Codes, Standards, and Frameworks

Synopsis: A compilation of codes, standards, and frameworks directly and indirectly related to sustainable business practices including:
Global Compact
UN Human Rights Norms for Business
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines
AA1000 Assurance Standard
SA8000
IS014001
Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes
Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Reflction: Like my post on Environmental Management Systems, this isn’t really a document for the layperson, and since I cleverly avoided both scathing criticism and deep reflection of that document by escaping into a daydream (albeit a daydream that stayed on point), and since I’m assuming that post used up my Get Out of Jail Free card re: posts lacking deep criticism or reflection, this post will be both harshly critical and deeply reflective. As such, it’s going to be boring.

OK then, for those stalwart readers sticking around, this is how it’s gonna go down. My first plan was to go through the list of codes, standards, and frameworks in the order in which they appear in the synopsis. For each, I would highlight issues and questions I found most important. After finishing the document, I’ve come up with a different plan. Each of these standards, codes, and/or frameworks is a tool, and as with any tool, there is an appropriate one for the job at hand. Without knowing the job at hand, it’s impossible to say which tool is the right one. As I read, I could envision application of some and not of others. Part of this is that this resource doesn’t contain details on the highlighted documents e.g. for ISO14001, it doesn’t explain how a business would create and implement an EMS in compliance with ISO14001, but explains why the ISO14001 was created, how it is operationalized, examples of who is in compliance, etc. Another reason is that many of these affect behavior and policy at a level I don’t understand, like legal requirements.

So, what am I taking from this resource? There were several things that stood out to me, including the Dow Jones Sustainable Indexes (DJSI). What I like about the DJSI is that it is a stepping stone from Big Business-as-usual to sustainable business practices. The fact is, if sustainable business practices or businesses using sustainable practices cannot be proven profitable to stakeholders, we’re sunk. As the resource states, the DJSI is an attempt at “mainstreaming sustainability concepts into investor decision making.”

The ISO14001 was interesting if for no other reason that it has been widely adopted and is well-recognized. Even I had heard of it before this resource (although it turns out I knew little about it). Like it or not, that kind of recognition makes it a powerful tool for marketing to the masses. If your company is ISO14001 certified and you don’t make that a selling point for your products or services, you’re doing yourself a disservice. For that matter, compliance with and/or membership to any of these should be viewed as a marketable business trait.

I see the GRI Guidelines as a powerful tool for businesses, especially in light of the global economy. Accountability, reporting, and transparency are all important parts of the movement toward sustainable business, and having a set of standards recognized worldwide makes direct comparisons that much easier.

Conclusion: This document will best be used as a starting point, since as I mentioned earlier, the actual content of these documents isn’t discussed in detail. In that respect, it will be useful. As my brother, who is an engineer once said, education isn’t so much about knowing stuff, as it is knowing where to look stuff up. I see myself working with other staff members of an organization to determine which of these guidelines we’re already following, which fit with our current mission, and which are particularly pertinent in whatever field we find ourselves. Once we’ve figured that out, we can go to those documents to work out the details.