UL Standards & Engagement Celebrates World Standards Day 2021

On October 14, 2021, UL Standards & Engagement will celebrate World Standards Day, an annual event dedicated to the collaborative efforts of experts who work to make the world safer through the development of international standards. This year, the theme is “Shared Vision for a Better World,” with a focus on the role international standards play in helping to achieve the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030. 

What are the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

The 17 goals extend from the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all UN member states in 2015. The goals outline a shared blueprint for helping to make the world a safer and more sustainable place. They include ending poverty and hunger, and promoting health, education, and gender equality. They also include providing access to clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, and productive work and employment. Additionally, the goals include building sustainable infrastructure and cities, ensuring sustainable consumption and production, taking action to combat climate change, and protecting life on land and underwater through conservation and sustainable resource management.

Although the SDGs were just outlined within the last decade, they align with our longstanding mission of working for a safer world—a goal our organization has followed since its founding in 1894. In partnering with international organizations and government bodies through our collaborative memoranda of understanding (MOU) agreements, we are able to pursue the SDGs by developing and promoting safety and sustainability standards internationally.

Working to help meet the SDGs in 2021

Our ongoing work includes formalizing several agreements this past year with our MOU partners. Currently, we hold 67 MOU agreements with organizations around the world; 17 of which have been signed in 2021. Recent agreements include MOU signings in September with the Belize Bureau of Standards (BBS) and the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO).

We regularly organize virtual webinars with our partners to share knowledge and research, while also discussing standards-based solutions for important issues. In August, we held a webinar with the Singapore Battery Consortium to discuss safe and sustainable energy solutions for repurposing electric vehicle (EV) batteries. We also held a webinar with stakeholders in Mexico on fire safety standards, strategies and research.

In June, Phil Piqueira, vice president of global standards, presented virtually at the Qingdao Forum on International Standards (QFS) on the role of energy storage safety standards in the development of low carbon economy reform.

Upcoming Events

On October 13, we will host an STP webinar to provide stakeholders in Latin America, Europe and India with an opportunity to learn about our standards development process and Collaborative Standards Development System (CSDS).  This is the fourth STP webinar held in 2021 to help global participants in our standards development process to get the most from their involvement.  

On October 15, Sonya Bird, director of international standards, will deliver a keynote address at the Shenzhen Institute of Standards and Technology for its first International Forum on Standardization. Her presentation will discuss the standards solutions intended to address risks in the digitalization era. 

On October 25 – 27, we will host a webinar on the future of electric vehicles in Latin America. Dr. Judy Jeevarajan, Underwriters Laboratories vice president of research, will present alongside a number of panelists on the issues and trends related to lithium batteries used in electric vehicles, and the standards developed to help guide this technology.

Please register for our upcoming webinars and be sure to follow UL Standards & Engagement on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up with our ongoing standards development news and activities throughout the year. If you would like to get involved in standards development, please submit an application to join a standards technical panel or technical committee.