The International Organization for Standardization: private voluntary standards as swords and shields

Abstract

Abstract:Private voluntary standards such as the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO's) 14000 series have played an increasingly important role in encouraging corporations to adopt more sustainable business models on their own initiative and not in direct response to governmentally mandated requirements. ISO standards have a number of benefits, including promoting international uniformity; elevating environmental issues within an enterprise; promoting international trade; and providing a minimal level of environmental performance in countries with less than adequate regulatory infrastructure. Concerns about ISO standards include the relationship to public regulation; and ISO 14001's essentially procedural, as opposed to performance-based, character. International trade agreements such as NAFTA and the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade inject ISO standards into the public policy arena. Because of the structure of these agreements, ISO standards may operate either as a sword-a negative standard used to challenge a domestic regulatory action-or a shield-an internationally agreed reference point that bolsters the legitimacy of a national measure. This Essay examines the potential for ISO standards on eco-labeling to act as swords to attack domestic requirements, and those on life cycle analysis to serve as shields to insulate municipal actions from international challenge in areas such as climate protection.

Ethical Implications Regarding the Adoption of Emerging Digital Technologies: An Exploratory Framework

“…There is a strong record in implementing worldwide standards with external entities like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), to mention a few with broad influence across different sectors. The aforementioned entities are shaped by general business needs but are also nurtured by insights from the public interest, which ultimately reflect the zeitgeist of today (Murphy and Yates 2009;Roht-Arriaza 1995;Wirth 2009).…”

Development of a Rough Terrain Wheelchair Design

“…In some cases, the required conditions in the ISO 7176 series may not capture all typical requirements in less-resourced environment, as some of the requirements were meant to simulate the conditions in city environs with smooth tarred roads. It is therefore necessary to consider varied environments when formulating national standards, by looking at key parameters such as the weights and sizes of users, typical uses, and the available wheelchair designs and associated technologies within the country [13].…”

“…Forces on a wheelchair casters and wheels, when the assumption is that the operator weighs 100 kg (Figures 9-12 The findings are that each rear wheel will take a weight force of 345 N. While the caster wheel takes 144.815 N. Force analysis [3,13].…”

“…At the point when a section is twisted the applied moment creates stresses in the material. On one side of the part the material is extended and in this way has tensile Bending moment diagram [13].…”

Rastreabilidade De Resíduos Da Construção Civil: Uma Visão Conceitual Entre O Sistema De Gestão Ambiental E Da Qualidade / Traceability of Civil Construction Waste: A Conceptual View Between the Environmental Management System and Quality

“…Nesse sentido, uma organização comprometida com a minimização os efeitos nocivos de seus processos produtivos sobre o meio ambiente procuram desenvolver padrões de sustentabilidade ambiental, como exemplo, seguindo requisitos da International Organization for Standardization (ISO) (DE CICCO, 1994;NAHUZ, 1995). Desde 1993, o Comité Técnico da ISO vem alavancando avanços e revisões com o intuito de favorecer as empresas e organizações uma abordagem mais recorrente da gestão ambiental (ROHT-ARRIAZA, 1995;WIRTH, 2009).…”