BackPage Primer from Environmental Building News
Standards for Standards:
ISO and ANSI
We’re awash in standards and certifications that help set credible definitions for “green.” Helping to govern the world of standards and certifications is the International Organization for Standardization (known as “ISO,” from the Greek word for “equal”). ISO, an international, nongovernmental standard-setting body, was founded in 1947, and includes one national representative from each of 163 nations. The U.S. is represented by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Canada by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). ISO defines terms and develops worldwide standards that frequently become law or form the basis of industry norms.
The most robust standards are generally considered to be those developed through a formal, voluntary consensus process characterized by openness and due process, as defined by ISO and ANSI. Consensus standards have automatic buy-in, government support, and international clout. For example, according to the U.S. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act, federal agencies are required to adopt existing private-sector voluntary consensus standards in lieu of creating proprietary, non-consensus standards. The World Trade Organization has decreed that purchasing criteria developed with internationally accepted principles of standardization are not considered barriers to trade.
A standards developer that follows all ANSI protocols in the U.S. is considered ANSI-authorized, the standards it develops are ANSI-approved, and the certifying organization that verifies conformance with the standards are ANSI-accredited. Accreditation is essentially a certification of the certifying organization, and ensures that the organization meets international standards of independence and competency.
Many of the green product standards currently available, however, are proprietary or regulatory standards developed outside this formal ANSI-accredited consensus process. Depending on the development group, these may be more or less stringent than consensus standards, and often include some degree of transparency and public comment. Increasingly, manufacturers are recognizing that, with the public sensitive to greenwashing, proprietary industry-developed standards and industry-certified labels are not enough, and they are working together to develop sector-specific consensus standards.
Some credible standards are developed outside of the ANSI process by organizations that want to retain greater decision-making control, push for higher standards, or speed up the process. The LEED rating systems and California Section 01350 are examples of this approach.
ISO defines different types of labels—types I, II, and II—that can be used for products, depending on what is being claimed. Type I labels provide a seal of approval for meeting a multiple-attribute set of requirements. Type II labels are verifiable, single-attribute environmental claims for such things as energy consumption, emissions, or recycled content. Type III labels—sometimes called “environmental product declarations” (EPDs)—display comprehensive and detailed product information.
November 1, 2010
DISCUSSIONS
There are no comments for this page yet.
RELATED ARTICLES
|
|
BuildingGreen.com: What's Happening - June 2011
|
RELATED CATEGORIES
GREEN TOPICS
IMAGE CREDITS:
1.
Illustration: Peter Harris
More related green design