Welcome to the SBS annual report for 2023.
2023 marks a significant milestone for Small Business Standards (SBS) as we celebrate our tenth anniversary. From the beginning, SBS has been dedicated to bridging the gap between SMEs and the complex world of standardisation. Having served as President from the first day, I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together. Over the past decade, SBS has become a key player in ensuring that SMEs have a decisive voice in shaping fair and growth-oriented standards.
The High-Level Forum on European standardisation (HLF) set up by the European Commission at the end of 2022 promises to give standardisation an important role to play in EU policymaking. Our participation in the forum provides an opportunity to bring the perspective of European SMEs to the discussions about standardisation, especially in areas like green, digital and resilient priorities. SBS co-leads the work on inclusiveness at the national level and contributes to six other workstreams of the Forum. SBS has also contributed to the the HLF recommendations for the 2024 EC annual work programme for standardisation and co-signed the Education and Skills for Standards pledge.
Our engagement with the European Standards Bodies, CEN, CENELEC and ETSI remains strong.
Our engagement with key standards bodies such as CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI remains strong. We proposed and discussed specific recommendations, together with the other Annex III organisations, for a governance review in support of further inclusiveness. Moreover, we secured a seat on the ETSI Board until 2026, ensuring SME representation.
Different exchanges with national and international standards bodies also took place. SBS hosted the ISO/TC 279/WG 3 meeting on Innovation Management and organised a successful webinar on innovation management standards. Moreover, SBS also drafted a series of concrete recommendations for ISO and IEC and for national standards bodies on SME inclusiveness which will be published in January 2024.
Another notable achievement was the invitation for SBS to participate in the public hearing organised by the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee as part of its own-initiative report on standardisation strategy. We also focused on sustainability initiatives, submitting comments on the draft standardisation request on the Digital Product Passport and developing a draft proposal for an Ecodesign standard for personal protective equipment (PPE). Moreover, the publication of an SBS position paper on the compatibility policy of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) aimed at facilitating Building Information Modelling (BIM), led to the launch of a new work item within ISO/TC 159/SC 13 to deal with this issue.
As regards events, another important accomplishment was the organisation of the first edition of the Meeting Standards campaign in November, featuring activities on various standards-related topics. In addition, SBS organised a successful workshop on the digital product passport, attended by 170 participants.
Our achievements have been possible due to the support and cooperation of SBS members, experts, partners and team members. Together, we are committed to ensuring SME-friendly standards that create new opportunities. Looking ahead, digital transformation, sustainability and global competition present both challenges and opportunities. SBS will continue to advocate for standards that empower SMEs to adapt, innovate and thrive in this rapidly changing world.
Gunilla Almgren
Small Business Standards President
