Standards for the Climate: CEN and CENELEC signed the London Declaration

The London Declaration was approved in September 2021 by the members of ISO and the IEC Council Board. The document commits the international standardization community to contribute to the achievements laid out in the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) supporting the climate agenda. This commitment includes the inclusion of climate considerations in the development of all new and revised international standards, and the facilitation of the involvement of civil society and those most vulnerable to climate change in the development of international standards.

At the European level, CEN and CENELEC, two of the officially recognised European Standardization Organisations, consider the Green Transition as a priority of their actions for the future. In particular, the two organisations have identified the digital and green twin transition as a core driver for their joint Strategy 2030, recognising that standards are a critical enabler of the solutions needed for the Green Deal transition.

For this reason, with today’s signature, CEN and CENELEC are happy to join forces with ISO, IEC, stakeholders and partners to ensure that International and European Standards accelerate achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, the UN SDGs and the Green Deal.

Stefano Calzolari, the President of CEN, commented: “The success of the Paris Agreement, the UN SDGs, and the Green Deal will require a collaborative and ambitious approach at both the international and European level to   deliver climate-friendly   standards, including complementary projects making  best use of  the international and European resources and networks. CEN and CENELEC are willing to do their part”.

Wolfgang Niedziella, the President of CENELEC, added: “Without climate compatible International and European Standards, industry and other stakeholders will be unable to achieve what is necessary to help mitigate, reduce and adapt to climate change, deliver the ambitions for clean, affordable and resilient energy, support circular economy across sectors, or enable smart and sustainable mobility. The London Declaration is a welcome step in the right direction”.

Elena Santiago Cid, CEN and CENELEC’s Director General, concluded: “The London Declaration is a clear demonstration of the ambitions of the European and international standardization community. By embedding key climate considerations into standard development, it will be a good reference point for all standardization organisations on how to transform their approaches to climate action and advance international work to attain net-zero goals”.