Regardless of size or sector, social responsibility is something that no organization can afford to ignore.

More than ever before, corporate leadership teams in service organizations have a responsibility to consider the broader societal implications of the provision of their services. 

Businesses must act in a way that is ethical, considering social, economic, and environmental impact – not to mention the conservation of human rights.

The advantages are significant when organizational activity is aligned with social responsibility standards. Greater public trust, improved reputation and international trade opportunities, optimized risk management, and an increased competitive edge are just a few.

The importance of social responsibility in the service supply chain

The supply chain presents several challenges for service organizations seeking to work in a consistently responsible manner. 

To maintain or implement appropriate social responsibility policies, companies need to extend their view of supplier networks beyond the first tier and look well beyond the company walls. Yet despite the best intentions, many organizations struggle to manage large, complex networks of suppliers in a way that is efficient, measurable and that drives continuous improvement to ensure social responsibilities are met.

As consumer and shareholder expectations continue to increase, strong social and environmental performance in the service supply chain is key. Businesses are now accountable on all fronts for aligning their brand values with supply chain capability. Failing to do so can cause long-lasting damage to brand perceptions, risking the loyalty and esteem of both customers and partners. 

The connection between social responsibility and supply chain management also has a direct effect on financial performance: structured properly, a fair and up-to-date supply chain policy creates a win-win situation for both buyer and supplier. What’s more, in addition to growing societal demands, governments have begun to regulate social practices to identify and mitigate risk – making visibility and transparency a top priority all the way down the chain. 

To learn more on the topic of risk and resilience in the services industry, click here.

Creating a responsible service supply chain with corporate social responsibility standards

A standards-based approach is the best way to establish a responsible supply chain. 

Through the implementation of internationally recognized service standards and effective supplier engagement, businesses can work toward shared goals that benefit the entire value chain to maintain a leadership position when it comes to social responsibility.

BS 8950 Social value. Understanding and enhancing. Guide has been developed to help users identify, preserve and enhance their organization’s social value. It focuses on the collection and use of appropriate data for making decisions about social value in all types and sizes of business activity, and creates a framework for measuring social value, building on and linking to existing principles and frameworks.

BS ISO 44001 on collaborative business relationship management systems can also help. It specifies requirements to develop and manage contractual relationships, helping businesses to implement and optimize their systems.

Another useful standard is BS EN ISO 31000, which provides a common approach to managing risk at all levels. Its structure allows businesses to mitigate social responsibility risks across the supply chain, developing plans for evaluating environmental and social compliance, as well as ethical sourcing and development. e competence, enabling organizations to build towards a supply chain in which all parties share responsibility and approach risk management appropriately.

In line with this, it is wise to consider specific standards on environmental management and sustainability, such as BS EN ISO 14001 to introduce an environmental management system and BS EN ISO 20400 on sustainable procurement.

BS EN ISO 14001 puts environmental management at the heart of a service organization’s operations to help meet regulations and improve efficiency and performance across the supply chain. Similarly, BS ISO 20400 helps organizations introduce sustainable procurement processes, improving the performance of all supply chain partners and ultimately increasing overall reputation and value.

Finally, in today’s ever-changing digital landscape it’s never been more important to apply an ethical approach to managing information risk. Service organizations are challenged to maintain effective privacy and security protocols to protect both consumer and organizational data. 

Information must be used appropriately, under safe and secure management, throughout the supply chain – and prevention measures established to guard against cybersecurity incidents. The BS EN ISO/IEC 27000 series of standards guide the creation and implementation of an information security management system (ISMS).

Ensure that the provision of your services is positively impacting society and the environment by adding these standards to your collection today.

Discover BSI Knowledge

BS ISO 20400 and over 100,000 more internationally recognized standards are available for simple and flexible access with a BSI Knowledge subscription. In your trust-critical industry, our subscription service puts the control in your hands, with traceability to monitor and demonstrate your business's compliance to standards, and self-serve functionality that enables you to manage your subscriptions, standards, users, and content quickly and simply. Request to learn more.