At this year’s World Standards Week, ANSI was pleased to host a new event intended to build connections and foster collaboration in the standardization community: Networking Event: Connections for Sustainability.
Held on November 12, the networking event paired groups of six to eight attendees for twenty-minute table sessions focused on specific sustainability topics: climate change/resilience; clean energy/renewables; circular economy; regulatory compliance; Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations; and infrastructure and technology. Groups were rematched for each table session, allowing attendees the opportunity to meet and network with many different people throughout the two-hour event. Each table was hosted by a moderator who facilitated conversations on each sustainability topic.
Common Themes
With more than 100 attendees representing a wide range of industries in the public and private sectors, the networking event generated rich conversations and valuable insights. One recurring thread throughout the sessions was the need for expanded education and training, including outreach to consumers, regulators, and other stakeholder groups. Impactful sustainability initiatives require buy-in from stakeholders, so they must be well informed through available information channels—for example, accurate media representation of circularity and how it benefits consumers.
Many conversations also centered on the role and impact of data: how can data be measured, collected, and assessed consistently to inform and further sustainability efforts? Attendees discussed how standards and conformity assessment could support data management, as well as provide guidance surrounding data privacy concerns. Standards can also be leveraged to harmonize sustainability efforts; attendees expressed the need for methodologies and terminologies that can be used across industries.
While horizontal standardization efforts support sustainability in many ways, attendees also discussed the different challenges and needs in specific industries. Sectors that deal with critical and emerging technologies may face challenges in building standards “from the ground up” as technology outpaces standards development. Other sectors need to meet regulations from multiple jurisdictions; standards often are used to bridge these gaps and facilitate compliance.
“The standardization community has long had its foundation in collaborations across industries and stakeholder groups,” said Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. “ANSI’s networking event was intended to help our constituents make new connections, share their ideas, and plant the seeds for future partnerships that can further the impact that standards and conformity assessment have on sustainability.”
ANSI thanks all moderators and participants for actively contributing to the event.
