ISO standards makers address sustainability, public policy and improvement of standards development system

From left: ISO Vice-President (technical management) Jacob Holmblad, ISO President Håkan Murby, Deputy Secretary-General Kevin McKinley

Leaders of the international committees that develop ISO’s International Standards met in Geneva, Switzerland, for a two-day conference to improve further the efficiency and global relevance of the organization’s standards development system.

ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden put their work in context by declaring: “Not only is business global today, but so is the response to a number of challenges, such as climate change, with all its complexity, and the provision of food for a growing world population, as well as constraints on supplies of raw materials, energy, water, security and healthcare.

“If we add to these global challenges the pervasiveness and need for connectivity and inter-operability of information and communication technologies, you can understand why the need for consensus-based International Standards has never been so great.

“In response, our collective challenge is to develop globally relevant standards while continuously improving their time-to-market, user friendliness, the quality of the consensus on which they are based, and our network of partnerships with stakeholders.”

ISO’s current portfolio of more than 17 000 voluntary standards is the output of stakeholders in business, government, international organizations, consumer associations and other groups, working in over 3 000 technical bodies under more than 700 ISO committees. Every working day, seven or more ISO meetings are taking place in different parts of the world, not counting the virtual meetings and contacts using ISO’s Web-based IT tools for its technical work.

Because this system is decentralized, ISO instituted a conference for the chairs of its technical committees, subcommittees and project committees to provide them with an opportunity for a face-to-face exchange of views, experiences and ideas with their counterparts from other committees. This year the conference highlighted the themes of sustainability and standards and public policy.

During his opening speech, ISO President Mr. Håkan Murby said “We contend that our standards, taken as a whole, make a major contribution to all three dimensions of sustainability: economic growth, environmental integrity and social equity.”

The ISO President proceeded to explain how ISO standards addressed each of these aspects. Firstly, by providing tools for business transactions and eliminating barriers to trade, consolidating innovation and contributing to interoperability and the dissemination of new technologies and best practices, ISO standards fuel economic growth. The “toolbox” of standards for conformity assessment, which can be used to increase confidence in products and services, is also part of this contribution.

In the environmental field, ISO standards support the dissemination of environmentally friendly and energy efficient technologies and practices. There is moreover, a growing number of standards on sustainability in relation to activities such as building construction, treatment of waste, the quality of water services, and air, water and soil quality. ISO has also recently launched strategic initiatives on energy efficiency and renewable sources.

As for social equity, there are standards on consumer protection, safety at work, accessibility requirements for people with disabilities, and a diverse range of healthcare initiatives. Mr. Murby added: “Consensus-based standards for products and services on the one hand, and for conformity assessment procedures on the other, are of growing interest to public policy makers in the context of good public governance and better regulation”.

The meeting provided a forum for the leaders of ISO technical committees to actively discuss key subjects. As a result, new approaches, new thinking and new coherence were voiced on the issue of sustainability, to which participants concluded that all ISO technical committees make a contribution.

The importance of communication was also emphasized as crucial for putting ISO standards into the hands of all interested stakeholders. Conformity assessment was identified as key for promoting confidence and participants were urged to take advantage of the CASCO “toolbox” of standards.

Finally, on the subject of standards, regulations and public policy, the importance of nurturing relations with government and policy makers was highlighted as an important step towards developing practical tools for these stakeholders. (source : www.iso.org)