WSPA hails new ISO Standard as first to promote animal welfare

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) celebrates the inclusion of animal welfare in the newly launched ISO Standard 26000. The International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) new guidelines are internationally accepted standards on social responsibility for all organisations, public, private or third sector. The inclusion of animal welfare in ISO 26000 published today marks a historic first, as it will encourage a large number of entities to acknowledge the importance of animal welfare while pursuing certification as per ISO standards.

Dirk-Jan Verdonk, international programmes manager at WSPA says: “Undoubtedly, this is a landmark, because it states unequivocally that animal welfare matters to all. Our actions impact animals in countless ways and accordingly, we have a responsibility to ensure their welfare is respected, be it as a company, school, municipality, church, university, ministry or in any other form we organise ourselves.”

The standard, although voluntary, is highly significant as it states what organisations need to do to operate in a socially responsible manner, stipulating that the welfare of animals used economically, or in any other way, must be taken into consideration. Most notably, the text of ISO 26000 states that organisations should aim at: “respecting the welfare of animals, when affecting their lives and existence, including by providing decent conditions for keeping, breeding, producing, transporting and using animals.”

The standards also make specific mention of the physical and psychological wellbeing of animals in several chapters, not restricted to the section relating to the environment. The need to take animal welfare into consideration in an organisation’s business practices has also been integrated into actions governing ethical behaviour, consumer issues and community involvement and development, specifically in wealth and income creation.

The inclusion of animal welfare in these standards is a result of WSPA, together with Dutch consumers association, Goede Waar & Co, being included in the working group discussing the development of ISO 26000. Discussions on ISO 26000 began in 2005 and the working group which ISO formed to develop the standard was the largest in the Swiss-based organisation’s history, involving around 400 experts from 99 countries. After an initial focus on corporate responsibility, it was decided to open the standard up to include all types of organisations.

“So far, because animal welfare was not part of the ISO benchmark, organisations could claim to take their social responsibility seriously, despite overlooking the interests of the animals affected by their business practices,” says WSPA’s Verdonk. “We hope that other organisations responsible for issuing guidelines or standards – such as the IFC or OECD – will follow the ISO example, giving animal welfare its rightful place as a critical aspect of social responsibility.”

“The ISO Working Group agreed that it made sense to include animal welfare as an element of social responsibility,” says ISO Deputy Secretary-General Kevin McKinley.

“The specific issue of animal welfare is a relatively new subject in ISO Standards. Bringing together so many experts from different stakeholder interests to debate this new Standard has helped to ensure that the final consensus represents a depth and breadth of input on social responsibility as a whole.”

Notes to editors:

1. For more information on ISO 26000 see: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/management_and_leadership_standards/social_responsibility/sr_iso26000_overview.htm

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