Less waste, better results – Standards increase efficiency

International standards such as those from IEC, ISO and ITU are crucial for increasing efficiency. This issue has come to the forefront as global challenges like sustainability and financial uncertainty mean that organizations are challenged to achieve better results with less waste.

Quite simply, efficiency indicates the ability to achieve objectives by implementing processes to develop products or services of optimal quality with minimal waste, expense, or unnecessary effort. It helps organizations maximize profits and meet their goals, and is crucial for success in today’s challenging and competitive economic environment.

In today’s highly competitive and complex world, the issue of sustainability, viewed from an economic, environmental and societal perspective means that businesses must be more efficient across a wide range of measures and issues.

International standards are powerful tools for helping organizations capitalize their potential in the global marketplace. Developed by experts from around the world, they contain internationally harmonized best practice which can be used to measure, compare and increase efficiency and reduce waste.

For example, by providing common specifications, international standards enable products, services and technology from different vendors to fit together like pieces in a puzzle. They support interoperability and compatibility, providing a solid base for developing innovations and facilitating market access to new products. They ensure that countries, organizations, regulators and researchers, do not have to reinvent the wheel, and can invest in other priorities.

The state-of-the-art know-how contained in international standards is accessible to all, including developing countries, helping them make the best use of their human and material resources. More efficient industrial and business processes, facilitated by standards, empower companies to compete globally, and produce faster for more markets at a lesser cost.

In this way, standards help organizations meet their customer’s needs while focusing and optimizing company processes. Regulators can use international standards as a means to show compliance and as a base for market- and consumer-friendly regulations. And consumers can rest assured that international standards promote efficiency on issues that matter to them, like product labeling or safety.

The bottom line? International standards from IEC, ISO and ITU not only make good business sense, but greater efficiency helps society to make better use of its resources, contributing to a more sustainable world.

減廢損，增收益——標準提高效率

國際標準對提高效率至為重要，而國際電工委員會（IEC）、國際標準化組織（ISO）和國際電信聯盟（ITU）就是最重要的國際標準制訂者。當前的可持續發展和金融風險等全球性的挑戰對各類企業和組織都會帶來壓力，所以我們要大力倡導減廢增效。

顯而易見，效率就是達成目標的能力，即以最少的廢損、最低的成本和最小的投入，生產或提供最優質的產品或服務。提高效率能夠幫助各類企業和組織實現效益最大化，達成目標。在當今充滿挑戰和競爭的經濟環境中，效率對於成功是不可缺少的因素。

當今世界的競爭非常複雜和激烈，從經濟、環境和社會的角度來看，為實現可持續發展，我們必須在更多的環節和方面提高效率。

作為一種強有力的工具，國際標準可以幫助各類企業和組織以全球的視角充分地配置其市場潛力。國際標準由來自世界各地的最優秀專家共同協商制訂，它集中了國際水準的最佳操作規範，對效率的檢驗、比對和提高以及減少廢損，都非常適用。

例如，國際標準所包含的基礎性通用技術規範，可使不同供應商所提供的產品、服務和技術能夠像拼圖那樣完美地組合在一起。國際標準為產品的通用性和相容性提供的支持，也為新產品的研發和市場准入奠定了堅實的基礎。國際標準還可以節省各個國家、企業組織、政策法規制定者和科研人員在建規立制方面的投入，把更多的精力用於其他的重要事項。

國際標準包含了優質的資源和技術訣竅，它歡迎包括發展中國家的各方多加利用，使其人力與物質資源都能發揮最大的效能。標準能顯著提高工商企業的運行效率，增強其參與全球競爭的能力——因為標準有助於以更低的成本、更快的產品供應佔據更多的市場。

標準就是這樣地去推動企業和組織的發展，滿足客戶的需求，同時它也幫助企業和組織更多地關注和優化其工作和管理流程。政策法規制定者通過引用國際標準，能使其發佈的規範制度更有一致性，符合國際慣例，也更貼合市場和消費者的需求。有了國際標準，消費者對產品標籤或安全等最關心的問題就有了信心。

IEC、ISO、ITU所制訂的國際標準可以看作是一種基礎和底線。這些標準不僅有助於商貿發展，其帶來的高效率更可對全社會的資源配置乃至整個世界的可持續發展做出積極貢獻。（by QJH）