ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization
This International Assembly is composed of the standard organizations of the member countries. In fact, ISO is a powerful non-governmental organization that is not affiliated with any government or body and harmonizes various global standards.
History of ISO
The ISO Standards Organization was established in 1926 in Geneva, Switzerland, in collaboration with 20 countries, to integrate various world standards.
Today, almost the majority of countries in the world are members of this organization, of which the Iranian Institute of Standards and Industrial Research is one of its main members.
So far, more than 170,000 standards have been published by ISO, which are used in various fields and worldwide.
What is the purpose of establishing ISO?
In fact, the countries of the world each have their own standards, so there is a possibility of discrepancies in the exchange of goods and services between different countries. Therefore, ISO helps countries to use a general and reference standard in the exchange of goods by developing standards that have been accepted by all member states.
In general, the purpose of establishing this organization is to integrate the development of standards around the world, to facilitate international trade, to support producers and consumers, and to develop scientific, technological, and economic cooperation.
Importance of the ISO standard
ISO has developed thousands of standards in various fields and topics that have been approved by all members. Today, compliance with ISO standards in the production and supply of products and services is so important that in the field of global trade, ISO standards have become a prerequisite for international trade. Any company that uses these marks on its products, in fact, has proven its commitment to the community and customers and has shown the quality and superiority of its products to competitors.
ISO is made up of several committees whose task is to review and develop standards for that committee.
The most important ISO standards in the world are as follows:
ISO 9000 standard
In 1987, the Technical Committee 176 of the International Organization for Standardization introduced the ISO 9000 series of standards to the world. The purpose of developing this series of standards was to create an international model for the implementation and deployment of quality management and assurance systems, which was widely welcomed worldwide. The ISO 9000 standard is not assigned to a specific product, but rather evaluates the production process of a good or service in a business unit.
Among the benefits of using this standard, we can mention the review of the organization’s activities based on the organization’s goals and elimination of shortcomings, reducing costs, creating customer confidence, increasing international competitiveness.
ISO 14000 standard
This standard is related to the environment, which was created in 1996 by the technical committee of 207 ISO organizations. In fact, this standard is the main issue of the production process, in other words, behind the supply of a product, not the product itself.
In fact, this certification is given to a unit that has long-term practical plans to help keep the environment clean and to implement them properly.
Among the benefits of using this standard are the following:
Establishment of environmental management systems that lead to greater protection of the environment.
Increase compliance with environmental regulations
Optimal use of natural resources
Facilitate international trade
ISO 22000 standard
This standard creates an effective combination to ensure food safety throughout the food chain, the key elements of which include interaction, management system, and proposed programs.
Applying this standard helps organizations in different categories of food chains to be able to identify and control the risks in their system. All organizations in the food chain, including raw material producers in food and feed mills, retail stores, and food service providers, such as packaging services, can benefit from this standard.
ISO IMS standard
This standard creates an organized management system framework in which individuals can work for the organization on a regular basis and earn the desired income in an efficient and effective manner. The management system can be considered in various areas such as quality, health and safety and the environment, which naturally focuses on each component of the system is different from the other.
For example, the quality management system emphasizes customer needs, while the environmental management system emphasizes environmental protection, and the occupational safety and health management system emphasizes the safety of capital and occupational health of human resources.
ISO standard IEC 17020
It is one of the specialized standards for general criteria for the activities of different types of inspection organizations. The purpose of this organization is to determine the general criteria of impartial inspection organizations, regardless of the department being inspected. This standard applies to all inspection companies and institutions.
HALAL standard
The HALAL standard is another ISO standard that is important in today’s world, especially for Muslim countries. Any organization that succeeds in obtaining this approval will be able to communicate with a quarter of the world’s population by exporting to countries requesting halal food.