International Standards

International Standards establish a common language, improving communication between manufacturers, suppliers, engineers, designers, purchasing agents, users and consumers no matter where they are located in the world. They are documented agreements that determine the required characteristics and technical specifications or other precise criteria such as rules, guidelines, or definitions for all kinds of materials, products, processes and services.

The World Standards Day on the 14th of October, first celebrated in 1970 by ISO, aims to 'raise awareness on the importance of international standardization to the world economy and to promote global awareness on the role standards play in helping meet the needs of business, industry, government and consumers.'

Scope

Standardisation is an independent process and the outcomes are based on consensus between various stakeholders (industry, public authorities, SMEs, consumers, workers, NGOs, etc). It is carried out by independent standards bodies, acting at national, regional and international level. Standards combine the views and suggestions made by all the relevant institutions, such as manufacturers, providers, consumer or citizens associations, legal advisers, research facilities, test and certification agencies.

International Standards have been created for an enormous range of activities and products such as:

• IT sector
• Construction
• Industrial Services
• Agriculture
• Communications
• Health technologies and telemedicine
• Transports
• Tourism
• Hygiene and Safety
• Quality
• Education
• Environmental management
• Manufacturing and distribution products and systems
• Measurements
• Mechanical engineering
• Consulting Systems
• Good management practices and services

Standards concern and benefit:

• businesses
• innovators of new technologies
• customers, consumers and users
• governments and trade officials
• related third parties

Aim

Standards were needed for and aim to:

• make the development, manufacturing and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner
• facilitate trade between countries and make it fairer
• provide governments with a technical base for health, safety and environmental legislation, and conformity assessment
• disseminate innovation, share advances and good management practice
• safeguard consumers, and users in general, of products and services, while helping them with their purchasing decision by providing more information
• make life simpler by providing solutions to common problems

Bodies setting standards

Due to their voluntary nature and their establishment on a consensus basis, international standards can be adopted by businesses and sectors and used strategically for self-regulation before the introduction or to prevent further legal requirements.

The International Organization for Standardization was founded on the 14th of October 1946, when delegates from twenty-five countries, met in London and decided to create a new international organization, the object of which would be to facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial standards. The mission of ISO today is to promote the development of standards in order to facilitate international exchange of goods and services and to develop cooperation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity. It aims to achieving a consensus on solutions that meet the requirements of business and the broader needs of society. It is a non-governmental organization that involves the public and private sectors and consists of a network of the national standards institutes of 157 countries. 16.500 international standards and other types of normative documents have been produced to date.

Standards can also deal with the efficient use of natural resources and eco-friendly, life-cycle design. Consequently, integrating environmental aspects into standards can have a positive impact on the environment. Hundreds of standards already exist, regarding the sampling, testing and analysis of air, water and soil. Physical products such as the electrical, electronic and telecommunication areas are increasingly covered and there are standards for them with information and recommendations on aspects like materials use, industrial processes, recycling and waste disposal. Many of these will also have an important role to help consumers identify environmental friendly products. Regarding the operational level, international as well as independent standards also offer the framework within which organizations can build an environmental management system in order to manage the impact of their activities on the environment.

Standards & Environment:

During the early 1970s many scientific documents were released regarding the negative impacts on the environment of industrialisation and modern society. Such warnings can be found even at the beginning of the century but little attention was drawn to them at that time. The degradation of ecosystems and resources however was growing more and more evident, mobilising many parts of society and raising awareness on issues that were formerly unknown and rarely discussed.

The UN offered the setting for such discussions and meetings, where sustainable development was established as a policy. The international conferences and summits served to bring attention and diffuse information about pollution and degradation, poverty and injustice. At each conference more groups and actors participated and more subjects were addressed. Apart from the Declarations, direct and specific regulation or agreements were rarely made. But their positive result was the influence they had on national policymaking. They also serve as a meeting point and an opportunity of network building. On the other hand, they paved the road for the adoption of agreements and protocols the years following each conference, while the number of institutions and research centres has multiplied.

Today, governments and citizens, international organisations, regional governments and institutions such as the European Union, NGOs and other associations are increasingly working towards sustainability. Sustainable development, climate change and the environment have climbed up the political agenda and are becoming key issues of the time.