International Partnerships

Becoming a trusted partner throughout the world

As industry and infrastructure blossom in expanding markets, the need for effective standards becomes paramount. UL Standards & Engagement has put tremendous focus on establishing cooperative partnerships in the international standards development community. This approach aids expanding markets and growing the library of ULSE standards through collaboration and the sharing of safety information and ideas. To that end, UL Standards & Engagement convenes roundtable sessions with government and industry leaders and participates in discussions to develop and improve standards in emerging and established markets to improve safety. 

Facilitating discussions with key leaders 

UL Standards & Engagement convenes roundtable sessions with key leaders from industry, government, consumer groups, and standards bodies to promote the development of a robust ecosystem for quality, with discussions centered on creating a roadmap for the development of consistent and effective safety standards. 

International focus

UL Standards & Engagement actively supports international standards development. Experience in various parts of the world offers examples of how better standards development processes aid expanding markets. 

UL Standards & Engagement contributes to the global development of effective safety standards and codes and serve as a trusted partner through the sharing of our research, standards and safety information.

Developing standards across borders

We partner with national and regional standards bodies in countries around the world to improve standards and safety in emerging and established markets. 

We are also proud to be the only organization able to develop standards for all three countries in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. ULSE is accredited in the U.S. by the American National Standards Institute and in Canada by the Standards Council of Canada, and is authorized in Mexico by the Dirección General de Normas. In 2020, ULSE became the first foreign standards development organization authorized by the Dirección General de Normas to develop standards for Mexico and the only SDO able to develop national standards for all three countries in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. 

Cooperative partnerships strengthen international SDO relationships

UL Standards & Engagement has a number of cooperative partnerships with national and regional standards development organizations around the world. To formalize these partnerships, we sign memorandums of understanding that outline how we will share knowledge and support one another's standards development activities. These MOU partnerships strengthen the ability of our organization and our partners to promote the development and maintenance of effective safety standards. When we establish a cooperative MOU partnership with a national or regional standards body, the goals are to:

• Better address new and emerging issues (such as hazards and technology) with international partners through the sharing of ULSE standards, research and safety science
• Collaborate on international standards issues of mutual concern
• Improve understanding of our partner’s safety and standardization needs and priorities, which allows us to identify additional opportunities to advance our mission globally
• Encourage international participants to participate in our standards development process 
• Obtain information regarding how our stakeholders can engage in the standards development activities of our partners
• Improve the requirements in our standards by learning from our partners about emerging hazards, technologies and new safety science developments
• Connect our partners with colleagues from UL Research Institutes and UL Solutions to advance our mission through engagements beyond standards cooperation. 

To learn more about our international partnerships or establish a new working relationship with our organization, please contact us via our secure form.