What are International Standards?

International standards are technical regulations that represent agreed upon industry "best practices". They may apply to the product itself, to services, to production methods, to quality certification, etc.

Standards are not regulations. Regulations are legislative mandates issued by governments. They have force of law within that government's jurisdiction. For example, RoHS is the law within the EU; CPSIA is the law in the US.

In contrast, standards represent consensus guidelines among all industry stakeholders: manufacturers, suppliers, vendors, consumers, governments, professional societies and trade associations. The adoption of standards by individual companies is entirely voluntary. Standards are useful because their adoption by a critical mass of the industry creates interoperability, spurs product development and facilitates global trade.

Government regulations often reference international standards as a means of making compliance less burdensome to the industry. For example, compliance with a certain published standard is often proof of compliance with the regulation. Should a manufacturer choose to comply with the regulation by other means, the burden of proof is then borne by the manufacturer.

Three separate organizations are the source of virtually all international standards. Focusing on different industries and having different areas of expertise, they are not in competition, but work closely together. Each organization is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland:
	The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) www.iec.ch develops international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies and for renewable energy. It is a private organization.
	The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) www.itu.int focuses on information and communications technology (ICT), including radio, television, phones, computers, networks and satellites. It is a United Nations agency.
	The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) www.iso.org is the largest and best known of the three. It develops standards for all industries not covered by the IEC or ITU, including agriculture, construction, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, distribution, transport and medical devices, as well as for services and business management. It is a private organization.

In the ISO and IEC, membership is held by the national standards organizations of participating countries. Tasked with developing national standards for their respective countries, they may be private organizations, government agencies or some combination thereof, depending upon the economic and political traditions of the nation.

In contrast, ITU membership includes both Member States (i.e. governments) and Sector Members (i.e. carriers, manufacturers, R&D organizations, and regional telecommunications organizations).

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