Sustainability and climate action

Sustainability and climate action

How standards accelerate the transition to net zero

How standards accelerate the transition to net zero
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Sustainability and climate action
Sustainability and climate action
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Our planet faces a huge dilemma with human-induced climate change directly linked to greenhouse gas emissions. If we do not act now we risk missing the main goals laid out in the 2015 Paris Agreement - To achieve net zero by 2050, and to limit global warming by maintaining a temperature well below 2℃.

Standards can play a significant part in accelerating the transition to a net zero economy. They provide clear and practical guidance for organizations of all sizes and sectors to mitigate, and adapt to, climate change. 

As the UK National Standards Body, BSI is at the core of several initiatives centred around climate action. Some examples include PAS 2060, a standard which supports organizational claims of carbon neutrality, and the Faraday Battery Challenge standardization programme, supported by the UK Government, which centres on innovation in energy storage for electric vehicles.

In September 2021, BSI played a key role in drafting the London Declaration, signed at the 75th anniversary of ISO Week in London, which commits ISO to consider the climate impacts in all its standards and facilitates the involvement in standardization of those most vulnerable to climate change.

Taking action on climate change

Susan Taylor Martin, BSI Chief Executive

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Scott Steedman, BSI Director-General, Standards

“BSI sees sustainability as our top strategic priority and we are determined to do what we can as an organisation and in our role as the National Standards Body to address climate change.  The role of standards, including regulation, is critical in accelerating the global transition to a net zero economy but we know that this is not widely understood by industry, particularly SMEs, governments or consumers. The London Declaration, which BSI signed in September together with the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), will help us raise the profile of international standards as a tool to scale industry transformation and ensure climate science is fully considered in all new and existing international standards.”

BSI at COP

What is the Conference of the Parties and what does BSI do at COP? Find out more about the power of standards as accelerators to climate solutions.

Learn more about COP

Key Initiatives


Article

Everyday Sustainability: the role of standards in sustainable everyday choices

"Sustainability" is a word we hear a lot at the moment - but what does it really mean? We know that there are finite resources available to us on earth, but the scale of recycling, re-using and renewing to create a circular economy can seem a little overwhelming. In this article, we explore how to make truly sustainable choices every day as marketing, PR and "greenwashing" muddy the waters.

Read the full article >

Whitepapers

Net Zero Barometer Report

In 2019 the UK Parliament passed legislation that committed the country to reduce its net emissions by 100 per cent by 2050. To find out how UK businesses are managing the transition to net zero BSI has published the ‘Net Zero Barometer’ report.

Go to Report

Standards in a post-COP26 world

International standards have an immense capacity to support both business and policy makers in the race to net zero. However, so far, their potential to drive positive climate transitions has been largely untapped. This is something that the international standards community is now vigorously addressing.

Read now

Past Events


COP 26 BSI event

On-demand webinars

Climate action across 5 Sectors

Originally aired 19 October 2021

Watch our on-demand webinars featuring BSI professionals and industry experts will explore how standards can support business objectives around sustainable finance, the circular economy, net zero and decarbonisation.


Webinars

Carbon Neutrality Report

In this report, we provide high-level guidance on the key areas any business should consider in their approach and implementation of a carbon neutrality journey, providing standards insights and best practice examples.

Download report

The role of standards and National Standards Bodies in achieving Net Zero

In this whitepaper, the authors seek to demonstrate that if nation states are to undergo the transformation required to achieve net zero, a more holistic and integrated approach is needed where international standards and National Standards Bodies have a crucial role to play in building trust in the process.

Download the report for full findings

How standards support sustainability and accelerate the transition to net zero

Access the standards you need to support your sustainability targets

British Standards Online (BSOL) gives you instant access to over 3,000 standards related to embedding more sustainable practices and helping your business make the transition to net zero and greater resource efficiency. With BSOL, anyone in your organization that needs access to multiple standards can view and download them. Subscribe to pre-built modules or build a personalized standards collection.

Find out more