Implementation walkthrough
How to implement ISO 26000: video walkthrough
A walkthrough of building social responsibility into everyday decisions using ISO 26000, the international guidance standard.
Key takeaways
- ISO 26000 is guidance on social responsibility; it is not certifiable.
- Claims of ISO 26000 certification misuse the standard.
- Stakeholder engagement informs which issues are relevant and significant.
- Priorities are integrated into everyday decisions and processes.
- Credibility comes from evidence and optional independent assurance of reports.
Guidance on social responsibility, not a certificate
ISO 26000 is the international standard that gives guidance on social responsibility: an organisation's responsibility for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour that contributes to sustainable development, takes account of stakeholders' expectations, respects the law and international norms of behaviour, and is integrated throughout the organisation. It states seven principles, groups the issues to consider into seven core subjects and explains how to build responsible behaviour into everyday decisions.
It contains guidance, not requirements. ISO states that it is not intended or appropriate for certification and that any claim to be certified to it misuses the standard. This short film walks through how organisations put it into practice.
ISO's communication protocol suggests wordings such as "based on ISO 26000" or "follows the guidance provided by ISO 26000"; claims of certification are excluded.
From stakeholders to everyday decisions
Define the scope and who the organisation answers to: the entities, sites and value-chain relationships to cover, who is asking questions, and what leadership wants to achieve. Stakeholders are then identified and engaged, and the issues under each core subject are assessed for relevance and significance, so leadership can agree priorities after hearing from those affected.
The priorities are integrated into operations: policies, decisions, processes and supplier relationships are adjusted so that responsible behaviour becomes routine rather than a separate programme, and progress is monitored and communicated. The first report sets out what was decided, what was done and what it achieved. There is no audit at the end of this route and no body that decides whether an organisation passes; credibility comes from the evidence and, where the organisation chooses it, independent assurance of what it reports.
Sterling's expert and experienced consultants support stakeholder mapping, priority setting, integration and the first report under Sterling OS™; the priorities and commitments are the organisation's own. ISO 26000:2010 remains the current edition, last confirmed by ISO in March 2025.
ISO 26000 at a glance
- Purpose
- Social responsibility: understanding and managing the impacts of your decisions and activities on society and the environment, and contributing to sustainable development
- Relevant to
- Every type of organisation, private, public or non-profit, of any size and in any country
- Edition
- ISO 26000:2010, the first and only edition; last reviewed and confirmed by ISO in March 2025, so it remains current
- Certification
- None. ISO 26000 contains guidance, not requirements; ISO states that it is not intended or appropriate for certification and that any claim to be certified to it misuses the standard
- Sterling's role
- Stakeholder mapping, priorities agreed with leadership, integration into operations, Effivity, training and the first report, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for an ISO 26000-based social responsibility programme depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 4 to 8 months
ISO 26000: questions people ask
Can an organisation be certified to ISO 26000?
No. ISO states that ISO 26000 is not a management system standard, is not intended or appropriate for certification, and that any offer to certify, or claim to be certified, to it would misrepresent and misuse it; with no requirements, such a certificate would not demonstrate conformity. What you can show is evidence that you use the guidance.
What can we say publicly about our use of ISO 26000?
ISO's communication protocol for ISO 26000 suggests wordings such as "based on ISO 26000", "inspired by ISO 26000" and "follow the guidance provided by ISO 26000", and lists wordings to avoid, including "certified according to", "in accordance with", "compliance with", "assessed against" and "meets the requirements of" ISO 26000. Sterling drafts your public language to that protocol.
What is an ISO 26000 self-declaration?
Your own public statement, backed by evidence, of how you apply ISO 26000; not a third-party certificate. In the Netherlands, for example, the standards body NEN publishes the guideline NPR 9026 (now NPR 9026+C1:2012) and a platform for self-declarations; NEN checks that a declaration and its evidence are complete, not whether the answers are right, and states that it does not certify. Elsewhere it is simply your statement, in the wording ISO recommends.
How does ISO 26000 relate to GRI and ESRS reporting?
ISO 26000 guides what to do; GRI and the ESRS set out what to disclose. A joint GRI and ISO guide from 2014 presents ISO 26000 as the structure for organising activities that are then reported with GRI, and notes that applying GRI in full does not equal applying ISO 26000. For companies in the CSRD's scope, narrowed in 2026 to more than 1,000 employees and over EUR 450 million net turnover, ESRS S1 to S4 (own workforce, workers in the value chain, affected communities, consumers and end-users) and G1 (business conduct) parallel ISO 26000's labour, human rights, community, consumer and fair operating practices subjects.
How does ISO 26000 relate to SA8000, ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and ISO 37001?
They are certifiable standards for issues ISO 26000 covers: SA8000:2026 for decent work, through SAAS-accredited bodies; ISO 45001 for health and safety at work, under labour practices; ISO 14001 for the environment; and ISO 37001 for anti-bribery, under fair operating practices. Each certificate is legitimate evidence for part of your programme; none is, or implies, an ISO 26000 certificate.
Keep exploring
Related to this video
The complete guide
Everything on ISO 26000
Start with the ISO 26000 page, or go straight to the guide you need.
On the ISO 26000 page
Often combined with ISO 26000
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