Standardization helps conserve resources: Mega
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
President Megawati Soekarnoputri said on Monday that the standardization of products, production processes and services was not only necessary for increasing efficiency and compatibility, but was also vital for natural resources conservation and sustainability.
Opening the 11th Annual Meeting of the ISO-TC (Technical Committee) 207 and the National Workshop on the Environment Management System ISO 14001 in Denpasar, Bali, Megawati stressed that Indonesia, like every other nation in the world, supported the effort to promote sustainable development and standards' harmonization in the industrial sector.
Established in 1993, ISO-TC 207 is responsible for coordinating efforts to formulate and develop international standards on environmental management.
Currently, ISO-TC 207 has 88 members, comprising both developed and developing countries as well as international environmental organizations.
The seven-day event is being held at the Bali International Convention Center, Nusa Dua, Bali. Some 200 people from 44 countries are attending the meeting.
The ISO-TC 207 has five sub-committees, responsible for devising environmental management systems, environmental audits, environmental labeling, environmental performance evaluation and life cycle assessment respectively.
This year's meeting will, among other things, discuss the possible utilization of ISO-19011 in verifying greenhouse gas emissions and validating environmental reports.
Megawati stressed that the efficiency factor had become even more essential in view of the increasing imbalances between the availability of and accessibility to resources, particularly bio- diversity, and continued increases in exploitation.
Without such balance, the sustainability of both consumption and bio-diversity would be difficult to maintain, she said.
"Bio-diversity standards are expected to provide effective limits and thereby prevent business practices from causing damage to the environment and sustainable bio-diversity.
"Nevertheless, this should not mean the imposition of non- tariff barriers, which at the end will only bring about distortions and unfairness in business itself," Megawati stressed.
According to Megawati, aside from existing gaps in knowledge and the capacity to master and develop the necessary technology to formulate and apply standardization, its economic and financial implications were also burdensome on almost every sector of the business community.
Separately, during a press briefing attended by Minister of Research and Technology Hatta Radjasa and the head of the National Standardization Body (BSN), Imam Sudarwo, State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim said that the awareness of the country's business community on the importance of standardized production processes and products in accordance with international and environmentally friendly standards was still low.
"There are only a small number of companies that have acquired ISO 14001 certification despite the fact that certification reflects the country's ability to cope with globalization," Nabiel said.
Meanwhile, Imam Sudarwo said that so far there were only 230 companies that had obtained ISO 14001 certification.
"Besides the awareness issue, the high cost of the certification process and the lack of a number of support facilities have contributed to the fact that only a small number of companies have managed to get certification," Imam said.