ISO 26000:2010 Guidance on social responsibility is an international standard providing guidelines for social responsibility (SR, often CSR - corporate social responsibility). An organization's relationship with the society and the environment in which it operates is a critical factor in their ability to continue operating effectively. This standard is used as a measure for an organization's performance as it provides guidance on how it should operate in socially responsible way. It was released by the International Organization for Standardization on 1 November 2010 and its goal is to contribute to global sustainable development by encouraging business and other organizations to practice social responsibility to improve their impacts on their workers, their natural environments and their communities. This standard was developed by ISO/TMBG Technical Management Board - groups. Structure The structure of ISO 26000 is as follows: Scope Terms and definitions Understanding social responsibility Principles of social responsibility Recognizing social responsibility and engaging stakeholders Guidance on social responsibility core subjects Guidance on integrating social responsibility throughout an organization. Voluntary Guidance Standard for All Organizations ISO 26000 offers guidance on socially responsible behavior and possible actions. There are three ways in which it is different from the more widespread standards designed for companies to use to meet particular requirements for activities such as manufacturing, managing, accounting and reporting: ISO 26000 is a voluntary guidance standard: it does not contain requirements such as those used when a standard is offered for "certification". There is a certain learning curve associated with using ISO 26000, because there is no specific external reward - certification - explicitly tied to ISO 26000. ISO recommends that users say, for example, that they have "used ISO 26000 as a guide to integrate social responsibility into our values and practices". ISO 26000 is designed for use by all organizations, not only businesses and corporations. Organizations such as hospitals and schools, charities (not-for-profits), etc. are also included. ISO 26000 makes particular efforts to show that its flexibility means that it can be applied by small businesses and other groups as well So far, many of the earliest users of ISO 26000 have been multi-national corporations, especially those based in Europe, and East Asia, particularly Japan. ISO 26000 was developed through a multi-stakeholder process, meeting in eight Working Group Plenary Sessions between 2005 and 2010, with additional committee meetings and consultations on e-mail throughout the five-year process. Approximately five hundred delegates participated