The CSR Performance Ladder, inspired by ISO 26000, allows for the certification of a CSR management system.
The CSR Performance Ladder Management System Requirements and Certification Standard for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provides in the need to make sustainable development tangible, objective and verifiable from a position of social commitment. This Corporate Social Responsibility certification standard is based on principles as stated in the international sustainability guidelines (ISO 26000), stakeholder management (AA1000) and indicators and reporting (GRI). The standard is structured in such a way that it can be applied internationally. ISO 26000 is not a Management System standard; it is not intended nor suitable for certification purposes. The CSR Performance Ladder, Management System - Requirements and Certification Standard, however, is suitable for certification.
It integrates all these sub-aspects under the internationally accepted management concept of People, Planet and Profit (Prosperity) into manageable requirements. The CSR Performance Ladder consists of five levels. Placement on the CSR Performance Ladder represents the CSR Management System of a company or organization and is a snapshot of the sustainable development it is going through.
The CSR Management System certificate is objective evidence of the fact that the company or organization has a Corporate Social Responsibility Management System that manages stakeholder requirements and expectations in terms of result. Stakeholder requirements are, among others, requirements from the government, such as 'Sustainable Purchasing Criteria' in the Netherlands. Therefore, these criteria are also part of the certification process for the CSR Performance Ladder.
