Participate in a voluntary initiative addressing social responsibility on the operating asset

Scope

Owner shall participate in initiatives that have a clear focus on social responsibility principles and are relevant to the commercial real estate sector in the specific context and challenges of the project's location and impacted party community. Initiatives without a transparent governance structure or those that conflict with the broader objectives of the SEAM Standard are excluded.

Requirements

01.

The Project shall publicly state its involvement in the voluntary initiative and how it aligns with the ISO 26000 principles.
02.
Voluntary initiative(s) shall meet the following criteria:
1. a.
  It is applicable and relevant to a commercial real estate project
2. b.
  It addresses one or more ISO 26000 core subjects
3. c.
  It is not country-specific and is currently being implemented in at least 3 countries
4. d.
  It is not administered by a “for profit” organization for the purposes of financial gain

Indicators

The performance indicator is the number of voluntary initiatives in which the project participates.

Scoring

Points assignment

Points	Number of Voluntary Initiatives
1 point	single-stakeholder initiative participation
2 points	inter-governmental or multi-stakeholder initiative participation
3 points	2 or more initiatives participation

Documentation

The SEAM purpose of applying ISO 26000 principles in the context of voluntary initiatives is to enhance a Project's contribution to socially sustainable development. As such, any demonstration of successful participation should also show how the Project's efforts have had a positive impact on society.

01.

List of financial, human, and material resources utilized for this activity.
02.

A Participation Report describing the initiative, including the Project's contributions, commitments, actions taken, and the social responsibility goals or outcomes achieved, with alignment to ISO 26000 principles. This report should be transparent and list the locations where it is publicly available.
03.

Evidence of publication locations.
04.

Third-Party Validation (if applicable) if the voluntary initiative has an organizing body or is part of a larger program that can provide feedback, evaluations, or other forms of recognition for participants.

Guidance

On SEAM approved voluntary initiatives

The following initiatives have been identified as applicable and relevant to commercial real estate projects and qualify to receive compliance credit for this Activity:

Intergovernmental (IG) initiatives (defined by ISO 26000 as developed and administered by intergovernmental organizations)
- OECD, Risk Awareness Tool for Multinational Enterprises in Weak Governance Zones – www.oecd.org
- UN Global Compact – www.unglobalcompact.org
- UN Global Compact, UNDP, UNITAR – www.unglobalcompact.org/Issues/partnerships/pat.html
- UNCTAD, Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting (ISAR) – www.unctad.org/isar
Multi-stakeholder (MS) initiatives (defined by ISO 26000 as developed or administered through multi-stakeholder processes)
- Amnesty International, Human Rights Principles for Companies – https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act70/001/1998/en/
- EFQM, The EFQM Model – a globally recognized management framework that supports organizations in managing change and improving performance www.efqm.org
- Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainability Reporting Guidelines – www.globalreporting.org
- Fair Labour Association – www.fairlabor.org
- Danish Institute for Human Rights, Human Rights Compliance Assessment – www.humanrightsbusiness.org
- Social Accountability International (SAI) – www.sa-intl.org
- Transparency International – anti-corruption toolkits https://www.transparency.org/en/toolkits/business
- JUST Declare Label - https://declare.living-future.org
- B Impact Assessment - https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/programs-and-tools/b-impact-assessment
- Design for Freedom Toolkit - https://www.designforfreedom.org/
Single-stakeholder (SS) initiatives (defined by ISO 26000 as developed or administered through single-stakeholder processes)
- DEI Standard for the Built Environment Rating
- Salmon Safe - https://salmonsafe.org/get-certified/

Note: The fact that an initiative is listed as approved in this Standard does not constitute a judgment by SEAM on the value or effectiveness of any of the initiatives, nor does it imply any form of endorsement by SEAM of that initiative and its fit for purpose. The listing indicates that the initiative is applicable and relevant to commercial real estate. Furthermore, important characteristics relating to the initiative that cannot be objectively measured within the scope of the SEAM Standard – such as its effectiveness, credibility, legitimacy, and representative nature – are not considered here. Such characteristics should be assessed directly by those considering use of that initiative.

Additional Resources

Implementing ISO 26000: The New International Standard on Social Responsibility
by Adrian Henriques and Julie Richardson

Referenced Source

ISO 26000:2010, Guidance on social responsibility (2021)