Why Organizations Go For Certification

Certification is not a requirement of management systems’ standards, then why organizations go for certification of their management system?

 

Yes, this a fact that certification is not a requirement of management systems’ standards and yet most organizations go for certification of their management system. 

Many organizations decide to implement management systems standards (such as, ISO 9001 QMS, ISO 14001 EMS etc.) and thereafter obtain certification of compliance because the certification assures organization’s customers that the organization has a good management system in place. Many users of organization’s products and services too require their supplier to have certified management system (such as, ISO 9001 QMS, ISO 14001 EMS, or any other). 

Certification is the process of providing assurance that the organization complies with the requirements of the stated management system standard.

Thanks,

KRS

Selecting An Appropriate Management Systems’ Certification Body

 Selecting An Appropriate Management Systems’ Certification Body

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

An organization may implement one or more management system standards, such as ISO 9001:2015 QMS, ISO 14001:2015 EMS, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 ISMS, etc. Certification is the process of providing assurance that an organization complies with a set of requirements of the management system standard (such as ISO 9001 QMS). The certification document is provided by a certification body. A certification body is an independent third party responsible for the process of certification.

 

Organizations should consider following points while selecting a certification body:

-          Accreditation of the certification body

-          Industry experience, background, and expertise of the certification body

-          For management system standards, the certification body should have its scope and approval to work for the management systems standard and your area of business

-          Recommendations from your clients / customers

-          Other issues like cost of the certification, time frame etc

 

While looking to the accreditation of the certification body, ensure that the accreditation body, which has granted accreditation to the certification body, is a member of International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

Best wishes,

KRS

Circular Economy Standardization

Circular Economy Standardization

 

The circular economy is now a generic concept and also a global need. Some countries are amending their rules and regulations to switch from waste management practices to circular economy practices. However, the circular economy practices need operational tools to be implemented. People and organizations need knowledge and information about the circular economy, hence the need for standardization is felt in this field. The international organization ‘International Organization for Standardization’ (ISO) also paid attention to this aspect and formed a technical committee ISO TC 323 in September 2018. The aim of ISO/TC 323 on circular economy is to develop frameworks, guidance-documents, supporting tools and requirements for the implementation of activities of all involved organizations to maximize the contribution to sustainable developments. The standards developed by ISO will contribute to the UN SDGs. Many aspects of the circular economy are covered by existing ISO committees, as such it has been clarified that aspects of the circular economy already covered by existing committees are excluded. It should be noted that ISO/TC 324 has also been formed on sharing economy. The sharing economy is a concept that supports the circular economy. Already several technical committees also cover aspects of the circular economy.

 

The technical committee ISO/TC 323 has following objectives:

 

-          To develop standards that support and encourage organizations to adopt the circular economy through a time-efficiency process

 

-          To promote an alternative and collaborative economic model that is more sustainable and facilitate the transition from the linear economy to the circular economy

 

-          To promote a broad and effective participation from countries all around the world

 

-          To maximize the contribution to sustainable development

 

-          To develop high quality standards for all types of stakeholders

 

The technical committee ISO/TC 323 carries out following activities:

 

-          Promote improved and shared understanding on the circular economy

 

-          Provide a framework to support organizations integrate the circular economy principles and strategies in their activities

 

-          Develop tools to access circularity performance

 

-          Facilitate dialogue, communication and collaboration amongst different actors at different levels (international / regional / national)

 

-          Show concrete benefits and actions that interest potential stakeholders and contributors

 

-          Provide guidelines for the creation of an enabling environment for collaboration within and among sectors and value chains

 

-          Making products accessible to more consumers through circular-based business models

 

-          Facilitates exchanges and feedback on experiences

 

-          Provide easy to use documents to implement the circular economy and avoid proliferation of standards

 

The ISO technical committee’s standardization deliverables target all types of organizations in private sector and public sector that implement the circular economy principles and strategies in their management, operations and business models. Presently following standards related to the circular economy are under development stage:

 

-          ISO/AWI 59040, Circular economy – Product Circularity Data Sheet

 

-          ISO/WD 59004, Circular economy – Framework and principles for implementation

 

-          ISO/WD 59010.2, Circular economy – Guidelines on business models and value chains

 

-          ISO/DTR 59032.2, Circular economy – Review of business model implementation

 

-          ISO/WD 59020.2, Circular economy – Measuring circularity framework

 

-          ISO/CD TR 59031, Circular economy – Performance-based approach – Analysis of case studies

 

As on the date of writing this note, all the above-mentioned standard documents are under development stage, so we have to wait for some time for the published standards. Hoping for the best to come.

 

- Keshav Ram Singhal

 

References:

-          ISO/TC 323 Strategic Business Plan

-          ISO Website

ISO Standard on Sharing Economy

 ISO Standard on Sharing Economy

 

The sharing economy creates a more sustainable world. In November 2021, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published ISO 42500:2021, an international standard on Sharing economy – General principles. This standard is intended to be used by all types and size of the organizations including commercial enterprises, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations.

 

ISO Technical committee ISO/TC 324 on sharing economy developed the international standard ISO 42500:2021, Sharing economy – General principles and same has been published in November 2021. As the name suggests, the standard provides general principles of sharing economy.

 

Clare Naden states in her article published in the ISO website (iso.org) on 13 December 2021, “Today, people are increasingly turning to their peers to access goods and services, making better use of their skills and assets. The sharing economy is one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors with the potential to be a key contributor to economic growth. A new standard has just been published to support the momentum. ISO 42500, Sharing economy – General principles, provides guidance intended to ensure safe and trustworthy transactions by encouraging optimal resources use. When undertaken in accordance with laws and the sorts of principles set out in standards, this optimization can also help support environmental objectives.” Dr. Kernaghan Webb is the convenor of the group of experts that developed the standard. He opines, “Issues such as products and services not meeting environmental, social and other expectations are all barriers to the growth of the sharing economy. Other obstacles include the lack of user privacy safeguards, data protection breaches and the absence of clear procedures for filing complaints.” He further states, “The sharing economy has the potential to truly transform our world, reducing overconsumption and even creating communities. Its growth depends on there being a solid base of trust built through transparency and accountability. ISO 42500 was developed with this in mind.”

 

The contents of ISO 42500:2021 are as under:

 

Foreword

Introduction

 

1.       Scope

 

2.       Normative references

 

3.       Terms and definitions

 

4.       Guiding principles

4.1   General

4.2   Integrity

4.3   Transparency

4.4   Accountability and authorization

4.5   Accessibility and inclusion

4.6   Respect for other affected interests

4.7   Competence

 

Annexure A Figure representing the sharing economy

Bibliography

 

ISO 42500:2021 is the first standard in the sharing economy standards family that provides a robust foundation upon which other more detailed standards will be based. Together, these will form a suite of standards offering operational guidance for the safety and trustworthiness of the sharing economy. This standard was developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 324, Sharing economy.

ISO/TC 324, Sharing economy is responsible for development of standards on sharing economy. Presently one standard ISO 42500:2021 has been published and other standards will be published in future. ISO/TC 324, Sharing economy, was created in 2019 and Dr Masaaki Mochimaru is its Chairman. Presently following standards are under development:

 

-          ISO/CD TS 42501 - General trustworthiness and safety requirements for digital platform

 

-          ISO/CD TS 42502 – Guidelines for provider verification on digital platform

 

As on 04 February 2022 position, committee draft (CD) of both the above standards is registered. It is expected, in future the technical committee will take the work of development of other standards on Sharing economy.

(Courtesy Source: ISO Website)

Hope for the best,

Keshav Ram Singhal

 

04 - ISO 37001 Standard Development Timeline, Related ISO Committees-Standards, And SDGs Contribution

 04

ISO 37001 Standard Development Timeline, Related ISO Committees-Standards, And SDGs Contribution

ISO 37001 Standard timeline has been as under:

November 2015 – Draft International Standard ISO/DIS 37001 issued for consideration of participating ISO members

April 2016 – Resolution of comments received on ISO/DIS 37001 by the Project Committee ISO/PC 278, Anti-bribery management systems

October 2016 – Publication of ISO 37001:2016 Standard

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Related ISO Project Committee – ISO/PC 278, Anti-bribery management systems

Project Leader for the development of ISO 37001 Standard – Neill Stansbury

Secretary, ISO/PC 278 – Mike Henigan (BSI)

 .

ISO 37001:2016, Anti-bribery management system standard, was developed by ISO Project Committee ISO/PC 278. However, in 2016 International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has created a new technical committee ISO/TC 309 on governance of organizations. Future development of ISO 37001 Standard will be undertaken by ISO/TC 309.

 .

ISO/TC 309, Governance of organizations, has published a new standard ISO 37301:2021, Compliance management systems – Requirements with guidance for use.

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ISO 37001:2016 standard as well as ISO 37301:2021 standard contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

-          SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth

-          SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

-          SDG 16 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

 .

ISO/TC 309 – Chairperson – Howard Shaw

ISO/TC 309 – Vice Chairperson – Dr Axel Kravatzky

ISO/TC 309 – Committee Manager – Mike Henigan

ISO/TC 309 – Technical Programme Manager – Nathan Taylor

ISO/TC 309 – Editorial Programme Manager – Ms Nicola Perou

 .

Following standards are under development stage (Information as on 7 July 2021):

-          ISO/FDIS 37000, Governance of organizations – Guidance, is issued and expected to be published in September 2021

-          ISO 37002, Whistleblowing management systems – Guidelines, is under development stage and expected to be published in July 2021

-          ISO/WD 37007, Corporate Governance – Guidelines for efficiency measurement, is under development stage

 .

India is participating member to ISO/TC 309, Governance of organizations.

 .

Let us hope for the best and make our efforts to establish and implement an Anti-bribery Management System (ABMS) in organizations as per ISO 37001:2016 standard.

 .

Do you have any relevant questions to implement ABMS? Please let me know.

 

Best wishes,

KRS

#Anti_Bribery_Management_System

#ISO_37001_2016_Awareness

03 - Background for Developing an Anti-bribery Management System Standard

 

03

Background for Developing an Anti-bribery Management System Standard

Governments all over the world have made progress in addressing bribery through international agreements such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (*) and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (**) and through their national laws (***).

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In most jurisdictions, it is an offence for individuals to engage in bribery and there is a growing trend to make organizations, as well as individuals, liable for bribery.

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(*) For more details on OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, please CLICK HERE for OECD link. 

  .

(**) United Nations Convention against Corruption is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. The Convention’s far-reaching approach and the mandatory character of many of its provisions make it a unique tool for developing a comprehensive response to a global problem. The vast majority of United Nations Member States are parties to the Convention.  For more details on United Nations Convention against Corruption, please CLICK HERE for UN Convention link. Text of the Convention may be downloaded from this link. UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan says, “The Convention introduces a comprehensive set of standards, measures and rules that all countries can apply in order to strengthen their legal and regulatory regimes to fight corruption. It calls for preventive measures and the criminalization of the most prevalent forms of corruption in both public and private sectors. And it makes a major breakthrough by requiring Member States to return assets obtained through corruption to the country from which they were stolen.”

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(***) All over the world, the governments have framed anti-corruption legislation. The legal provisions of primary anti-corruption legislation in India are provided in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. The legislation in India criminalizes, among other things, the taking and giving ‘undue advantage’ to ‘public servants.’ Both individuals and companies are liable to be punished for an offence under the PCA (PCA = Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 + Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018).

 .

One of the measures adopted in UN Convention against Corruption is promoting the development of standards and procedures designed to safeguard the integrity of relevant private entities, including codes of conduct for the correct, honourable and proper performance of the activities of business and all relevant professions and the prevention of conflicts of interest, and for the promotion of the use of good commercial practices among businesses and in the contractual relations of businesses with the State. (Reference: Text of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, Page 14)

 .

As we know the law alone is not sufficient to solve the problem of corruption or bribery. Organizations have a responsibility to proactively contribute to combating bribery. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed ISO 37001:2016 standard titled as ‘Anti-bribery management systems – Requirements with guidance for use). The committee responsible for the development of ISO 37001:2016 is Project Committee ISO/PC 278, Anti-bribery management systems. ISO 37001:2016 is the first edition of the standard and was published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on 15 October 2016. In India, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published a national Standard IS/ISO 37001:2016. You can obtain a copy of this standard from the sales counter of BIS or purchase online from BIS Website. 

 .

The problem of combating bribery can be achieved by an anti-bribery management system, for which ISO 37001:2016 standard document is intended to provide, and through leadership commitment to establishing a culture of integrity, transparency, openness and compliance. 

. 

Let us hope for the best and make our efforts to establish and implement an Anti-bribery Management System (ABMS) in organizations as per ISO 37001:2016 standard.

 .

Do you have any relevant questions to implement ABMS? Please let me know.

 

Best wishes,

KRS

02 - Effects of Bribery And Reasons to Have an Anti-bribery Management System

 02

*Effects of Bribery*

*Reasons to have an Anti-bribery Management System*

Bribery is a widespread phenomenon that raises serious social, moral, economic and political concerns.

Bribery undermines good governance.

Bribery hinders development.

Bribery distorts competition.

Bribery erodes justice.

Bribery undermines human rights.

Bribery is an obstacle to the relief of poverty.

Bribery increases the cost of doing business.

Bribery introduces uncertainties into commercial transactions.

Bribery increases the cost of goods and services.

Bribery diminishes the quality of products and services, which can lead to loss of life and property.

Bribery destroys trust in institutions and interferes with the fair and efficient operation of markets.

Bribery is an illegal offence under law.

 .

We know that it is an offence for individuals to engage in bribery under law.  But the law alone is not sufficient to solve the problem of bribery. Organizations should have a responsibility to proactively contribute to combating bribery. Organizations can implement ISO 37001:2016 standard for an anti-bribery management system.

 .

One of the tools to minimize anti-bribery practices is the implementation of an anti-bribery management system. ISO 37001:2016 is a standard that provides measures that help organizations to prevent, detect and address bribery based on the size and nature of the organization and the bribery risk the organization faces. ISO 37001:2016 standard is intended to provide, and through leadership commitment to establishing a culture of integrity, transparency, openness and compliance in the organization.

 .

The nature of an organization’s culture is critical to the success or failure of an anti-bribery management system.

 .

Let us hope for the best and make our efforts to establish and implement an Anti-bribery Management System (ABMS) in organizations as per ISO 37001:2016 standard.

 .

Do you have any relevant questions to implement ABMS? Please let me know.

Best wishes,

KRS

#Anti_Bribery_Management_System

#ISO_37001_2016_Awareness

Standardize Your Process or System

 Standardize Your Process or System 

When you wish to standardize your process or system, first thing you should do is document your process or system as this will be the first opportunity to reduce variation.

Best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal

Anti-Bribery Management System

 01

Anti-Bribery Management System

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

ISO 37001:2016 is the International Standard that allows organizations of all types to prevent, detect and address bribery by adopting an anti-bribery policy, appointing a person to oversee anti-bribery compliance, training, risk assessments and due diligence on projects and business associates, implementing financial and commercial controls, and instituting reporting and investigation procedures.

Providing a globally recognized way to address a destructive criminal activity that turns over a trillion dollars of dirty money each year, ISO 37001:2016 addresses one of the world’s most destructive and challenging issues head-on, and demonstrates a committed approach to stamping out corruption.

Bribery, one of the greatest challenges to global development, is fought on different levels. Governments have taken steps to address bribery through international agreements and through their national laws. There is a further need to organize good practices to ensure effective implementation of laws.

One of the tools to minimize anti-bribery practices is the implementation of an anti-bribery management system. ISO 37001:2016 provides measures that help organizations to prevent, detect and address bribery based on the size and nature of the organization and the bribery risk it faces.

In India National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) aims to boost the anti-bribery compliance programme in order to support industries that are committed to conducting business with integrity. The NABCB scheme on anti-bribery management systems recognizes that CBs are competent and reliable in the operation of Anti-bribery Management System (ABMS) certification through the demonstration of a rigorous conformity assessment process. NABCB aims to involve external and internal stakeholders who can affect and contribute to the implementation of anti-bribery management systems like public and private sectors (organizations involved in financial services, academics and other business industries) based on risks involved as per their activities for eradication of bribery.

In India NABCB has decided to create awareness and encourage the organizations (government or non-government) to get certified as per ISO 37001:2016 standard.

Best wishes,

KRS

*Courtesy* –

- ISO Website

- IAF News Website

#Anti_Bribery_Management_System

#ISO_37001_2016_Awareness

# 02 - A Study of Integrated Management System – IMS - Benefits of Integrated Management System

 

# 02 - A Study of Integrated Management System – IMS

Benefits of Integrated Management System

There are several benefits of implementing an Integrated Management System in an organization. An Integrated Management System refers to the seamless integration of two or more management systems standards into a common management system that meets the requirements of each of the standards integrated to the IMS that allows the organization to work with a holistic approach. While it can be difficult to comply the requirements of two or more management systems standards in a unified system, however organizations use IMS as a panacea of all ills as if the IMS will make the management systems more efficient.  Benefits derived from implementing an IMS may be summarized as under:

-          Improvement of business focus and performance,

-          Meeting two or more management systems requirements with one set of documented information (policies and procedures),

-          Holistic approach to manage business risk,

-          Minimizing duplication of work and bureaucracy,

-          More efficient and effective internal audits as well as external audits,

-          Human resource savings,

-          Decreasing management cost,

-          Time saving,

-          Savings in total implementation cost,

-          Clear understanding of the organization’s overall policy and objectives,

-          Efficiency improvement and effectiveness of the system,

-          Communication (internal as well as external) improvement

-          Reduction in certification cost etc.

 

How you like this article? Any information you like to add, please mention that in comment box.

 

Best wishes,

Keshav Ram Singhal