post-disaster rebuilding.

Recording of the May 2022 SGN information session on ESG frameworks and ISO 26000 — featuring Jorge Cajazeira (ISO ESG Vice Chair, Brazil) and Eduardo São Thiago (ABNT Secretariat). Explores how ISO 26000 provides the social responsibility foundation for ESG reporting and how the two frameworks align.

Joseph Denougbeto presents on post-disaster rebuilding — examining how communities recover from humanitarian crises and how ISO 26000 guidance on community development and social responsibility informs reconstruction efforts.

Horie Yoshiteru (Japan) presents on rescue missions in times of crisis — drawing on real-world disaster response experience and mapping humanitarian obligations to ISO 26000 principles on community involvement and social responsibility.

BK Khanna presents on stampede disasters from a social responsibility perspective — examining crowd management failures, accountability in public events, and how ISO 26000 principles apply to preventing and responding to mass casualty incidents.

Gefei Yin (China) presents on the development and implementation of ISO 26000 in China — covering national adoption milestones, industry uptake, and lessons learned from the Chinese experience with social responsibility standards.

Felicia Monye presents Nigeria's experience with ISO 26000 implementation — comparing the Nigerian context with China's approach in a peer learning session, covering regulatory environment, industry challenges, and paths to broader adoption.

Workshop document exploring how hospitals, health systems, and pharmaceutical companies can apply ISO 26000 social responsibility principles — covering patient rights, community health, ethical procurement, and workforce wellbeing.

Full recording of the April 2022 SGN Peer Learning Workshop on ISO 26000 in the healthcare sector — exploring how hospitals, health systems, and pharmaceutical organisations can apply social responsibility principles to patient rights, community health, and ethical procurement.

Carolyn Schmidt presents on NGO engagement with vulnerable populations through the lens of ISO 26000 — covering human rights due diligence, inclusive stakeholder identification, and community development approaches for the most marginalised groups.

Audio transcript of the September 2021 NGO Global Dialogue on COVID-19 impacts on vulnerable groups — organised by NGO Ambassador Khawla Al-Muhannadi. Includes Carolyn Schmidt's presentation on ISO 26000 and vulnerable groups, plus contributions from NGO experts on local-specific impacts.

The official ISO page for ISO 26000:2010, “Guidance on social responsibility” — the authoritative source on the standard. ISO 26000 provides guidance rather than requirements and is not certifiable. Includes the catalogue record where the full text can be obtained.

An independent reference on ISO 26000 maintained by Staffan Söderberg, Vice Chair of the ISO working group that developed the standard. Offers free guidance, definitions, tools and FAQs, and documents linking ISO 26000 to the UN Global Compact, GRI, the OECD Guidelines and the SDGs. (Independent — not an official ISO publication.)

A free, not-for-profit community-of-practice platform for ISO 20400, the international standard on sustainable procurement, which builds on ISO 26000 principles. Includes a self-assessment tool, case studies and learning materials.

An independent professional initiative founded by ISO 26000 working-group expert Guido Gürtler, offering practical tools — including the “26K Issue Tool” — and guidance for applying the standard. (Independent — not an official ISO resource.)