Standardisation
Standards and standardisation explained.
Standards are practical tools that provide the information needed to meet today’s challenges head-on and support specific organisational needs across different industrial and business professional sectors.
Standards can support and promote innovation. They create a common framework that encourages the sharing of knowledge. This reduces the need for duplication during research and development.
A recognised body establishes a standard through consensus and approves it as a document. It provides rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results so that they can be repeated. The aim is to achieve the greatest degree of order in a given context.
Standards provide a reliable basis for people to share the same expectations about a product, process or service. This helps to:
- facilitate trade
- provide a framework for achieving economies, efficiencies and interoperability
- enhance consumer protection and confidence
The UK’s National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) includes standardisation as one of its key components, alongside measurement, market surveillance, and conformity assessment and accreditation. Overall, the NQI makes a significant contribution to the economy, health and safety, and the environment.
Why standards are important
Standards support many government policies. Examples include:
- competitiveness
- fair trading
- protection of consumer interests, the environment and sustainability
- regulatory compliance
Standards contribute to productivity and growth because they:
- increase efficiency by improving processes
- reduce cost by minimising waste and cutting out the time spent on ‘trial and error’
- allow production at scale by replacing bespoke variety with standardised solutions, performance or outcomes, freeing resources for differentiating products and services from those of competitors
- lower the cost of regulatory compliance and the costs of non-compliance
- shorten the time to market of new products
Government’s role in standards and standardisation
The use of standards and the process of standardisation provides a competitive edge in the marketplace, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses, as proving compliance with an accepted standard can replace the power of a big brand.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) through the Office for Product Safety and Standards is responsible for UK government general policy on everything to do with standards-making (but not on specific individual standards). DBT improves the standards infrastructure so that it meets the needs of UK industry and makes processes more relevant business friendly and promotes growth.
DBT sponsors, and works closely with, the British Standards Institution (BSI). DBT is responsible for the government’s relations with BSI and financially supports BSI’s standards development work through grants. This includes providing support for consumer representation in standards-making activities. This is vital to ensure standards reflect the needs and expectations of the UK citizens.
Find out more about consumer representation and BSI’s Consumer and Public Interest Network on the BSI website.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology leads the government’s work on digital standards and DBT Smarter Regulation leads on using standards as an alternative to regulation.
British Standards Institution (BSI)
BSI an independent body formed in 1901 and operates under a Royal Charter.
BSI and DBT recognise public interest in standards. BSI is the UK’s national standards body (NSB), responsible for the UK publication, in English, of National, International and European standards.
BSI has a Memorandum of Understanding with DBT. It provides a framework for BSI and the government to meet the challenges to the UK’s standards-making infrastructure, and recognises BSI is the UK’s national standards body (NSB), responsible for the UK publication, in English, of international and European standards.
Economic benefits of standards
Independent research on the economic contribution of standards to the UK economy and businesses finds that standards boost UK productivity, kick-start innovation, and support UK domestic and international trade.
Read a comprehensive study on the contribution of standards to the UK economy, published in April 2022. This was commissioned by BSI and conducted by independent experts at the Centre of Economics and Business Research.
International standards policy
International standards support trade policy while helping maintain the UK’s flexible and pro-competitive regulatory model. In our trade negotiations, we promote the use of international standards, and we will continue to ensure the safety and quality of products on sale in the UK, recognising the important role that international standards play. As a committed supporter of the World Trade Organization, the UK will continue basing its product safety regulations on these standards.
The international standards system is independent of the European Union, the United Nations, and any other inter-governmental organisation. Within this system, the UK occupies a strong leadership position, as a founder of the standards organisations the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The UK manages a significant number of important international standards committees. Through standards, British businesses, including SMEs, and British consumers shape decisions that businesses make on every continent.
Government supports the ‘single national standard model’ whereby the UK’s National Standards Body, BSI, will lead the development, agree, and then adopt international standards as British Standards, withdrawing conflicting national standards to give a coherent national catalogue. Similarly, it will represent the UK’s interests in the European regional standards bodies of CEN and CENELEC.
Designated standards
Designated standards can help manufacturers demonstrate their products, services or processes comply with GB law. By following designated standards, manufacturers can claim, ‘presumption of conformity’ (which can be countered by evidence) with the corresponding essential requirements. Designated standards do not replace the essential requirements and manufacturers retain full responsibility for ensuring the applicable GB law is met.
Updates to this page
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Page revised.
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Paper added on the UK Government public policy interest in standardisation.
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New Memorandum of Understanding between DBT and BSI added.
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First published.