Standards create trust

Standards and patents are two complementary building blocks in the innovation process. While patents provide an incentive for the dissemination of knowledge, standards are the reliable foundation on which technological development can flourish. Standards are the catalysts in value chains, and they enable the interaction of all, often very different, contributors.

For end users, standards mean reliable products and services. Reliability conserves resources and creates planning security. At the same time, standards generate trust by providing binding assurances of product characteristics. As a result, consumers can directly participate in social transformation processes, such as the transition to a sustainable lifestyle, through their behaviour. Because standards generate transparency, they create comparability, and they enable freedom of choice according to personal needs and preferences.