International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-governmental organization that develops and publishes international standards to ensure quality, safety, and efficiency across products, services, and systems. Headquartered in Geneva, ISO plays a central role in facilitating global trade by creating common technical and management benchmarks.

History and structure

• Founded in 1947, with roots in earlier standardization efforts from the 1920s.
• Membership includes national standards bodies from 167 countries; each member appoints one representative.
• Governance includes an annual General Assembly and a 20-member Council with rotating membership that guides strategy and oversight.

Why it’s called “ISO”

The short form ISO is derived from the Greek word isos, meaning “equal.” The founders chose “ISO” to avoid different acronyms in different languages.

What ISO does

• Develops and publishes standards for a wide array of products, materials, processes, and management systems.
• Maintains a standards catalog containing more than 24,362 standards spanning sectors such as healthcare, technology, railways, agriculture, civil engineering, metallurgy, and more.
• Issues technical reports, specifications, corrigenda, and guides in addition to full standards.

Examples of ISO standards

ISO standards cover both technical specifications and management systems. Examples include:
– Calibration of thermometers
– Food safety requirements
– Environmental management frameworks
– Quality management systems for organizations
– Specifications for camera film speed (commonly cited by ISO numbers)
– Standards for shoe sizes, musical pitch, and security management

Widely used standards

• ISO 9001: Criteria for quality management systems (most widely adopted). Focuses on consistent product/service quality and customer satisfaction.
• ISO 14001: Criteria for environmental management systems. Focuses on minimizing environmental impact and compliance.
• ISO 9000: A family of standards focused on quality management principles and assurance used to develop and maintain quality systems across industries.

Certification and what it means

ISO itself develops standards but does not certify products. Companies obtain certification to ISO standards through independent certification bodies that audit and verify an organization’s processes and systems. For consumers and partners, ISO certification indicates that an organization’s processes conform to internationally recognized standards for quality, safety, or environmental management.

Significance

ISO standards create a common language for quality, safety, and interoperability that helps businesses access international markets, reduces technical barriers to trade, and provides confidence to customers and regulators about consistent practices across borders.

Bottom line

ISO establishes internationally accepted standards and frameworks that guide product specifications and organizational management systems. While ISO publishes the standards, independent certification demonstrates that a company’s processes meet those standards, supporting trust and comparability in global trade.