🧒

For Youth & Citizens

Understanding social responsibility in simple words

🌍 What is ISO 26000?

Imagine a big book that gives good advice to companies about how to be kind, fair, and helpful to people and the planet.

It's like a guidebook for doing the right thing.

🚫 But... it's NOT a "test"

ISO 26000 is not like a school test where you get a grade or a certificate.

  • You cannot get a "gold star" or a "certificate" for it.
  • It only gives advice, not rules you must follow.

So if a company says, "We passed ISO 26000!" — that's not true, because you can't pass or fail it.

🧭 What does it help companies do?

It helps companies think about:

🤝 How they treat people
🌱 How they care for the environment
🧒 How they protect children
💬 How they listen to their community
⚖️ How they make fair and honest decisions
🎯 How they take responsibility

It is basically a map that helps companies choose good actions.

🙋‍♀️ Who helps the company decide what to do?

ISO 26000 tells companies to talk to their stakeholders — which means the people who care about what the company does.

This can be:

  • workers
  • customers
  • neighbors
  • the community
  • nature groups

But not companies that sell certificates — because ISO 26000 is not for certification.

👍 Why some people like it

  • It helps companies be more responsible.
  • It encourages them to listen to people and help society.
  • It gives a common language for talking about doing good.

🤔 Why some people don't like it

  • It's long and hard for small companies to read.
  • It has no certificate, so some think it's less useful.
  • There are many other rules and guides already, and this is just one more.

⭐ In short:

ISO 26000 is a guide that helps companies do the right thing — but it's not a test, and you can't get a certificate for it.

🎯 The Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Profit)

Some people talk about companies needing to care about THREE things, not just one:

👥

People

Taking care of workers, customers, and communities. Making sure everyone is treated fairly.

🌍

Planet

Protecting nature, reducing pollution, and taking care of the environment for future generations.

💰

Profit

Making money so the company can keep going and doing good things. But not at the expense of people or planet!

💡 The Big Idea: A company should balance all three. It's not just about making money — it's about making the world better while staying healthy as a business.