How ISO’s technical

programme and standards

contribute to a sustainable world
environmental integrity

social equity

economic growth

International
Organization for
Standardization
ISO’s technical programme in support of a sustainable world

The purpose of this brochure is to pro-

vide a concise overview of how ISO’s
technical programme, which has so far
produced more than 17 400 Internation-
al Standards, contribute to a sustaina-
ble world.
ion
al Sta nda rdi zat
in Inte rna tion
Par tici pat ing To learn more about ISO, how it works,
what its standards can help to achieve,
how to participate. Access these pub-
lications free-of-charge on ISO’s Web
site : www.iso.org

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

The ISO standards development system

ISO – a multi-sector, multi-stake- ISO’s national members are respon-

holder international organization – is sible for organizing national input to
the leading producer of consensus- the development of ISO International
based International Standards. ISO’s Standards and are open to, and en-
membership comprises the national gage, different stakeholder groups.
standards bodies of 157 countries. A liaison mechanism also allows a
This network is complemented by wide range of international or broad-
more than 600 international and re- ly based regional stakeholder organ-
gional partners and the direct partic- izations to participate directly in the
ipation of close to 100 000 experts. technical work of ISO committees.

With a current portfolio of more than Key principles such as transparency,

17 400 International Standards and openness and consensus are fun-
related documents, ISO delivers al- damental to ISO’s working practices
most 100 new or revised standards and global relevance. These under-
each month covering a broad scope pin and complete the whole system
of issues, technologies and econom- to ensure that ISO is a trusted part-
ic sectors. The system allows for ex- ner for developing standards con-
tensive stakeholder involvement and tributing to the objectives of sustain-
consultation. able development.

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   1

Indeed, International Standards of • contribute to consumer protection,
the type developed by ISO, based safety at work, healthcare, securi-
on a double level of consensus – ty and other social interests which
between stakeholders and between may require technical or manage-
countries – contribute to the three ment standards for the related
dimensions of sustainable develop- products and services.
ment – economic, environmental and
social. They: The ISO Strategic Plan 2005-2010
reflects and enhances this contribu-
• support the facilitation of glo- tion and is placed under the general
bal trade, the dissemination of heading of Standards for a sustaina-
new technologies, good business ble world.
practice and the relations between
economic actors

• support good environmental prac-

tice and information, energy effi-
ciency and the dissemination of
new, eco-friendly and energy per-
formance technologies

2  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

ISO’s technical programme and sustainable development

Market and regulatory requirements for ISO has closely reviewed its technical tribution to one or more of the three
products and services now demand work in the context of sustainable de- components was obvious. However,
not only the specification of technical velopment. In particular, a Task Force the responses from committees in
characteristics, but also those related to was established under ISO’s Technical very specific technical fields were
the management of production and Management Board (see next page) also revealing.
distribution. Impacts on the environ- and given the responsibility of iden-
ment, energy consumption, health and tifying ISO’s current and potential Some examples of ISO’s work which
safety risks, security, traceability and contribution to sustainable develop- illustrate current and potential fu-
social responsibility are issues which ment, It was also asked to investigate ture contributions to sustainable
must be taken into account in the the establishment of mechanisms development are highlighted in the
design, production and distribution to enable a coordinated approach following pages. It is worth noting that
of products and services. Interna- across all ISO technical committees, during the consultation exercise, there
tional Standards help to avoid such the bodies which actually develop was great interest among the ISO
considerations becoming unjustified ISO standards. technical committees as a whole to
barriers to trade and can facilitate the consider and address sustainable
dissemination of good practice and As a first step, ISO’s technical com- development matters in their work
related technical solutions. mittees were asked how their stand- programmes.
ards contributed to sustainable
development. For some committees
dealing with broad subjects, the con-

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   3

Policy inputs to ISO’s standards development programme

In addition to the technical inputs de- In addition to this good steward- for these needs to be taken account
scribed, ISO’s standardization work ship of the process and associat- of in the development of standards,
benefits from strategic management ed resources, which is itself a con- or, in the case of ISO/CASCO (see
and policy inputs that also contribute tribution to sustainable development, next page) develop standards them-
to sustainability. the TMB explores the strategic need selves.
for new standardization initiatives to
The ISO Technical Management help solve challenges facing the glo- The ISO Committee on consumer pol-
Board (TMB) oversees the technical bal community and then attributes icy (ISO/COPOLCO) helps to ensure
committees and their standards de- the practical realization of the work to that ISO standards support the devel-
velopment programmes. It helps to existing technical committees or new opment and trading of products and
ensure that the development of ISO structures. Recent examples include services that better meet consumers’
standards is carried out efficiently energy management, societal securi- expectations in areas such as design,
and effectively. By launching the de- ty and supply chain security. performance, safety, quality and reliabil-
velopment of only those standards ity. Policy recommendations and/or ex-
for which a market requirement has The ISO system also includes three ploratory work by ISO/COPOLCO have
been established, the TMB makes policy development committees which led to the launching of ISO standards in
certain that redundant effort is avoid- explore the standardization needs of areas of clear relevance to sustainable
ed and that resources are used op- the broad categories of stakehold- development such as environmental
timally. ers whose interests they represent. labelling, services and social respon-
They then make recommendations sibility.

4  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

The ISO Committee on developing sustainable standardization and de- or service greater confidence that it
country matters (ISO/DEVCO) advis- velopment. meets the requirements. In facilitating
es on training, capacity building and international trade and creating con-
information programmes to help de- The ISO Committee on conformity fidence among regulators, users and
veloping countries derive optimal assessment (ISO/CASCO) develops consumers, conformity assessment
benefits from International Standards standards and guides for conform- standards contribute to global effi-
and to participate to the maximum in ity assessment. Conformity assess- ciency and the economic dimension
international standardization. Its work ment is the name given to the proc- of sustainable development.
thus impacts positively on the eco- esses that are used to demonstrate
nomic and social aspects of sustain- that a product, service, management * IEC (International Electrotechnical Com-
able development. system, or organizational processes mission)
meet specified requirements.
Many developing countries are also
keenly interested in such matters as The use of ISO/IEC* conformity as-
environmental management and so- sessment standards allows for harmo-
cial responsibility for questions of in- nization of such activities throughout
telligent use of resources and socially the world and this, in turn, not only fa-
responsible develoment, Thus, ISO/ cilitates trade within countries, but al-
DEVCO provides a practical comple- so facilitates trade internationally by
ment to responsible, inclusive and giving all purchasers of the product

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   5

Examples of contributions to sustainable
development by ISO’s technical programme

Buildings buildings, the committee is providing

tools for the efficient use of energy and
ISO has a strong standardization pro- the reduction of greenhouse gas emis-
gramme for the building sector with sions.
several technical committees active.
ISO/TC 59, Building construction, is ISO/TC 71, Concrete, notes that the de-
particularly relevant to sustainable de- terioration of concrete can be a signifi-
velopment, producing standards that cant problem in buildings and civil en-
address environmental aspects. They gineering structures. A large amount of
also address broader issues such as resources and energy are consumed
accessibility and usability which have during construction of these structures.
a social dimension. Therefore, it is very important to pro-
long their life span. The committee is
Another committee, ISO/TC 163, Ther- in the process of developing standards
mal performance and energy use in for the maintenance and repair of con-
the built environment, is dedicated to crete structures that will have important
improving the energy performance of impacts on their useable lifetime. The
buildings. By providing accurate meas- committee has also started work on a
urement methods for the thermal prop- standard for environmental manage-
erties of building products and whole ment in the sector.

6  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

Energy ISO technical committees already optimal efficiency, energy is lost in
dealing with renewable energies the form of heat. Individual machine
ISO has recently focused on activities include ones working on solar (ISO/ energy losses may be relatively small
in the field of energy. At the strategic TC 180) and hydrogen (ISO/TC 197) but, considering the vast number of
level, an advisory group on energy standards, while another committee mechanical machine installations in
efficiency and renewable energy is working on standards for technical the world not operating at their op-
sources has been established to energy systems (ISO/TC 203). ISO timum, the total loss may be enor-
examine new opportunities in the is also developing standards for mous. Standards from ISO/TC 108,
field and to ensure optimal use of biofuels help machines to run efficiently.
ISO’s existing contributions in these
important areas. At the technical level, An example of an indirect contri-
ISO has established a new project bution of ISO’s work to energy sav-
committee to develop a standard on ing was provided by ISO/TC 108,
energy management. This is intended Mechanical vibration and shock. The
to be a systems approach to tackle committee noted that careful moni-
energy efficiency improvement in toring and maintenance of machines,
all organizations in developed and vehicles and structures result in both
developing economies. improved efficiency of operation and
longer operating life. For example,
when a machine is not operating at Hydrogen passenger vehicle.

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   7

Environment However, ISO’s activities to support
environmental improvement are not
Since 1993, ISO/TC 207, Environ- limited to one committee – there is a
mental management, has been a wealth of other technical work which
leader in this field. All of the commit- may be considered to make important
tee’s work contributes to improved contributions to environmental protec-
environmental management and sus- tion and related matters. One exam-
tainable development. Specifically, it ple, ISO/TC 43, Acoustics, provides
has developed standards on environ- methods for measuring noise emis-
mental management systems (EMS), sions from a range of sources and in
greenhouse gas accounting and ver- different environments. These stand-
ification, environmental auditing, en- ards aim to create a better sound en-
vironmental labelling, life-cycle as- vironment and can therefore help im-
sessment, and environmental per- prove quality of life.
formance evaluation. ISO/TC 207 is
now working on new areas such as ISO also has committees developing
carbon footprint quantification. standards on air quality. A good in-
door environment is dependent on the
quality of the supplied air. ISO/TC 142,
Cleaning equipment for air and other

8  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

gases, develops standards for air fil- In addition, ISO/TC 207 helped to
ters. The correct specification of filters develop ISO/IEC Guide 67, Guide
is a prerequisite for the correct func- for the inclusion of environmental as-
tioning of ventilation systems, to pro- pects in product standards.
tect humans and the environment and
to improve indoor air quality. Existing technical committees also
deal with soil quality (ISO/TC 190)
ISO/TC 146, Air quality, develops stand- and water quality (ISO/TC 147)
ards for characterisation of emissions,
workspace air, ambient air and indoor
air. In particular, the committee provides
measurement methods for air pollutants.

Horizontal resources also exist to

assist committees in their efforts to
further sustainable development. For
example, ISO/TC 207, Environmental
management, can advise committees
on any environmental issue they face
when developing their standards.

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   9

Fire safety of excessive amounts of agents that
would unnecessarily harm the envi-
ISO has two committees involved ronment.
with fire safety, both strongly sup-
porting the social pillar of sustaina- The other ISO committee in this area
ble development, in addition to cer- is ISO/TC 92, Fire safety, which has
tain considerations of environmental recently started two new projects,
issues. ISO/TC 21, Equipment for fire one on a standard to assess the ad-
protection and fire fighting, has de- verse environmental impact of fire
veloped standards for efficient water effluents and another on contain-
delivery and dispersal equipment. ment systems for the prevention of
For example, an effective sprinkler pollution arising from uncontrolled
system results in less water being fire water run-off.
used to extinguish a fire. The com-
mittee has also developed stand-
ards for systems using foam and
powder, and standards for systems
using gaseous extinguishing media
agents, that contribute to improved
design and increased efficiency of
the system, thus preventing the use

10  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

Food Health
ISO/TC 34, Food products, has been ISO has extensive and long-estab-
providing essential test methods for lished activities in support of health
the food industry for more than 50 care, which is a major issue in the so-
years. Its standards have facilitated cial dimension. Seventeen ISO com-
trade in specific food products, thus mittees currently address matters re-
helping developed and developing lated to health. One focus is on the
countries to trade whilst helping to quality, safety, clinical evaluation and
ensure consumer safety. cleanliness of medical devices to im-
prove patient safety.
From the environmental and social
perspectives, the committee has pro- There is also strong activity in the field
duced several methods for detect- of health informatics (ISO/TC 215)
ing genetically modified organisms where the standards will be used to
in food products. More recently, the help achieve compatibility and interop-
committee has developed standards erability between computer systems, in
which are dedicated to improving the order to improve access to healthcare
management of, and traceability in, information to the benefit of patients
the entire food chain. and those who fund healthcare.

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   11

Nanotechnologies People with disabilities
Many ISO committees develop stand- The work of ISO/TC 173, Assistive
ards which will help bring new tech- products for persons with disabil-
nologies to market and disseminate ity, is helping to improve the quali-
them to everyone’s benefit. ISO/TC ty of life for persons with disability –
229, Nanotechnologies, provides a another contribution to the social di-
good example. This technology has mension. This committee has nearly
great potential for healthcare and 70 standards for a diverse range of
scientific applications. In addition products from wheelchairs to envi-
to tackling environmental and safe- ronmental controls for daily living.
ty challenges with nanotechnologies,
the committee will examine standards The subject area has also been dealt
that have the potential to reduce ma- with in the context of construction
terial usage and to support improved where ISO/TC 59, Building construc-
environmental clean-up methods and tion, has developed standards for
operations. accessibility and usability of the built
environment.

12  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

A generic guide (ISO/IEC Guide 71) Quality management
to help standards writers to address
the needs of older people and peo- It can be argued that all ISO stand-
ple with disabilities has also been ards contribute to the economic di-
published. This makes available im- mension. However, the work of ISO/
portant knowledge of these areas to TC 176, Quality management and
all ISO technical committees. quality assurance, perhaps pro-
vides the best known example of
how standards support the economy.
Standards from ISO/TC 176 such as
ISO 9001 are used in all types of or-
ganizations all over the world. They
cover subjects which are fundamen-
tal to economic development such as
the efficient use of resources to sat-
isfy customer and regulatory require-
ments, continual improvement of per-
formance and complaints handling.

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   13

Social responsibility The standard will be usable by organ-
izations of all sizes and in all coun-
Organizations around the world and tries, at every stage of development.
their stakeholders are becoming in- To reflect the innovative nature of the
creasingly aware of the need for so- project, ISO and its members have
cially responsible behaviour. The aim made strong efforts to ensure that the
of social responsibility is to contrib- standard will have a broad input by all
ute to sustainable development. ISO is stakeholders with a serious interest in
working on an International Standard, SR.
ISO 26000, to give voluntary guidance
for social responsibility (SR). The work
aims to encourage voluntary commit-
ment to SR and will lead to common
guidance on making SR operational in
organizations.

14  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

Transport The work of ISO/TC 104, Freight con- Another committee, ISO/TC 204, In-
tainers, has standardized the interna- telligent transport systems, provides
ISO/TC 8, Ships and marine technol- tional freight container, helping to un- standards for road telematics and sat-
ogy, works closely with international derpin the trade in goods and signif- ellite navigation technology which can
and regional governmental authorities icantly contribute to the reduction of be used to support efficient and effec-
in both the maritime and supply chain pollution associated with the move- tive transport policies with economic,
fields. It therefore responds to regula- ment of freight. The committee’s work environmental and social implications.
tory needs wherever possible and, as has also helped to greatly increase the
such, sustainable development princi- security of goods in transit. On the ba-
ples have been a driver for the commit- sis of tons of cargo moved, a typical
tee in all its work. As well as facilitating modern containership utilizing stand-
trade and, therefore, the economic di- ards from ISO/TC 104 consumes 60 %
mension of sustainability, the commit- less fuel and produces 60 % less CO2
tee has addressed issues such as sup- emissions than would a similar capac-
ply chain security (social dimension) ity series of break bulk ships. In addi-
and, more recently, recycling which will tion, much of the world’s aid shipments
help lower the environmental impact of are supplied using the ISO standard-
decommissioning ships. ized freight container.

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   15

Water ISO/TC 30, Measurement of fluid flow Finally, the ISO International Workshop
in closed conduits, has a subcommit- Agreement IWA 6, Guidelines for the
There are a number of activities in this tee which develops standards for wa- management of drinking water utilities
sector where a contribution to sustain- ter meters, contributing to sustainable under crisis conditions, disseminates
able development is evident. The work development in the social and environ- good practice in keeping the world’s
of ISO/TC 224, Service activities relat- mental dimensions. Direct measure- drinking water supplies safe and se-
ing to drinking water supply systems ment in homes helps individual water cure.
and wastewater systems – Quality cri- consumption monitoring, thus encour-
teria of the service and performance aging improved drinking water usage,
indicators, is directly aimed at promot- water conservation and reduction of
ing sustainable development in the wa- water waste. Standards developed by
ter services field, focusing on improve- ISO/TC 30 also help water suppliers to
ment of the services to users and im- reduce water losses in their distribution
proving the management of wastewa- systems.
ter and drinking water utilities.

In addition, ISO/TC 147, Water quality,

is dedicated to providing harmonized
methods for measuring and monitoring
water quality.

16  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

The future • The committee undertaking such achieving its aspirations for sustaina-
work should clarify its intentions in ble development and the organization
To guide individual ISO committees that the introduction of the specific pro- will continue to use its capacity to sup-
wish to better address sustainable de- posed standard(s) port the concept. The theme of Stand-
velopment in their work and to ensure ards for a sustainable world is central
coordination across ISO’s technical • The committee should note that to the ISO Strategy 2005-2010 and will
activities, the ISO TMB has approved the most widely used definition of undoubtedly be reinforced in its strate-
a resolution establishing a number of sustainable development is the one gic planning for 2011 and beyond.
general principles. When a commit- from the 1987 Report of the Unit-
tee in any sector wishes to develop a ed Nations World Commission on
standard dealing with sustainable de- Environment and Development (the
velopment : Brundtland Commission) : “ meet-
ing the needs of the present with-
• The standard must remain within the out compromising the ability of
context of the committee’s scope of future generations to meet their own
work needs.”

• The committee should notify the TMB In summary, ISO’s standards help to
of the title and scope of the proposed provide the international community
standard as early as possible with the practical tools necessary for

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   17

More information

ISO Online The Management standards link on the

home page leads to information includ-
ISO’s Web site www.iso.org provides a ing on the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000
wealth of information on the organiza- families.
tion, its activities and standards.
The Resources for… section on the
The Standards development link on the home page includes links for ISO’s
home page leads to information includ- policy development committees for
ing the complete list of ISO’s technical consumers, developing country mat-
committees, the standards they have ters and conformity assessment and
developed, their work programmes to the ISO social responsibility site
and business plans. www.iso.org/sr

The About ISO link on the home page

leads to information including on the
ISO system, its structure, and its man-
agement organs including the Techni-
cal Management Board.

18  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

ISO’s magazines ISO Management Systems – World-
wide coverage of ISO 9000 and ISO
ISO Focus – News and views on 14000 developments. Plus new man-
ISO’s positive contribution to econom- agement system standards for infor-
ic growth, environmental integrity and mation security, food safety, supply
societal equity through standards for chain security. Plus new initiatives
technology dissemination, global in- for important business and societal
teroperability, testing and conformi- issues such as social responsibili-
ty assessment, quality, health, safe- ty, sustainability, occupational health
ty, security and the environment. and safety and conformity assess-
Eleven issues a year. English only. ment. Plus sector developments and
www.iso.org/isofocus national initiatives. Six issues a year.
English, French and Spanish edi-
tions. www.iso.org/ims

How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008   19

ISO and international standardization

ISO is the International Organiza- ISO develops only those standards

tion for Standardization. It has a that are required by the market. This
membership of 157 national standards work is carried out by experts coming
institutes from countries large and from the industrial, technical and busi-
small, industrialized and develop- ness sectors which have asked for the
ing, in all regions of the world. ISO standards, and which subsequently
develops voluntary technical standards put them to use. These experts may
which add value to all types of busi- be joined by others with relevant
ness operations. They contribute to the knowledge, such as representatives
dissemination of technology and good of government agencies, consumer
business practices. They support the organizations, academia and testing
development, manufacturing and sup- laboratories.
ply of more efficient, safer and cleaner
environmental integrity
products and services. They make Published under the designation of In-
trade between countries easier and ternational Standards, ISO standards
fairer. ISO standards also safeguard social equity
represent an international consensus
users and consumers, and make many on the state of the art in the technol-
aspects of their lives simpler. economic growth
ogy or good practice concerned.

20  How ISO contributes to a sustainable world – 2008

 ISO Central Secretariat

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