AFNOR, the French member body to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and ABNT, the Brazilian member body to ISO, have submitted a proposal for a new field of technical activity on sustainable purchasing. As the U.S. member body to ISO, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) invites all interested stakeholders to submit comments on the proposal by Friday, December 14, 2012.
According to the new work item proposal, the activity would work to assist organizations of all sizes operating worldwide in their efforts to implement the economic rules and principles contained in ISO 26000:2010, Guidance on social responsibility. The effort would standardize guidelines and principles for all stakeholders working with internal and external purchasing processes - including contractors, suppliers, buyers, and local authorities - as part of an effort to demonstrate good practices for sustainable purchasing.
All comments on this proposal should be sent to Steven Cornish, ANSI senior director for international policy ([email protected]). Feedback received by the December 14 deadline will be reviewed and compiled for the recommended ANSI position and comment, which will then be presented to the ANSI ISO Council for formal approval.
The full proposal filed by AFNOR and ABNT is available here.
ANSI has published an explanatory information document outlining the process used to develop U.S. positions on issues and activities under consideration by ISO and IEC. Click here to download the document.