World Standardization Day has been recognized throughout the month in countries around the world, although the official day is October 14th.
ISO generally sets a theme, which this year includes “international standards ensure positive change.”
Why does standardization even matter?
- Ensures positive change. This year’s theme.
- Harmonizes global best practices.
- Companies have increased confidence in the quality and reliability of suppliers who use standards.
- Eliminates technical barriers to trade.
- Companies actively involved in standards more frequently reap short- and long-term cost-savings than those that do not participate.
- Having influence in the content of a standard is an important factor in gaining competitive advantage.
- Standardization can lead to lower transaction costs in the economy as a whole, as well as to savings for individual businesses.
- Standards can help businesses avoid dependence on a single supplier because the availability of standards opens up the market. The result is a broader choice for businesses and increased competition among suppliers.
- More choices for the consumer.
- Standardization encourages cooperation between businesses atthe same stage in the value chain.
- Businesses not only reduce the economic risk of their R&D activities by participating in standardization but can also lower their R&D costs.
The work of IEC, ISO and ITU remains central to the development of standards that share knowledge among all the world’s countries and so provide building blocks for global prosperity.
