Small Business Standards (SBS) is the voice of European SMEs in the standardisation process.
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Standards are everywhere and cover many topics, products and services. From quality management systems and tattooing services to screw head sizes or safety of childcare articles or machinery.
The CE marking is an indicator that a product complies with EU legislation and enables the free movement of products within the European Market
Standards are the result of a consensus-building process involving different interests and stakeholders. Understand the process for the development of standards and how to get involved.
Explore the network of European, International and National standardisation bodies developing standards on diverse topics across different sectors.
Discover where and how to get a specific standard on a topic of interest to your specific sector and information on ongoing standardisation work.
Everything you always wanted to know about standards, their impact on European SMEs and their role in the economy (but were afraid to ask).
Discover main horizontal topics of importance for small businesses in which SBS is actively working to ensure SME views and interests are considered in standardisation and related legislation.
Discover the projects SBS is actively engaged in. Our initiatives span from advancing standardisation across diverse technology sectors to enhancing partnerships that integrate research, innovation, and standardisation. Each project emphasizes our dedication to amplifying SME participation and impact in standardisation.
Enhance your knowledge of standardisation with our suite of learning tools. Tailored to the needs of SMEs, these educational resources provide the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complexities of the standardisation process and learn about standards in a specific area.
SBS constantly monitors new and existing standardisation requests to ensure SME concerns and key aspects are included during the consultation process.
SBS has developed a test for the assessment of the compatibility of standards with SME needs. Test a standard to see if it can be easily applied by smaller companies!
Discover the information and services that standards bodies offer SMEs to facilitate their access to standards and standardisation.In 2010, CEN and CENELEC adopted the so-called Guide 17, a list of recommendations that standards makers should consider when writing standards to ensure they meet SME needs. The guide was also adopted by ISO and IEC in 2016. Guide 17 is available in several European languages.
The monitoring of standards is an essential tool for SMEs and their associations providing them with a centralised hub for information on relevant new standardisation developments.
Explore our range of resources designed specifically for SMEs.
SBS aims at influencing EU policies to ensure the needs of SMEs are taken into consideration. SBS position papers offer insights and recommendations on key issues impacting SMEs and standardisation.
Discover insightful studies that present in-depth analysis and research findings on standards, their impact on SMEs and SME priorities.
The SBS newsletter provides an overview of the latest and most important European SME-related standardisation news and announcements. To reach out to the largest possible audience, the content is provided in several languages.
Browse our brochures to find out more about Small Business Standards, its work and for concise overviews on other relevant topics.
The SME Guides and learning materials provide practical and easy-to-understand information on standards, standardisation and related topics.
SBS’ annual reports provide a comprehensive summary of the association’s activities, achievements and impact over the past years, demonstrating its continuous commitment to SMEs.
Keep up to date with the latest news from SBS!
In this section, we provide you with the latest SME standardisation-related developments.
SBS provides opportunities for learning and networking in the area of standardisations. Check out our upcoming seminars, workshops and events.
SBS regularly issues press releases featuring important announcements, news, and updates on standardisation and its impact on SMEs.
Meeting Standards is a campaign to raise awareness among SMEs and SME organisations about the importance of standardisation and getting involved in the standards writing process.
SBS Forum 2022 on PPE and Textile Care standardisation in the PPE sector – From dual use to multi-use 19 October, 10:00 – 13:00 (online)
Europe’s 2030 digital targets entails a set of specific objectives that aims to enable Europe’s digital transformation and leadership, while encapsulating European fundamental values. Subsequently, these targets are supported by a set of legislative acts such as the AI Act, the Digital Markets Act, the Digital Services Act, the Data Act, the Chips Act, the Cyber Resilience Act; and a revision of established legislation such as the NIS 2 Directive, the Radio Equipment Directive, the Machinery regulation, and the eIDAS regulation.
In addition, a European Standardisation Strategy was released in February to strengthen Europe’s leadership in standardisation and align standards towards European values. Such work leads towards a transformation of an “open but naive” Europe, as mentioned by Commissioner Breton, to a digitally sovereign Europe. A Europe that has “mastery and ownership of key technologies in Europe ”.
Every year SBS publishes an open call for experts to recruit technical experts to represent small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in standardisation.
On 30 March 2022, the European Commission presented a package of initiatives to ensure that all products placed on the EU market become more sustainable.
The new Standardization Strategy presented in February by the European Commission is a vital opportunity for an increased role of SMEs in Standardization and outlines a series of crucial measures regarding the role of standards in promoting EU sovereignty and the governance and inclusiveness of the European Standardization system.
On 14 December, MKB-Nederland organised an online seminar to inform and train Dutch entrepreneurs about the benefits of standards and to foster exchange of views between representatives and stakeholders of the Dutch standardization system.
SBS Lift Webinar Updates on lift standardisation 14 December 2021 On 14 December, SBS is organising the SBS Lift Webinar to give lift SMEs
SBS TRAINING Revision of the Machinery Directive, standards and conformity Assessment – What SMEs need to know 16 November 2021 10.00-12.00H CEST In April 2021,
With regard to digitisation of the sector and in relation to circulatory, the Digital Product Passport initiative demonstrates the use of digitisation and ICT standards in tracing PPE and Textile raw material to ensure transparency along the supply chain. For example, enabling technologies such as Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology can increase trust among the supply chain actors with accurate information regarding the quality of the raw material and manufacturing processes. This would also ensure adherence to reusability, recyclability, and repairability requirements. Hence, ICT standards for the support of circularity can enable other sectors to achieve circularity goals in faster and efficient manner, as highlighted by the report on ICT Standardization supporting Circular Economy
