ISO Focus The Magazine of the International Organization for Standardization Volume 4, No. 9, September 2007, ISSN 1729-8709 ������������������������ ��������������������� • Interview Swiss Minister of Economy Doris Leuthard Contents 1 Comment Jai Ok Kim, Chairperson of COPOLCO From consumer to citizenship of the global village 2 World Scene Highlights of events from around the world 3 ISO Scene Highlights of news and developments from ISO members 4 Guest View Doris Leuthard, Swiss Minister of Economy ISO Focus is published 11 times a year (single issue : July-August). It is available in English. 8 World Standards Day Message Annual subscription 158 Swiss Francs Individual copies 16 Swiss Francs Standards and the citizen Publisher ISO Central Secretariat (International Organization for Standardization) 1, ch. de la Voie-Creuse CH-1211 Genève 20 Switzerland Telephone + 41 22 749 01 11 Fax + 41 22 733 34 30 E-mail [email protected] Web www.iso.org Manager : Roger Frost Editor : Elizabeth Gasiorowski-Denis Assistant Editor : Maria Lazarte Artwork : Pascal Krieger and 10 Main Focus Pierre Granier • Protecting e-consumers • Human-friendly everyday ISO Update : Dominique Chevaux products • Making buildings more accessible to all • Subscription enquiries : Sonia Rosas Friot Accessible design for all citizens • The quest for social ISO Central Secretariat responsibility • Creating a safer world for consumers • Telephone + 41 22 749 03 36 Symbols to help world citizens • Is your food safe ? • Fax + 41 22 749 09 47 Medicine without borders • The benefit of safe machines E-mail [email protected] – From industry to leisure • The role of information © ISO, 2007. All rights reserved. security protecting the consumer’s use of IT • Societal The contents of ISO Focus are copyright security – ISO tackles a new field for standards • and may not, whether in whole or in Worldwide impact of biometric standards in personal part, be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or authentication applications • A tonne of carbon is always by any means, electronic, mechanical, a tonne of carbon • A government you can trust • photocopying or otherwise, without Management system standards can play greater role in written permission of the Editor. better regulation • The articles in ISO Focus express the views of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of ISO or of any of its members. 55 Developments and Initiatives COPOLCO workshop in Brazil : Can consumers rely on fair ISSN 1729-8709 Printed in Switzerland trade claims ? Cover photo : World Standards Day poster for 2007. 61 Coming up ISO Focus September 2007 Comment From consumer to citizenship of the global village he consumer, the worker, the user of not forget all those who do not share and in 2007, “Can consumers rely on fair public services, the tourist, some- this privilege. With the growing facili- trade claims”. We will remain vigilant so Ttimes the patient and, eventually, tation of trade and the opening of bor- that these societal issues and concepts, the voter are all one and the same person : ders, consumers have gained influence correctly embedded in consensus-based the citizen, belonging to a community on the global economic scene and this International Standards, may be asso- which, nowadays, extends to the whole also creates responsibilities. ciated with products and services in a planet and makes him/her a citizen of the Clearly, standards play a major clear and harmonized way. This gives global village. Belonging to a commu- role in assisting the “ consumer-citi- consumers the possibility of choosing nity, however large, entails both rights zens ” to exercise their rights and obli- to act also as citizens by contributing to and obligations. This includes the right gations. They may clarify and widen the society by their purchasing act. Environ- to health and safety, security, education, choice on performance, by defining and mental and societal issues are increas- a clean environment, as well as to infor- measuring characteristics or by ensuring ingly used as marketing tools. Consum- mation and representation, while imply- interoperability. They address safety, ers will therefore increasingly wish to ing obligations such as respecting one’s security and health issues. They enable be able to identify and select the com- neighbours and the environment, and, to quantify, reduce or communicate the panies which offer a true and depend- more generally, contributing to the well- environmental impact or the consump- able added value, and not just pretend being and progress of the community. tion of energy, water or other precious they do. And the companies which, in The globalization of trade and natural resources. Because of the open- earnest, add this value will be rewarded the related supply chain, and the trend ing of borders to trade and the Internet by increased market shares. towards liberalization of the world econ- revolution, International Standards are In this context, the theme chosen omy, lead to more competition both in increasingly what consumers need in by ISO, IEC and ITU for World Stand- products and for networked services such order to be, fully, citizens of the world ards Day 2007, “ Standards and the citi- as telecommunications, transport, post- community. zen : Contributing to society”, is partic- al services, energy or water production ularly welcome and topical in order to and distribution. The “ consumer-citi- raise awareness of the role of standards zen ” is thus exposed to a broader range “ Standards allow in a globalized community. of products and services. The world eco- consumers to act as nomic growth, especially spectacular in citizens, contributing emerging economies such as China and India (more than 10 % in 2006), is also to society through their expanding the population of “consum- purchasing acts.” er-citizens” who, increasingly, have the privilege to be confronted with a In COPOLCO, the ISO Com- “ hyper choice ”, which the development mittee on consumer policy, created in of e-commerce allows to exercise prac- 1978, we did not wait for the recent and tically on a global scale. broad realization of the reality of climate One of the major trends identi- change and of the imperative to ensure fied by economic leaders at the World sustainable development to identify such Economic Forum in Davos last Janu- concerns. We are indeed the “ spur ” of ary was the shift of power from cor- the ISO system to have these societal porations to consumers, meaning that trends taken on board in its work pro- we are clearly shifting from an econo- gramme. As far back as 1981, we de- my of offer to an economy of demand. dicated our yearly workshop to “ Ener- Jai Ok Kim, And the demand is no longer just for gy conservation and the consumer ” and Chairperson of COPOLCO a good price/performance (including in 1991 to “ Environment labeling and safety) ratio, it is also about the servic- product assessment ”. More recently, we es and information surrounding a prod- addressed in 2002, “ Corporate responsi- uct, the impact on the environment or bility – Principles and ethical practices ”, the social conditions of its production in 2006 “ How can environmental stand- and delivery. But, of course, we must ards promote sustainable consumption ” ISO Focus September 2007 1 World Scene Euro-Asian ISO’s contributions Council celebrates highlighted at Global 15th anniversary Compact Leaders Summit Economic development of the The two-day Global Compact Commonwealth of Independent Leaders Summit entitled both public and private sectors delivery times, refurbished its States (CIS) in the context of “ Facing realities : getting with guidance on social financial health and grouped globalization was the overall down to business ”, took place responsibility. its operations in a new, intel- theme of the Euro Asian Council in Geneva, in July 2007. UN ligent and energy-efficient He elaborated, “ Social for Standardization, Metrology Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon building in the center of the responsibility came on the and Certification (EASC) meeting announced that the UN has ‘ Genève internationale’.” (photo below), which celebrated successfully created an inter- ISO agenda because of the its 15th anniversary in June national movement of compa- need to harmonize terminolo- CEN and CENELEC 2007, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. nies dedicated to advancing gy and principles, as well as announced their intent to responsible the numerous guidance docu- establish a European Stand- business ments and initiatives devel- ardization System Group to oped on this topical subject.” practices, look at streamlining rules for developing European Stand- but added Mr. Bryden called the business ards and to solve technical that more community to action on social issues arising from the stand- work needs responsibility : “ I wish to ardization of emerging and to be done. encourage the business com- converging technologies. munity to further contribute Another group will spearhead About 1 000 and seize the advantage of a promotional campaign to chief execu- eventually having a voluntary attract new business sectors. tive officers, International Standard on government social responsibility which ministers, will facilitate the sharing and Building the information and heads of promotion of best practices society together civil society and their communication ITU and the European Broad- and labour towards stakeholders and casting Union (EBU) held a organiza- society at large.” joint workshop