About ISO

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards. International Standards give state of the artspecifications for products, services and good practice, helping to make industry more efficient and effective. Developed through global consensus, they help to break down barriers to international trade. SO International Standards ensure that products and services are safe, reliable and of good quality. For business, they are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimizing waste and errors and increasing productivity. They help companies to access new markets, level the playing field for developing countries and facilitate free and fair global trade. The organization commonly known as “ISO” began in 1926 as the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA). The organization works on standards with the aim of encouraging and enabling trade between member countries. During the Second World War, the organization was dissolved, but was re-organized under the (correct) current name, the International Organization for Standardization, in 1946. ISO is an independent, non-governmental organization made up of members from the national standards bodies of 163 countries. We have a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system