Spain is once again among the leading countries in the adoption of ISO standards, according to the latest study The ISO Survey 2022 by the International Organisation for Standardisation. This annual report details the implementation of technical standards in organisations in areas such as quality, environment, technology and governance. Spain is among the leading positions in the various different categories.
The Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, the Spanish member of ISO, takes a significant role in the development of international standards and in raising awareness of the importance of compliance.
According to this study, Spanish companies place the ecological transition and sustainability at the centre of their strategy to strengthen their growth, in line with one of the priorities of the UNE is to make standards and good practices available to companies and organisations so they can achieve their objectives. In this field, Spain is the fifth country with the highest number of companies and institutions to have adopted the environmental management standard (ISO 14001). Specifically, 31,410 work centres in Spain have been certified under this standard, only behind China, Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom.
The needs of organisations to adapt to new societal requirements have also led to the incorporation of standards such as sustainable event management (ISO 20121), energy management (ISO 50001) and information technology management (ISO 20000-1). They reflect the commitment of Spanish institutions to respond to the challenges of the 21st century.
Our country ranks fourth in terms of workplaces with occupational health and safety certifications (ISO 45001); the fifth in business continuity (ISO 22301); and second in road traffic safety management (ISO 39001). These rankings demonstrate how important standardization is in our country and the support that is given to implementing standards in Spain. Standards provide invaluable support when it comes to driving foreign trade and selling national products and services abroad by guaranteeing compatibility and best practices in quality and safety. At the same time, standards are very useful when bidding for public tenders and to inspire trust among investors.
