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Overview of the ISO
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What if standards did not exist? If there were no standards, we would soon notice. Standards make an enormous contribution to most aspects of our lives - although very often, that contribution is invisible. It is when there is an absence of standards that their importance is brought home. For example, as purchasers or users of products, we soon notice when they turn out to be of poor quality, do not fit, are incompatible with equipment we already have, are unreliable or dangerous. When products meet our expectations, we tend to take this for granted. We are usually unaware of the role played by standards in raising levels of quality, safety, reliability, efficiency and interchangeability - as well as in providing such benefits at an economical cost. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer of standards. Although ISO's principal activity is the development of technical standards, ISO standards also have important economic and social repercussions. ISO standards make a positive difference, not just to engineers and manufacturers for whom they solve basic problems in production and distribution, but to society as a whole. The International Standards which ISO develops are very useful. They are useful to industrial and business organizations of all types, to governments and other regulatory bodies, to trade officials, to conformity assessment professionals, to suppliers and customers of products and services in both public and private sectors, and, ultimately, to people in general in their roles as consumers and end users. ISO standards contribute to making the development, manufacturing and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner. They make trade between countries easier and fairer. They provide governments with a technical base for health, safety and environmental legislation. They aid in transferring technology to developing countries. ISO standards also serve to safeguard consumers, and users in general, of products and services - as well as to make their lives simpler. When things go well - for example, when systems, machinery and devices work well and safely - then it is because they conform to standards. And the organization responsible for many thousands of the standards which benefit society worldwide is ISO. The ISO Strategic Plan 2005-2010 outlines the
global vision of the Organization in 2010, together with the seven
strategic objectives set out to meet the expectations of the ISO
members and stakeholders.
ISO is a non-governmental organization: its members are not, as is the case in the United Nations system, delegations of national governments. Nevertheless, ISO occupies a special position between the public and private sectors. This is because, on the one hand, many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations. Therefore, ISO is able to act as a bridging
organization in which a consensus can be reached on solutions that
meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of
society, such as the needs of stakeholder groups like consumers and
users. Because "International Organization for
Standardization" would have different abbreviations in different
languages ("IOS" in English, "OIN" in French for Organisation
internationale de normalisation), it was decided at the outset
to use a word derived from the Greek isos, meaning "equal".
Therefore, whatever the country, whatever the language, the short
form of the organization's name is always ISO. International standardization began in the electrotechnical field: the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) was established in 1906. Pioneering work in other fields was carried out by the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA), which was set up in 1926. The emphasis within ISA was laid heavily on mechanical engineering. ISA's activities came to an end in 1942. In 1946, delegates from 25 countries met in London and decided to create a new international organization, of which the object would be "to facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial standards". The new organization, ISO, officially began operations on 23 February 1947. Read Friendship
among equals - Recollections from ISO's first fifty year for
a historical perspective of ISO. What
'international standardization' means When the large majority of products or services
in a particular business or industry sector conform to International
Standards, a state of industry-wide standardization can be said to
exist. This is achieved through consensus agreements between
national delegations representing all the economic stakeholders
concerned - suppliers, users, government regulators and other
interest groups, such as consumers. They agree on specifications and
criteria to be applied consistently in the classification of
materials, in the manufacture and supply of products, in testing and
analysis, in terminology and in the provision of services. In this
way, International Standards provide a reference framework, or a
common technological language, between suppliers and their customers
- which facilitates trade and the transfer of technology. How
ISO standards benefit society For businesses, the widespread adoption of International Standards means that suppliers can base the development of their products and services on specifications that have wide acceptance in their sectors. This, in turn, means that businesses using International Standards are increasingly free to compete on many more markets around the world. For customers, the worldwide compatibility of technology which is achieved when products and services are based on International Standards brings them an increasingly wide choice of offers, and they also benefit from the effects of competition among suppliers. For governments, International Standards provide the technological and scientific bases underpinning health, safety and environmental legislation. For trade officials negotiating the emergence of regional and global markets, International Standards create "a level playing field" for all competitors on those markets. The existence of divergent national or regional standards can create technical barriers to trade, even when there is political agreement to do away with restrictive import quotas and the like. International Standards are the technical means by which political trade agreements can be put into practice. For developing countries, International Standards that represent an international consensus on the state of the art constitute an important source of technological know-how. By defining the characteristics that products and services will be expected to meet on export markets, International Standards give developing countries a basis for making the right decisions when investing their scarce resources and thus avoid squandering them. For consumers, conformity of products and services to International Standards provides assurance about their quality, safety and reliability. For everyone, International Standards can contribute to the quality of life in general by ensuring that the transport, machinery and tools we use are safe. For the planet we inhabit,
International Standards on air, water and soil quality, and on
emissions of gases and radiation, can contribute to efforts to
preserve the environment.
The
hallmarks of the ISO brand Equal footing Voluntary Market-driven Consensus Worldwide ISO - together with IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) - has built a strategic partnership with the WTO (World Trade Organization) with the common goal of promoting a free and fair global trading system. The political agreements reached within the framework of the WTO require underpinning by technical agreements. ISO, IEC and ITU, as the three principal organizations in international standardization, have the complementary scopes, the framework, the expertise and the experience to provide this technical support for the growth of the global market. The WTO's Agreement on Technical Barriers to
Trade (TBT) includes the Code of Good Practice for the Preparation,
Adoption and Application of Standards. The TBT Agreement recognizes
the important contribution that International Standards and
conformity assessment systems can make to improving efficiency of
production and facilitating international trade. Therefore, where
International Standards exist or their completion is imminent, the
Code states that standardizing bodies should use them as a basis for
standards they develop. The Code requires that standardizing bodies
that have accepted its terms notify this fact to the ISO/IEC Information Centre located at the ISO
Central Secretariat. Standardizing bodies having accepted the Code
must publish their work programmes and also notify the existence of
their work programmes to the ISO/IEC Information Centre. On behalf
of the WTO, ISO periodically publishes a Directory
of standardizing bodies that have accepted the WTO TBT Standards
Code. ISO standards represent a reservoir of
technology. Developing countries in particular, with their scarce
resources, stand to gain from this wealth of knowledge. For them,
ISO standards are an important means both of acquiring technological
know-how that is backed by international consensus as the state of
the art, and of raising their capability to export and compete on
global markets. The whole spectrum of ISO's activities in favour of
developing countries is encompassed in the ISO Action Plan for developing countries
2005-2010. ISO has a policy committee on developing country
matters, DEVCO,
with a membership of nearly 117 standards institutes from both
industrialized and developing countries.
An ISO standard can be anything from a
four-page document to one several hundred pages' long and, in the
future, will increasingly be available in electronic form. It
carries the ISO logo and the designation, "International Standard".
In most cases, it is published in A4 format - which is itself one of
the ISO standard paper sizes. The
big, wide world of ISO standards Between 1947 and the present day, ISO published more than 15 000 International Standards. ISO's work programme ranges from standards for traditional activities, such as agriculture and construction, through mechanical engineering, to medical devices, to the newest information technology developments, such as the digital coding of audio-visual signals for multimedia applications. Standardization of screw threads helps to keep chairs, children's bicycles and aircraft together and solves the repair and maintenance problems caused by a lack of standardization that were once a major headache for manufacturers and product users. Standards establishing an international consensus on terminology make technology transfer easier and can represent an important stage in the advancement of new technologies. Without the standardized dimensions of freight containers, international trade would be slower and more expensive. Without the standardization of telephone and banking cards, life would be more complicated. A lack of standardization may even affect the quality of life itself: for the disabled, for example, when they are barred access to consumer products, public transport and buildings because the dimensions of wheel-chairs and entrances are not standardized. Standardized symbols provide danger warnings and information across linguistic frontiers. Consensus on grades of various materials give a common reference for suppliers and clients in business dealings. Agreement on a sufficient number of variations of a product to meet most current applications allows economies of scale with cost benefits for both producers and consumers. An example is the standardization of paper sizes. Standardization of performance or safety requirements of diverse equipment makes sure that users' needs are met while allowing individual manufacturers the freedom to design their own solution on how to meet those needs. Standardized protocols allow computers from different vendors to "talk" to each other. Standardized documents speed up the transit of goods, or identify sensitive or dangerous cargoes that may be handled by people speaking different languages. Standardization of connections and interfaces of all types ensures the compatibility of equipment of diverse origins and the interoperability of different technologies. Agreement on test methods allows meaningful comparisons of products, or plays an important part in controlling pollution - whether by noise, vibration or emissions. Safety standards for machinery protect people at work, at play, at sea... and at the dentist's. Without the international agreement contained in ISO standards on quantities and units, shopping and trade would be haphazard, science would be - unscientific - and technological development would be handicapped. More than half a million organizations in more 149 countries are implementing ISO 9000 which provides a framework for quality management throughout the processes of producing and delivering products and services for the customer. ISO 14000 environmental management systems are helping organizations of all types to improve their environmental performance at the same time as making a positive impact on business results. For more examples of the many areas of life and
work where ISO standards provide technical, economic and social
benefits, see the The
ISO Café. What makes ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 so
special The ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families are among ISO's most widely known standards ever. ISO 9000 has become an international reference for quality requirements in business to business dealings, and ISO 14000 looks set to achieve at least as much, if not more, in helping organizations to meet their environmental challenges. The vast majority of ISO standards are highly specific to a particular product, material, or process. However, the standards that have earned the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families a worldwide reputation are known as "generic management system standards". "Generic" means that the same standards can be applied to any organization, large or small, whatever its product - including whether its "product" is actually a service - in any sector of activity, and whether it is a business enterprise, a public administration, or a government department. "Management system" refers to what the organization does to manage its processes, or activities. "Generic" also signifies that no matter what the organization is or does, if it wants to establish a quality management system or an environmental management system, then such a system has a number of essential features which are spelled out in the relevant standards of the ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 families. ISO
9000 is concerned with "quality management". This means what the
organization does to enhance customer satisfaction by meeting
customer and applicable regulatory requirements and continually to
improve its performance in this regard. ISO
14000 is primarily concerned with "environmental management".
This means what the organization does to minimize harmful effects on
the environment caused by its activities, and continually to improve
its environmental performance. What makes conformity assessment so
important At its simplest, "conformity
assessment" means checking that products, materials, services,
systems or people measure up to the specifications of a relevant
standard. Today, many products require testing for conformance with
specifications or compliance with safety, or other regulations
before they can be put on many markets. Even simpler products may
require supporting technical documentation that includes test data.
With so much trade taking place across borders, conformity
assessment has become an important component of the world economy.
Over the years, ISO has developed many of the standards against
which products are assessed for conformity, as well as the
standardized test methods that allow the meaningful comparison of
test results so necessary for international trade. ISO itself does
not carry out conformity assessment. However, in partnership with
IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO develops
ISO/IEC guides and standards to be used by organizations which carry
out conformity assessment activities. The voluntary criteria
contained in these guides and standards represent an international
consensus on what constitutes best practice. Their use contributes
to the consistency and coherence of conformity assessment worldwide
and so facilitates trade across borders. Where to find information on standards ISO's entire portfolio of standards is listed
in the ISO
Catalogue which can be accessed online. The site also provides
access to the World Standards Services Network (WSSN) which is a
network of publicly accessible Web servers of standards
organizations around the world. Through these Web site, WSSN
provides information on international, regional and national
standardization and related activities and services. Membership of ISO is open to national standards institutes most representative of standardization in their country (one member in each country). Full members, known as "Member bodies", each have one vote, whatever the size or strength of the economy of the country concerned. In addition, ISO has two categories of membership for countries which do not yet have a fully developed national standards activity. They pay reduced membership fees. "Correspondent members" are entitled to participate in any policy or technical body as observers, with no voting rights. "Subscriber members" are institutes from countries with very small economies that nevertheless wish to maintain contact with international standardization. Although individuals or enterprises are not
eligible for membership, both have a range of opportunities for
taking part in ISO's work, or in contributing to the development of
standards through the ISO member in their country. Individuals may
be selected by member institutes to serve on national delegations
participating in ISO technical committees, or may provide their
input during the process of developing a national consensus for
presentation by the delegation. International organizations and
associations, both non-governmental and representing industry
sectors, can apply for liaison status to a technical committee. They
do not vote, but can participate in the debates and the development
of consensus. All strategic decisions are referred to the ISO
members, who meet for an annual General Assembly. The proposals put
to the members are developed by the ISO Council, drawn from the
membership as a whole, which resembles the board of directors of a
business organization. ISO Council meets two times a year and its
membership is rotated to ensure that it is representative of ISO's
membership. Operations are managed by a Secretary-General, which is
a permanent appointment. The Secretary-General reports to the ISO
Council, the latter being chaired by the President who is a
prominent figure in standardization or in business, elected for two
years. The Secretary-General is based at ISO Central Secretariat in
Geneva, Switzerland, with a compact staff which provides
administrative and technical support to the ISO members, coordinates
the decentralized standards' development programme, and publishes
the output. How the ISO system is financed ISO's national members pay subscriptions that
meet the operational cost of ISO's Central Secretariat. The
subscription paid by each member is in proportion to the country's
Gross National Income and trade figures. Another source of revenue
is the sale of standards. However, the operations of ISO Central
Secretariat represent only about one fifth of the cost of the
system's operation. The main costs are borne by the member bodies
which manage the specific standards' development projects and the
business organizations which provide experts to participate in the
technical work. These organizations are, in effect, subsidizing the
technical work by paying the travel costs of the experts and
allowing them time to work on their ISO assignments. How ISO decides what standards to
develop Working through the ISO system, it is the sectors which need the standards that are at the origin of their development. What happens is that the need for a standard is felt by an industry or business sector which communicates the requirement to one of ISO's national members. The latter then proposes the new work item to ISO as a whole. If accepted, the work item is assigned to an existing technical committee. Proposals may also be made to set up technical committees to cover new scopes of activity. In order to use resources most efficiently, ISO only launches the development of new standards for which there is clearly a market requirement. The focus of the technical committees is
necessarily specialized and specific. In addition, ISO has three
general policy development committees and their job is to provide
strategic guidance for the standards' development work on
cross-sectoral aspects. They are: CASCO
(conformity assessment); COPOLCO
(consumer policy), and DEVCO
(developing country matters). These committees help to ensure that
the specific technical work is aligned with broader market and
stakeholder group interests. ISO standards are developed by technical
committees comprising experts from the industrial, technical and
business sectors which have asked for the standards, and which
subsequently put them to use. These experts may be joined by others
with relevant knowledge, such as representatives of government
agencies, testing laboratories, consumer associations,
environmentalists, academic circles and so on. The experts
participate as national delegations, chosen by the ISO national
member institute for the country concerned. These delegations are
required to represent not just the views of the organizations in
which their participating experts work, but of other stakeholders
too. According to ISO rules, the member institute is expected to
take account of the views of the range of parties interested in the
standard under development and to present a consolidated, national
consensus position to the technical committee. How
ISO standards are developed The national delegations of experts of a technical committee meet to discuss, debate and argue until they reach consensus on a draft agreement. This is then circulated as a Draft International Standard (DIS) to ISO's membership as a whole for comment and balloting. Many members have public review procedures for making draft standards known and available to interested parties and to the general public. The ISO members then take account of any feedback they receive in formulating their position on the draft standard. If the voting is in favour, the document, with eventual modifications, is circulated to the ISO members as a Final Draft International Standard (FDIS). If that vote is positive, the document is then published as an International Standard. Every working day of the year, an average of
ten ISO meetings are taking place somewhere in the world. In between
meetings, the experts continue the standards' development work by
correspondence. Increasingly, their contacts are made by electronic
means and some ISO technical bodies have already gone over entirely
to electronic working, which speeds up the development of standards
and reduces travel costs. ISO standards are developed according to strict
rules to ensure that they are transparent and fair. The reverse side
of the coin is that it can take time to develop consensus among the
interested parties and for the resulting agreement to go through the
public review process in the ISO member countries. For some users of
standards, particularly those working in fast-changing technology
sectors, it may be more important to agree on a technical
specification and publish it quickly, before going through the
various checks and balances needed to win the status of a full
International Standard. Therefore, to meet such needs, ISO has
developed a new range of "deliverables", or different categories of
specifications, allowing publication at an intermediate stage of
development before full consensus: Publicly Available Specification
(PAS), Technical Specification (TS), Technical Report (TR),
International Workshop Agreement (IWA). ISO collaborates with its partners in international standardization, the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union). The three organizations, all based in Geneva, Switzerland have formed the World Standards Cooperation in order to better coordinate their activities, as well as the implementation of International Standards. ISO is one of the few non-governmental organizations having an observer status in the World Trade Organization. Its contribution is increasingly solicited in relation to the elimination of technical barriers to trade. ISO collaborates with the United Nations Organization and its specialized agencies and commissions, particularly those involved in the harmonization of regulations and public policies such as: - CODEX Alimentarius for food safety
measurement, management and traceability; or with those engaged in bringing assistance and support to developing countries such as UNCTAD, UNIDO or the International Trade Centre. ISO's technical committees have formal liaison relations with some 580 international and regional organizations, which complement this impressive network and which, together with the network of its national members, is key for the global relevance, actual use and recognition of its Standards by the market forces and the general public. Relations with international groups of
stakeholders have also been reinforced. ISO is now an institutional
member of the World Economic Forum, has increased its collaboration
with NGOs representing societal or professional interests, such as
Consumers International, the World Business Council on Sustainable
Development or the international Federation of Standards Users
(IFAN) and collaborates regularly with the major international
organizations involved in metrology, quality and conformity
assessment. Many of ISO's members also belong to regional
standardization organizations. This makes it easier for ISO to build
bridges with regional standardization activities throughout the
world. ISO has recognized regional standards organizations
representing Africa, the Arab countries, the area covered by the
Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, Latin America, the
Pacific area, and the South-East Asia nations. These recognitions
are based on a commitment by the regional bodies to adopt ISO
standards - whenever possible without change - as the national
standards of their members and to initiate the development of
divergent standards only if no appropriate ISO standards are
available for direct adoption. In addition to International Standards and the other deliverables, ISO develops guideline documents, manuals, standards compendia - as paper products and CD's - handbooks and a whole range of standards-related publications.
 Last modified 2005-07-04 |
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ISO is a network of
the national standards institutes of 153 countries, on the basis of
one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva,
Switzerland, that coordinates the system.
How to recognize
an ISO standard
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