ISO Focus, January 2008.Pdf
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ISO Focus The Magazine of the International Organization for Standardization Volume 5, No. 1, January 2008, ISSN 1729-8709 Office and home comforts • Furniture maker Kinnarps builds on ISO standards • ISO pack for food safety Contents 1 Comment Alan Bryden, Secretary-General of ISO, ISO – the “ power house ” of positive globalization 2 World Scene Highlights of events from around the world 3 ISO Scene Highlights of news and developments from ISO members 1-2008.indd 1 25.01.2008 11:02:49 4 Guest View Henry Jarlsson, CEO of Kinnarps, Sweden ISO Focus is published 11 times a year (single issue : July-August). 7 Main Focus It is available in English. Annual subscription 158 Swiss Francs Individual copies 16 Swiss Francs Office and home Publisher ISO Central Secretariat comforts (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 • Low energy use in buildings and a good indoor climate Pierre Granier go hand in hand ISO Update : Dominique Chevaux • Improving indoor air quality Subscription enquiries : Sonia Rosas Friot ISO Central Secretariat • Quiet as a mouse Telephone + 41 22 749 03 36 • Furniture trends Fax + 41 22 749 09 47 • Pathways between worlds E-mail [email protected] • Glass standards address quality and performance • Ceramic tile – New standards for an ancient product © ISO, 2007. All rights reserved. • Why it isn’t just a floor The contents of ISO Focus are copyright and may not, whether in whole or in • Supply standards : Past and future part, be reproduced, stored in a retrieval • A user-friendly approach to visual displays system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, • Stand out from the crowd with telebiometrics photocopying or otherwise, without written permission of the Editor. 32 Developments and Initiatives The articles in ISO Focus express the views Bali Conference • ISO/TC leaders conference • Twinning for TC of the author, and do not necessarily reflect 8 Secretariat the views of ISO or of any of its members. ISSN 1729-8709 35 New on the shelf Printed in Switzerland Oil and gas • Food safety • Public information symbols Cover photo : ISO 37 Coming up ISO Focus January 2008 Comment ISO – the “ power house ” of positive globalization ith the globalization of trade we provide a comprehensive toolbox of revolution” that will enable us to cope and of many other issues such standards relating to conformity assess- with the foreseeable exhaustion of fos- Was climate change, security, ment practices and recognition. sil fuels and the global climate change health or the deployment of new technol- This explains why ISO’s brand challenge. ogies, international standards have nev- name and added value are widely recog- Major emerging economies, such er been in such great demand as today. nized and appreciated. Consequently, our as China, India and Brazil, who will join But what is an international standard and monthly production has reached a sus- the ISO Council in 2008, are becoming what makes a standard globally relevant tained level of 100 new or revised ISO increasingly involved and express their and a pillar of sustainability? International Standards and our scope is support to the ISO system so that our In the second triennial review broadening at a rapid pace. standards may assist in enabling and of its Agreement on Technical Barriers speeding up international cooperation to Trade, the World Trade Organization to tackle global challenges. (WTO) defined six criteria which should “ Our standards are ISO is a “ power house ” of glo- characterize the development of those based on a double level balization and is expected to provide international standards recommended solutions to make sure that globaliza- for use in order to avoid unnecessary of consensus – tion has positive effects on econom- obstacles to trade : amongst stakeholders and ic growth, environmental integrity and • transparency, societal equity – the three components of amongst countries.” sustainable development. This requires • openness, us to make sure that we are adequately Illustrations of this in 2007 or • impartiality and consensus, “ wired ” for this task. early 2008 have been our publications Let me wish all the very best for • effectiveness and relevance, on such diverse and important issues as 2008 – another busy year ahead for ISO • coherence, and water services, ship recycling, incident – to our members, our numerous part- preparedness and operational continuity • the development dimension. ners, and to the millions of users of our management, sustainable building, food standards worldwide. I also extend my Wisely, the WTO did not embark safety and greenhouse gas accounting warm greetings and thanks to the del- on any form of recognition of organiza- and verification. egates and the experts who contribute tions producing such standards. Therefore, ISO was involved in several key to making us a topical and appreciated claims of compliance with these criteria events in 2007, from the World Econom- international standard setter. are through self-declaration and, in case ic Forum meeting in Davos to the Unit- of dispute, open to challenge. ed Nations Framework Convention on ISO has no difficulty in claim- Climate Change Conference in Bali, as ing such compliance. Our standards are well as in the World Energy Congress in based on a double level of consensus Rome, the UN Global Compact Leaders – amongst stakeholders and amongst Summit in Geneva and the Organisation countries. This is achieved through our for Economic Co-operation and Devel- procedures, our network of 157 national opment Forum on “ Innovation, growth standards bodies committed to our Code and equity ” in Paris. of Ethics, our partnerships and liaisons Our cooperation with the Inter- with some 700 international and regional national Energy Agency, in the context organizations, our action plans for devel- of the preparation of the G8 Summit in oping countries and for the involvement Heiligendam, has enabled ISO to high- of consumer interests in standardization, light the contribution that international and our policy for global relevance. standards of the type we produce should In addition, we ensure the con- increasingly bring to the promotion of sistency and maintenance of our stand- energy efficiency and renewable sourc- Alan Bryden, ards across our multi-sector scope ; we es of energy. Secretary-General of ISO encourage the national adoption of our ISO is now well positioned and standards to facilitate, when relevant, engaged to produce the international their use in the context of regulations, and standards needed to support the “ energy ISO Focus January 2008 1 World Scene try-based certification bodies ment assistance as central for of some 37 countries and helping developing countries, operates various schemes of as removing barriers is not mutual recognition based on enough. Developing countries peer assessment. need to improve their produc- tive capacities and compliance In addition to the continued with standards to exploit the success of certification to benefits of open trade, a key ISO 9001:2000 and ISO objective of the Doha Devel- 14001:2004 management sys- opment Agenda. tems standards, the members of IQNET develop third party The 12 th General Conference certification to many other of the UN Industrial Develop- ISO reference standards – ment Organization (UNIDO), such as ISO 22000 on food held in Vienna in December safety, ISO/IEC 20000 on IT 2007, focussed on “ Industrial Consumers International The Chair of ISO COPOLCO, services or ISO/IEC 27001 on development in a changing targets corporate Ms. Jai Ok Kim, also presided information security. global landscape ”. It was pre- responsibility over a fringe event where ceded by a ministerial confer- ISO Secretary-General Alan some 50 delegates heard pre- ence of lesser developed coun- “Holding Corporations to Bryden addressed participants sentations and participated in tries (LDCs) on “ How can aid Account” was the theme of on ISO’s contribution to sus- the 18th Consumers Interna- discussions on “ Social for trade transform LDCs ”. responsibility and the global tainable development and tional triennial World Con- underlined the need for ensur- gress, which was held in market : what partnership for consumers and standards ? ” ing that certification is based Sydney, Australia, from 29 on sound practices. He high- October through 1 November More information, including lighted the current migration 2007. The Congress brought video clips and presentations, to ISO/IEC 17021:2006 for together some 400 speakers is available on CI’s Web site : certification to management and delegates from over 80 www.consumersinternational. systems, which requires some countries. org (see 2007 World Con- adjustments and calls for At this Congress, CI aimed to gress). more clarity on the separation pressure corporations to between certification and respect consumer demands for IQNET focusses on consultancy. greater accountability, trans- sustainability through parency and integrity in busi- innovation Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, (Left) ness, especially regarding Director-General of UNIDO, with unethical marketing practices. Mr. Pascal Lamy, WTO Director- Speakers and break-out group General. discussions highlighted cur- Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Direc- rent issues in the areas of sus- tor-General of UNIDO, indi- tainable development, the cated that its support services “ obesity pandemic ”, the eth- are geared towards bringing ics of drug marketing, and LDCs closer to the forces of consumer credit and debt. globalization and to facilitat- ing their integration into the During the session on sustain- world economy. Indeed, the able development, ISO Secre- significant increase of UNIDO tary-General Alan Bryden programmes on trade capacity mentioned the broadening building, where standards, scope of standardization, and conformance and the quality how it addresses the concerns (From left) Mr. René Wasmer, President, IQNet ; Mr.