World Standards Day
Environment And Standards Together

By Lalit Kumar Vaidya

EACH year 14th October is celebrated as the World Standards Day by the members of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Aim

The aim of World Standards Day is to raise awareness of the importance of global standardisation to the world economy and to promote its role in helping meet the needs of business, industry, government and consumers worldwide. The international event pays tribute to the thousands of volunteers around the world who participate in standardisation activities.

The first World Standards Day was celebrated on 14 October, 1970.

The decision for World Standards Day to be celebrated jointly by both ISO and IEC members was taken in 1988.

ITU joined ISO and IEC for the Standards Day message in 1993.

This year, the Day’s slogan is "The Environment and Standards: Close Together." The greatest and certainly one of the most significant challenges of the new century is our environment: how to protect it, how to manage it better.

International standards, based on international consensus, have for many years been a primary tool in resolving a number of environmental issues.

International standards enhance production efficiency, facilitate communication, improve market transparency, increase the quality, reliability, compatibility and effectiveness of goods and services and further basic policy objectives related to health, safety and environment. ISO 9000 series of quality management system and ISO 14000 environment management system standards are the examples of international standards which has influenced in products, services and environment.

International standards provide globally applicable solutions. They are cost effective and allow all countries to take advantage of the knowledge and experience gained in the more advanced economies. One major advantage that international standards offer in dealing with environmental issues is that they are for voluntary adoption by anyone-individuals, businesses or governments – meaning that they can be used and acted upon before legal requirements are introduced.

ISO, the IEC and ITU also have an important responsibility as well as an active role in helping developing and newly industralised countries to become environmentally conscious while contributing to make their own future economically and environmentally stable whether it is in management, product, system, process, measurement of testing standards-or indeed by faciliatating sustainable development through the spread of standardised telocommunication. Each organisation has its part to play and each works with a host of others to have the widest possible consensus as well as the most globally beneficial effect.

Hundreds of standards already exist dealing with specific questions such as the sampling, testing and analysis of air, water and soil. Thousands more covering a multitude of physical products, increasingly in the electrical, electronic and telecommunication spheres, already contain information and recommendations on environmental aspects like materials, industrial processes, recycling and waste disposal. Many of these will also have an important role in current efforts to help consumers with standardised, clear and easily understood eco-labelling.

Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) is the national standard body of Nepal. Since Nepal became an ISO member in 1989, it has been celebrating World Standards Day with various programmes. Since its inception in 2033 BS, NBSM has been engaged in formulating Nepal standards laying down variety parameters for the production of goods in the country. These standards are prepared by the technical committee represented by divers interest groups including scientists, technologists, manufacturers and purchasers concerning government agencies and consumers.

Standards prepared by the technical committee are then approved by the Napal Council for Standards. The Bureau has published over 620 Nepal Standards covering product specification, method of test, code of practice, sampling method, terminology, management system, etc. Of these 10 standards are of direct relevance to the environment.

For the implementation of Nepal Standards, the Bureau is operating a quality certification marks scheme which is also called Nepal Standards Mark scheme. Under the scheme interested manufacturers are granted license to mark their product with NS mark after the Bureau is satisfied if the requirements are met and relevant to the concerning Nepal Standards.

Over 32 products are covered under Buerau certification marks scheme through 95 licenses. Out of 620 voluntary Nepal Standards concerning health and safety of people, only six of them have been made mandatory. They are deformed steel bar, ordinary portland cement, mineral water, code of practice of LPG cylinder, hand made wool for carpet and corrugated sheet for house roofing.

Quality today is stressed as a strategy to compete in the national and international market therefore NBSM has adopted series of ISO 9000 quality management system standards which have become the minimum quality standards that companies should acquire in order to prove their commitment to quality. In order to give priority to quality, NBSM has already started NS-quality award which is given on World Standards Day.

Impact

The informed, realistic and responsible way in which ISO, IEC and ITU are addressing environmental issues that affects us all will have a growing impact on society’s response to meeting its own expectations. The environment and international standards are perhaps to meeting its own expectations, more than just close together. They are inextricably linked.

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