What is BS 8900-1 – Guide to development of organisations about?
BS 8900-1 is a technical specification that provides guidance on managing sustainable development and a framework that assists organisations to enhance performance and effectiveness. BS 8900-1 offers a coherent approach to managing social, economic and environmental aspects of an organisation’s activities. This guidance is intended to be applied by organisations of any size, sector and type.
BS 8900-1 does not specify performance criteria or explain the specific elements of social, economic and environmental impacts.
Note: The application of BS 8900-1 varies with an organisation’s progress along the sustainable development path (illustrated in Clause 5).
BS 8900-1 on guide to development of organisations is useful for:
BS 8900-1 starts by identifying the possible benefits and desirable outcomes of managing sustainable development. The approach throughout is to provide a framework for embedding sustainable development management in everyday decision making and is necessarily challenging, provoking and continually evolving. Using BS 8900-1 guidelines stakeholders’ expectations of both public and private sector organisations continue to expand and deepen. The concept of sustainable development provides a framework for responding to a significant number of these expectations. For the purpose of BS 8900-1 sustainable development is taken to mean an enduring, balanced approach to social progress, economic activity and environmental responsibility. BS 8900-1 ensures users with guidance to make high quality decisions that promote continuing and lasting success. The long-term success of any organisation increasingly depends on the integration of economic, environmental and social performance into all aspects of operation.
The guidance in BS 8900-1 is designed to help organisations develop an approach to sustainable development that will continue to evolve and adapt to meet new and continuing challenges and demands. As a guide, BS 8900-1 as part of BS 8900 takes the form of guidance and recommendations. BS 8900-1 should not be quoted as if it were a specification or a code of practice and claims of compliance cannot be made to it.