Actually, these are the acronyms of just a few of the organizations who set standards that can impact the ceramic industry. There are hundreds or even thousands more that may affect ceramics. It is estimated that there now could be as many as 60,000 organizations worldwide that have established standards for a variety of products and services. Their numbers are growing rapidly.
Standards setting groups can provide a valuable service.
By establishing objective standards that promote healthy and ecologically positive products or practices, they can help to ensure consumers and other purchasers that items and processes are safe for individuals and the environment. Increasingly, however, complaints are being voiced that certain standards setting bodies are being formed and acting for the purpose of keeping competitive products and services out of particular markets and inhibiting innovation by upstart companies or those who have developed technological breakthroughs. Recently accusations have been made that some standards are set by multinational organizations for the purpose of erecting non-tariff barriers to trade, not for promoting safe products or establishing methods to objectively set beneficial standards. These complaints have resulted in heightened Congressional interest in the proliferation of international standards and the organizations that set them. In April the Technology Subcommittee of the Science Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives held hearings on the problem.