This post is written by Ritwika Sengupta, Net Zero Policy Manager, British Standards Institution (BSI).

  • The problem: Building trust that climate action is meeting internationally agreed goals.
  • Why it matters: Moving from target setting to meeting our climate targets is crucial to limiting warming to below 1.5°C.
  • The solution: Leveraging national government-recognition standards, accreditation, measurement and conformity assessment bodies to deliver governance that works for the local context but aligns with international best practice.

A critical decade for climate action

We are in a critical decade for climate action to stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. However, a recent analysis from the Net Zero Tracker shows the pace of government commitments to reach net zero is slowing, although target setting by companies continues to gather pace.

“Net Zero: Condition in which human-caused residual Greenhouse Gas emissions are balanced by human-led removals over a specified period and within specified boundaries” ISO Net Zero Guidelines

To meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement, both public and private sector organisations will need to increase the pace of delivery of their net zero targets. Building trust in this delivery of net zero is a challenge that requires scaling governance globally in a consistent, inclusive way that works in the context of national economies.

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At present, there is a proliferation of schemes, initiatives and guidelines on net zero action which are confusing for businesses and policymakers to navigate. BSI-commissioned recent research shows that although there is a clear consensus in many areas, like setting science-based targets, areas of contention remain, such as the use of offsets. This lack of consensus is hindering effective decision-making and the rapid scaling of net zero governance that is urgently needed.

A bottom-up approach to scaling climate action — standards and their governance

The simplest approach to scaling climate action is to leverage existing governance systems already operating at global, regional and national levels. One such system is the international standards system that governs trade, innovation and consumer protection.

International standards — collaboration to reach a consensus on what good looks like

This is where the international standards landscape — by which we mean a specific system of international coordination across countries on standards development — is crucial. Standards are a mechanism for people to collaborate and agree on what good looks like developing a common approach to a problem, like the net zero transition. There are a few such international coordination forums on standards, one notable example being the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO has 171 member countries, represented by their national standards bodies, which are appointed by or recognised by their governments. Their role is to engage their national stakeholders from across government, regulators, industry, academia and civil society to develop national standards. At the international level, national standard bodies participate in the development of international standards in forums such as ISO, ensuring their national expertise and needs are considered in standard development. This means ISO standards are developed with input from across the world, including from lower to middle-income countries.

Inclusive systems of governance have a crucial role to play in delivering a just transition and ensuring that climate action considers local economic, social and environmental contexts.

This system is now being leveraged for net zero. Members of ISO have agreed to create the first International Standard on net zero for organisations, building on the existing consensus from over 1,200 experts from over 100 countries captured within the ISO Net Zero Guidelines. The new ISO net zero standard, which announced the beginning of its development process in June 2024, will take the guidelines to a new level, supporting organisations and policymakers to deliver the net zero transition with confidence.

Standards are part of a wider governance system that delivers trust — the quality infrastructure system

Standards alone are not enough. For instance, if a standard sets out guidance for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, how can we be sure that organisations are taking the actions required to meet that guidance? That is why standards are part of a wider system that independently assesses that requirements set out in a standard are being met. This wider system of governance is known as the quality infrastructure, which includes five main pillars, many of which are connected to national policy through government-recognised bodies:

  • Standards: Setting out what good looks like for a process, product or service. _There is often a national standards body in a country, which coordinates at international forums, such as ISO. _
  • **Conformity assessment: **Evaluating that standards are being followed, which is delivered by a range of organisations including laboratories, test houses and certification bodies. This is also sometimes called assurance.
  • Accreditation: Ensuring conformity assessment bodies evaluating against standards are impartial and competent. _There is often a national accreditation body in a country that coordinates at an international level, such as the International Accreditation Forum. _
  • Measurement: Ensuring consistent measurements and providing scientific calibration (e.g. for units of measurement). _There is often a national metrology body in a country that coordinates at an international level, such as at Bureau Internationales des Poids et Mesures. _
  • Market surveillance: Ensuring regulatory oversight that products meet the applicable safety requirements. Countries will have a range of government departments, regulators and authorities delivering this oversight.

A visual diagram titled, 'Quality Infrastructure: A Unified Path to Net Zero'. This image conveys the concept of achieving a unified pathway to net zero through the integration of quality infrastructure. It highlights the four key components: standards, conformity assessment, accreditation, and measurement. These components support policy objectives, assure consumers, and help businesses deliver on sustainability. Standards provide clear specifications, conformity assessment ensures products and services meet these standards, accreditation confirms competence, and measurement ensures consistent progress. Together, these elements foster transparency, innovation, and sustainability, enabling a collective effort toward reaching net zero.

Figure: Quality infrastructure — the key to net zero delivery

How does quality infrastructure differ across the world?

Quality infrastructure bodies have different capacities and resources depending on their national contexts, highlighted in this interactive map by UNIDO. In many countries, capacity building of quality infrastructure institutions is needed to deliver against sustainability goals. The international standards system is contributing to this through the ISO Capacity Building unit, and capacity building programmes led by national standards bodies, such as BSI, which is supporting the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office funded ‘Standards Partnership’ programme.

The mandates of quality infrastructure bodies can also vary depending on their location within government or as an independent body. For example, in the UK, BSI is an independent body appointed as the national standards body by government. Whereas in China, the Standardization Administration of China (SAC), the national standards body, is part of a government department.

The key point is that, regardless of capacity, quality infrastructure bodies operate in their own national contexts to ensure trust in the economy. That knowledge they bring to international coordination is crucial to coordinating global governance of a just transition to net zero.

Why is quality infrastructure important for trade?

International standards, such as those developed through ISO, adhere to the principles set out in the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreement, which aims to reduce barriers to trade by making governance consistent and transparent across borders. The TBT Agreement strongly encourages member countries to base their regulations on international standards as a means to facilitate trade. Quality infrastructure bodies can also mutually recognise each other’s work so that between trading countries, governance procedures such as certification need not be repeated, reducing administrative and financial burdens.

This coordination to simplify governance is vital to scale a net zero transition that is inclusive, and does not put undue burdens, particularly on smaller to medium-sized organisations (SMEs), and lower to middle-income countries.

Is quality infrastructure the answer to scaling climate governance around the world?

No single system or action can accomplish the huge task of delivering trust in the net zero transition. Quality infrastructure alone is not the answer, but it can be part of a bottom-up approach of governance which taps into the national and regional needs to enable inclusive governance mechanisms. Such inclusive systems of governance have a crucial role to play in delivering a just transition and ensuring that climate action considers local economic, social and environmental contexts. In fact, recommendations from the UN in their Recognition and Accountability Framework published in May 2024 recognise the importance of leveraging quality infrastructure systems to scale the transparency and accountability required to ensure the world reaches its emissions reduction targets.

Underpinned by building capacity, policymakers can use quality infrastructure as a powerful tool to scale net zero using existing systems that make countries’ economies and their national needs an integral part of the global net zero transition.

How policymakers can get involved:

  • Participate in the development of the ISO net zero standard by joining your country’s national climate change management standards committee. Email your national standards body (see the ISO Members list) to request to join your national greenhouse gas and climate change management committee.
  • Reach out to your national standards body or to BSI for advice on how to engage with your quality infrastructure institutions to support the delivery of regulatory policy at national, regional and international levels.

Done reading? Make sure to share your own thoughts on how standards, accreditation, and measurement can drive the net zero transition by leaving a comment below ⬇️

(Image credit: Unsplash)