INNI Online Bulletin

A ten-year process aimed at more balanced stakeholder participation and decision-making in ISO’s Environmental Management Committee (TC 207) met an abrupt end at the committee’s plenary meeting in Bogotá, Colombia in June 2008. At the meeting, the NGO-CAG Task Force, a joint group consisting of eight representatives split evenly among NGOs and the committee’s governing body (Chair’s Advisory Group), presented two operating procedures to improve civil society involvement in the committee’s standard development work. However, these operating procedures were met with sustained opposition from a number of national standards bodies, and particularly from representatives of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, which ultimately led to the rejection of the procedures by the committee’s governing body (CAG). The controversial CAG decision precluded all members of the technical committee from considering the operational procedures - an injustice deemed significant enough for the NGO representatives of the NGO-CAG Task Force to withdraw. As a result, the Task Force was disbanded and the committee leadership proposed the creation of an NGO Contact Group tasked with advising the TC 207 Chair on NGO matters. Although TC 207 approved this proposal, a number of the prominent NGOs in the committee have declined participation in it, and as a result, it is not clear if and how the effort to improve NGO involvement in TC 207 will proceed.

Two NGOs participating in the Task Force developed a communiqué to explain and express their disappointment and disapproval of the outcomes of the Bogota meeting and to call upon the ISO leadership to take action to ensure balanced stakeholder participation in the organization’s standards development and policy decision-making. The communiqué was acknowledged by ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden and discussed at the meeting of ISO’s senior management body, the Technical Management Board (TMB). In response, the TMB established the Process Evaluation Group, which had originally been tasked with evaluating ISO’s standard development processes more generally, including experiences and lessons to date from the experimental, stakeholder-based Working Group on Social Responsibility. As part of its undertaking, the Process Evaluation Group will consider the concerns raised by the NGOs participating in TC 207. (Click here to access the TMB resolution.)

For more background information on NGO’s advocacy efforts within TC 207 click here.

Overview of Meeting
Tasked with identifying standardization areas that address consumers’ interest and working to promote and coordinate consumer representation in those areas, ISO’s Committee for Consumer Policy (COPOLCO) convened its 30th Committee Meeting in Seoul, Korea in May 2008.  . 

Key topics covered during the Seoul meeting included:

• Consideration of an ISO Council proposal to expand the scope of COPOLCO to include broader societal interests,
• Status of COPOLCO’s New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) to develop a standard on consumer and public interest involvement in decision-making and consultative processes,
• Update from the Ethical Fact-Finding Group created to better understand the issues surrounding inaccurate and unreliable claims concerning the ethical dimensions of consumer products and services, and
• Continued promotion of the 2007-2010 Action Plan to Promote the Involvement of Consumers’ Interests in Standardization.

Proposed Expansion of the Scope of COPOLCO to Include Societal Interests
Perhaps the largest and most controversial issue addressed at the plenary meeting was a proposal by ISO Council for COPOLCO to consider the benefits and feasibility of expanding its scope to include other societal interests (e.g. NGOs, academia).  During the COPOLCO discussion, some of the main arguments supporting this proposal included:

• Increasing emphasis of COPOLCO’s work towards area of public interest,
• Expanding scope of ISO standards that have more public policy implications speak to the need for more civil society involvement, and
• Common issues consumer groups and NGOs share, such as:
• Environment,
• Social responsibility,
• Sustainable production and consumption,
• Health and safety, and
• Fair trade.

However, this proposal to expand COPOLCO’s scope was met with some reluctance from consumer organizations and other COPOLCO members.  In particular, some raised a concern that inclusion of NGOs will inherently dilute COPOLCO’s focus on consumers issues.

There was an alternative suggestion to create a separate group from COPOLCO that would address public interest groups’ voices in ISO standards development. Ultimately, it was agreed that further study was needed, and a task group was created to gather more information and to draft a position paper to be discussed at the next meeting in India in May 2009. As a first step, the task group conducted a survey with COPOLCO members and their consumer representatives regarding the proposed expansion of scope. The preliminary results of the survey with responses by 29 member countries revealed that the majority (about 70%) of the members are in favor to expand the scope of COPOLCO to include participation and views of other public interest organizations. The survey also indicated that almost 80% of the respondents already involve public interest groups in national consultations or mirror committee discussions.
 
Working Group on Consumer Participation
The COPOLCO’s Working Group on Consumer Participation reported that the the ISO Technical Management Board (TMB) was to consider the committee’s proposal to develop a new standard on consumer and public interest involvement in decision-making and consultative processes at its November 2008 meeting. The TMB did discuss the new project proposal at its meeting but determined that it would need to make further changes to the scope of the proposal before it would be sent to ISO member bodies for balloting. The revised new work item proposal has yet to emerge from the TMB. As proposed by COPOLCO, this prospective ISO guidance standard will provide principles and practical guidance in planning, designing and implementing a timely and proactive engagement activity, as well as information that needs to be considered before deciding to undertake a consultation process. The guidance is intended for use by any organization (businesses, governments, members of the public, and civil society), but will be particularly targeted for consensus-based standards development bodies. 

Update from Ethical Trade Fact-Finding Process
The Ethical Trade Fact-Finding Process (ETFFP), initiated at COPOLCO’s 2007 plenary meeting, has struggled to begin implementation of its work plan due to funding constraints.  Since the ETFFP was created, its Steering Committee has secured money from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but continues to search for additional funding.  (The Steering Group consists of three representatives of the ethical certification community (IFAT, FLO, ISEAL), and three prominent entities within COPOLCO (Consumers International and the French and Brazilian standard bodies AFNOR and ABNT).

The key discussion item at the Seoul meeting was a proposal by the COPOLCO Chair to have the ISO COPOLCO Secretary formally join the ITFFP.  This led to lengthy discussion with some COPOLCO members arguing that there is currently an imbalance in the ETFPP membership favoring NGOs over the ISO National Standard Bodies.  The push by some for increased COPOLCO influence in ETFPP was for the most part decided against, with the exception of the addition of the COPOLCO Secretariat to the Steering Committee. In addition, COPOLCO passed a resolution urging the Steering Committee to initiate the project work as soon as possible.

Outcomes of Other Agenda Items

• The theme of the COPOLCO workshop was Standards for a sustainable world: how can consumer influence a sustainable energy future? The workshop addressed such topics as: climate change, energy efficiency labeling for domestic appliances, alternative sources of energy, and access to sustainable energy in developing countries.  One outcome was the approval of a proposal from Consumers International on guidelines to assess and improve energy services to users. COPOLCO also established a task group for consumer protection in the global market.  Lastly, COPOLCO declared its support for the “Seoul Declaration, which addresses corporate social responsibility and capacity building, and specifically calls on ISO to address climate change through standardization.
• COPOLCO’s next plenary meeting will take place in New Delhi, India in May 2009.

ISO to Adapt Principles for Developing Standards Related to Public Policy
 In response to the expanding scope of ISO standards into the public policy arena, U.S. standard body (ANSI) proposed and drafted a set of principles for developing ISO standards related to public policy. The effort was first initiated at the 2007 ISO General Assembly session on international standards and public policy. In particular, there have been ongoing discussions about the role of ISO standards that support regulation and public policy, as well as increasing use of ISO standards by governments and public authorities. ISO’s sister organization International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), responsible for electrotechnical standardization, agreed to jointly develop ISO/IEC principles and guidance for such standards. The draft document “Principles for Developing ISO and IEC Standards Related to or Supporting Public Policy Initiatives” was approved by ISO’s senior management body and IEC in late 2008. The document aims to ensure that ISO/IEC standards address the relevant needs and concerns of the public authorities.

ISO to Develop an International Standard on Energy Management
ISO has decided to develop a new international standard on Energy Management. The proposal by the US standards body (ANSI) to create an ISO Project Committee to develop the new standard was approved in March 2008. (A Project Committee works in the same way as an ISO Technical Committee, but is created for a single international standard on a specific topic, and is typically disbanded after the publication of its standard). The Project Committee, ISO/PC 242, Energy Management, is headed jointly by ANSI and the Brazilian standards body, ABNT. The standard will be built on the continuous improvement and Plan-Do-Check-Act management approach used in ISO’s quality and environmental management standards (ISO 9001 and ISO 14001). The new standard will cover topics such as relevant terms and definitions, management system requirements, and guidance for use, implementation, measurement, and metrics.

ISO’s Environmental Management Committee to Develop Eco-efficiency Standard
ISO’s Environmental Management Committee, TC 207 has decided to develop a new international standard on eco-efficiency assessments. Eco-efficiency is based on the concept of creating more goods and services while using fewer resources and creating less waste and pollution. While the concept is widely recognized, there is no consistent understanding on how and when to apply and quantify eco-efficiency. The new standard aims to provide common definitions and methodological framework on how to assess and measure eco-efficiency. The proposal to start this new work was approved in June 2008, and TC 207 has established a new Working Group (WG 7) to develop the standard. The first meeting of WG7 was held in Malaysia on January 19-20 2009.

ISO Members to Vote on Draft Standard for the Phased Implementation of Environmental Management Systems
A new ISO draft international standard (DIS) 14005 on the phased implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) is being circulated to the ISO member countries for comments and vote. The standard is available for review and download at INNI's Draft International Standard page. Interested organizations are encouraged to submit comments to their respective national standards bodies or the INNI Secretariat before the comments deadline of April 27, 2009.
 
The standard, formally titled - Environmental management systems — Guidelines for the phased implementation of an environmental management system, including the use of environmental performance evaluation – provides guidance intended to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) establish and construct an EMS  that over time can grow to meet the requirements of ISO’s Environmental Management System specification standard (ISO 14001).

National Standard for Sustainable Agriculture Being Developed in the U.S.
In September 2007, the Leonardo Academy, an ANSI-accredited standard developer in the U.S. initiated the development of a national standard for sustainable agriculture. The proposed standard will be built on the existing sustainable agriculture standard:  “Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standard for Food, Fiber and Biofuel Crop Producers and Agricultural Product Handlers and Processors” (SCS-001). The standard will address environmental, socioeconomic, and product quality issues, and includes measures such as the phase-out of dangerous agrochemicals, establishment of a path for transition to organic practices, and energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emission reductions and soil carbon storage.

The USDA, along with the representatives from the farm and produce community, however expressed concerns regarding the use of and contents of the proposed standard, citing the inconsistencies between the draft standard and U.S. domestic and international policies. The USDA also questioned the ability of Leonardo Academy to manage the standard development process and criticized the lack of appropriate input from affected stakeholders.  The issues escalated to the point where the USDA filed an appeal of the Academy’s status as an ANSI-accredited standard developer in December 2008. At its January 2009 meeting, ANSI rejected the appeal, but also asked the Academy to address issues raised by the USDA, and in particular to ensure broader stakeholder input and involvement in standard development process.

Standards Committee members and interested observers are currently working to gather relevant data and resources that can be used to guide the further development of the sustainable agriculture standard. The next Standards Committee meeting will be held in May 2009. Interested organizations are encouraged to contact Leonardo Academy to provide their input.

ISO Water Management Committee Considering New International Standards
ISO’s Technical Committee on Water Management (TC 224) has been evaluating the development of several new standards. Since the publication of the first set of water management standards (ISO 24510 - Service to users; ISO 24511 - Management of wastewater utilities; and ISO 24512 - Management of drinking water utilities) in November 2007, TC 224 created three new Working Groups (WG 5, 6 and 7) to develop proposals for new guidance documents or standards in water management:

• Implementation of ISO Water standards (WG5) 
• Guidelines for physical asset management of water supply and wastewater systems (WG6)
• Crisis management of water utilities (WG7)

The Working Groups are preparing their proposals for these standards to be considered at the next TC224 plenary meeting in 2011.

ISO and OECD Sign MOU on SR Standard Development
ISO and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have formally agreed to an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) stipulating cooperation between the two organizations in order to ensure that ISO’s Social Responsibility standard (ISO 26000) is consistent with and complementary to pre-existing OECD Corporate Social Responsibility Guidelines.  OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are a set of provisions and recommendations from member governments to global companies promoting voluntary corporate responsibility practices. This is the third such MOU ISO has entered into regarding ISO 26000; the previous two being with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Global Compact Office.  The MOU states that OECD will provide technical support and guidance to ISO, while ISO will receive and act upon all input from OECD.  This MOU is designed to clarify roles and responsibilities of various standards regarding Social Responsibility and to coordinate the development of these standards.  The MOU states that:

• ISO SR needs to be consistent with the principles and standards of the OECD Guidelines and their implementation.
• ISO will address any concerns raised by the OECD in the development and promotion of ISO SR.
• OECD will be consulted and have the right to comment at all stages of the development of ISO SR, and that these comments are widely circulated to interested parties.
• ISO activities and/or publications regarding ISO SR will, where relevant, promote greater awareness and observance of OECD Guidelines.
• OECD will provide full participation in ISO SR Working Group activities and related bodies relating to the development of ISO 26000.
• Relevant ISO representatives will participate in the further development of OECD Guidelines.

ISO and IEC partner to create new risk assessment standard
ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have partnered to create ISO/IEC 31010: Risk Management – Risk Assessment Techniques, part of the ISO 31000 Risk Management series.  Being developed by IEC Technical Committee (TC) 56, this standard provides guidance for the selection and application of systematic techniques for risk assessment. The current draft also includes guidance on safety measures and business risk analysis. The final standard is set to be published in June 2009.

ISO Passes Resolution Clarifying Its Approach to Sustainability Issues
The ISO Technical Management Board (TMB) agreed last year on a resolution clarifying the organization’s (and its subsidiary committees’) role in developing standards that focus solely on sustainability issues or  may incorporate sustainability concepts as a part of their broader scope.  The resolution states that if any committee within ISO develops a standard containing any provisions on sustainable development (using the UN Brundtland committee definition of sustainable development), the standard must:

• Remain within the context of the committee’s intended scope of work,
• Must notify the TMB of its intention to incorporate sustainable development clauses as soon as possible,
• Must address the sustainability issues of the standard within the introduction of the standard. 

This resolution was developed in response to criticism of some ISO committees’ recent ventures into sustainability standards and its lack of monitoring to ensure that such standards stay within the scope of those respective technical committees.  It also addresses problems with overlapping contents observed between ISO 26000 and ISO 9004.2 (as mentioned INNI Online Update Issue #15 ) by defining the scope and intention of each ISO standard with respect to sustainability.