ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer and
publisher of International Standards.
ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 163 countries, one member per country,
with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system.
ISO is a non-governmental organization that forms a bridge between the public and private
sectors. 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 enables a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements
of business and the broader needs of society.
Discover ISO
ISO's name
Standards make an enormous and positive contribution to most aspects of our lives.
When products and services meet our expectations, we tend to take this for granted and be
unaware of the role of standards. However, when standards are absent, we soon notice. We soon
care when products turn out to be of poor quality, do not fit, are incompatible with equipment that
we already have, are unreliable or dangerous.
When products, systems, machinery and devices work well and safely, it is often because they
meet standards. And the organization responsible for many thousands of the standards which
benefit the world is ISO.
What standards do
ISO standards:
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
share technological advances and good management practice
disseminate innovation
safeguard consumers, and users in general, of products and services
make life simpler by providing solutions to common problems
For trade officials, 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. International Standards are the technical means by which
political trade agreements can be put into practice.
For the planet we inhabit, International Standards on air, water and soil quality, on
emissions of gases and radiation and environmental aspects of products can contribute to
efforts to preserve the environment.
Democratic
Every full member of ISO has the right to take part in the development of any standard which it
judges to be important to its country's economy. No matter what the size or strength of that
economy, each participating member in ISO has one vote. Each country is on an equal footing
to influence the direction of ISO's work at the strategic level, as well as the technical content of its
individual standards.
Voluntary
ISO standards are voluntary. As a non-governmental organization, ISO has no legal authority to
enforce the implementation of its standards. ISO does not regulate or legislate. However,
countries may decide to adopt ISO standards - mainly those concerned with health, safety or the
environment - as regulations or refer to them in legislation, for which they provide the technical
basis. In addition, although ISO standards are voluntary, they may become a market
requirement, as has happened in the case of ISO 9001 quality management systems, or of
dimensions of freight containers and bank cards.
Market-driven
ISO only develops standards for which there is a market requirement. The work is mainly
carried out by experts from the industrial, technical and business sectors which have asked for
the standards, and which subsequently put them to use.
Consensus
ISO standards are based on international consensus among the experts in the field. Consensus,
like technology, evolves and ISO takes account both of evolving technology and of evolving
interests by requiring a periodic review of its standards at least every five years to decide
whether they should be maintained, updated or withdrawn. In this way, ISO standards retain their
position as the state of the art.
Globally relevant
ISO standards are technical agreements which provide the framework for compatible
technology worldwide. They are designed to be globally relevant - useful everywhere in the
world.
1. Increased Efficiency
Companies that go through the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management
Standards certification process have given a lot of thought to their processes
and how to maximize quality and efficiency. Once certified for QMS, the
processes are established and guidelines in place for anyone to follow easily,
making training, transitions, and trouble-shooting easier.
2. Increased Revenue
Studies have shown that ISO QMS certified companies experience increased
productivity and improved financial performance, compared to uncertified
companies.
3. Employee Morale
Defined roles and responsibilities, accountability of management, established
training systems and a clear picture of how their roles affect quality and the
overall success of the company, all contribute to more satisfied and
motivated staff.
4. International Recognition
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is recognized
worldwide as the authority on quality management.
6. Supplier Relationships
Mutually beneficial supplier relationships are one of the key attractions to
ISO certification. Following the processes for documentation and testing
ensure quality raw materials go into your production system. The process
also requires thorough evaluation of new suppliers before a change is made
and/or consistency with respect to how and where orders are placed.
7. Documentation
The ISO QMS standard requires documentation of all processes and any
changes, errors and discrepancies. This ensures consistency throughout
production and accountability of all staff. This also guarantees traceable
records are available in case of non-compliant products or raw materials.
8. Consistency
One of the foundations of ISO; All processes from research and
development, to production, to shipping, are defined, outlined and
documented, minimizing room for error. Even the process of making
changes to a process is documented, ensuring that changes are well planned
and implemented in the best possible way to maximize efficiency.
Recommendations in the biotech industry to use XML authoring or similar
software formatting for data collection, reports, and product labeling,
minimizes the risk of obsolete documents/labels being mistakenly used.
9. Customer Satisfaction
Client confidence is gained because of the universal acceptance of the ISO
standards. Customer satisfaction is ensured because of the benefits of ISO
9001:2000 QMS to company efficiency, consistency and dedication to quality
service.
Each member body who has an interest in the work of a committee is entitled to be a
member of that committee. Standards are reached by consensus with each member
organization representing the interests of the vendors, manufacturers, consumers,
profession als, and government of it's country.
Each standard goes through a six stage process before being published as an ISO
standard. The first stage is the proposal stage in which a need for a standard is determined
and members are identified who are willing to work on it. The standards then enters the
preparatory stage where a working draft of the standard is developed. When the working
draft is completed, it enters the committee stage and is sent out for comments until a
consensus is reached. The output of this stage is the Draft International Standard (DIS).
The DIS then enters the enquiry stage where it is circulated among all member bodies
and then voted upon. If a DIS does not receive 75% of the vote, it returns to lower stages
and work on it continues. If it passes the enquiry stage, it becomes a Final Draft
International Standard and enters the approval stage. During this stage it will again
circulate through all member bodies for a final vote and again it must pass this stage with
75% of the vote. If the standard passes this stage, it enters the publication stage and is
sent to the ISO Central Secretariat for publication.
Because certain technologies are changing so rapidly, ISO has instituted a Fast Track
procedure that allows a standard which has been proven in the market to enter the
approval process at the enquiry stage.
Today, the environmental focus has two parts: reactive, corrective actions, such as
superfund clean-ups, and proactive, preventive actions, such as recycling and
environmental impact studies. ISO 14001 is a preventive management tool. By requiring
management commitment to compliance with applicable legislation and regulations and to
continuous improvement, it forms the basis for a systematic approach to the prevention of
pollution. What makes it significantly different from other approaches is this: ISO 14001 is
not a set of regulations or laws that require strict compliance. Rather, it is an
internationally recognized standard that defines the criteria for a management
system for developing and controlling those aspects of a firm's operations that can have an
effect on the environment. It can be implemented in any business, from manufacturing to
service and education. As such, it is not unlike other management systems such as quality
systems, budget systems, financial control systems, to name just a few.
To put the matter into perspective, one may view the implementation of ISO 14001 as
either evolutionary or revolutionary. In the evolutionary view, the implementation develops
at a pace that is acceptable to its participants. Pros and cons are debated, improvements
are made and, most importantly, conformance is voluntary. In the revolutionary view,
implementation becomes a mandate of either a government or a business sector. Focus is
immediately placed on conformance. Certification by an accredited third-party registrar is
required, typically with a deadline established for registration.
In the fish-bowl environment created by the media, it may be in your firm's best interest to
take a proactive stance, first toward conformance and then toward certification to ISO
14001. It may not make the media go totally away, but it will provide objective evidence
that your management is committed to protecting the environment. Also, from a pure
business view, conformance to the requirements of ISO 14001 may provide a competitive
marketing advantage. It also provides your firm a proactive approach to risk management.
The majority of the benefits of conformance to ISO 14001 can be realized by a company
without going the extra step of certification. However, there are two benefits that can only
be realized by certification. These are: entry into controlled markets and public recognition.
If you want to do business on an international level, it is likely certification will be a
requirement. Even if your business is all domestic, certification and the accompanying public
recognition may provide your firm with a marketing advantage. The risk you face is that
your competition may obtain this advantage before you do.
As of the early 2005, there were approximately 8000 certifications issued in North America.
Nearly 6000 of these were in the United States. This is a significant level of growth since
1997 when there were less than 100 certifications in the United States.
In addition to the automotive OEMs, certain other companies in the United States have
taken the lead and are voluntarily pursing certification to ISO 14001. Many of these may be
your suppliers in the chemical industry. Just as the chemical industry led the way in ISO
9001, they have also taken a proactive position with ISO 14001. Prior to the existence of
ISO 14001, the CMA (Chemical Manufacturers Association) had developed a complete set of
environmentally focused standards entitled Responsible Care®. Participation in this
industry-driven, self-imposed program is a requirement of membership in CMA. The focus of
this program is to improve performance in environmental, health and safety, address public
fears and provide flexibility in implementation. Building upon this base (evolutionary), other
chemical companies have moved toward certification.
Those companies that have proceeded with the certification process have realized some of
the benefits of implementation, which include potential cost savings and improved ability to
train new employees. They saw that a well-defined EMS system would serve their
stakeholders well. Risks would be defined, proactive actions would be taken to prevent
negative environmental impacts and, possibly, there would be less scrutiny by regulatory
agencies.
The rubber industry, through its vast supply chain, is very closely aligned to the chemical
industry. Additionally, most of the tire manufacturers and many rubber products
manufacturers are multi-national. Consequently, they will be directly affected by
requirements and mandates in effect in Europe and other parts of the world.
One final, perhaps speculative, thought: It took ISO 9001 several years to catch-on. It got a
significant push when the Big-Three American automobile manufactures mandated it as part
of QS-9000. ISO 14001 has been a published standard for nearly 9 years. It is possible that
the growth of certifications to ISO 14001 may follow the path of ISO 9001. However, since
ISO 14001 has such a far-reaching impact and application, do not be surprised if its growth
ultimately exceeds that of ISO 9001. It will, if a government or more business sectors
mandates certification.