📋 Tender Overview
While the rate at which our world evolves is perhaps not as fast as we might think we do live in a place that looks somewhat different to just a few years ago. We are more numerous more global and have more complex purchasing decisions to make. We expect to have businesses that act responsibly honest leaders and a greener planet. We want to have more control over our destinies but not at the expense of giving our privacy away. We are also not getting any younger. By 2050 it is expected that the number of people aged 65years or over will double to 1.5billion and rise to 16 of the population.1 This will dramatically alter the way societies and economies work and upset the balance of the workforce. How older adults find fulfilment at what age they retire and their quality of life once they do are relatively new but important considerations. Ageing populations are a real and growing issue for many governments and community providers because they place increased demands on areas such as healthcare social security accessibility and safety. Meanwhile the younger generation are aware that they will one day have to carry the weight of the world and thus are pushing for a better one. One where governments put people ahead of profits and our lifestyles are sustainable.BIG CITY LIVING At the same time we are constantly moving mostly into bigger urban areas. With the number of city dwellers soaring from 751million people in 1950 to 4.2billion in 2018 and expected to reach 6.7 billion in 20502 meeting the needs of cities now and anticipating those of the future is an ongoing challenge.Cities need to plan well ahead in order to deliver the necessary resources and services for their populations to survive and thrive. Public transport facilities water supply sanitation energy food and security are just some of the pressure points that will continue to be challenged by rising urbanization. THE CHANGING CONSUMER We are also buying more and differently. Consumer behaviour has evolved dramatically in recent years driven by the increased choice both of products to buy and ways to acquire them. Incredibly complex supply chains have given rise to consumer concerns about where their money is going and what they are getting in return. Transparency traceability personalized service and connected experiences are just some of what is expected1 and purchasers are far more likely to switch brands either to find a better deal or to be more aligned with their values. Consumers are critical partners helping to drive sustainable impact into our supply chains. Sadie Dainton Chair of the ISO Committee on consumer policy COPOLCO says consumers are increasingly aware that their individual purchasing decisions and lifestyles have a collective global impact and have accelerated the need for tools to be able to make informed choices as one action among many to effect change. The role of standards in supporting this has never been more apparent. The explosion of social media use sharing platforms and online reviews has facilitated this trend and generated new ideas for standards proposals along with promoting the sustainable consumer she explains. The need to know your customers is still as true today as it ever was and with their behaviour changing rapidly standards need to get ahead of the curve. NEW EXPECTATIONS NEW STANDARDS The creation of a new ISO technical committee to deal with standards for the sharing economy is one example of this. One of todays fastest-growing economic sectors the sharing economy is transforming the traditional consumer journey. With thousands of different platforms dedicated to the cause this collaborative approach stems at least in part from a desire to create communities and reduce overconsumption. This is empowering consumers more than ever and putting them in charge of how they search purchase experience and evaluate products and covers everything from cars and clothes to houses and hotels. But while its great news for consumers it doesnt come without certain challenges such as issues over privacy reliability trustworthiness working conditions and more.The new ISOTC324Sharing economy was formed to resolve these issues and allow the industry to realize its full value-adding potential. Committee Chair DrMasaakiMochimaru believes standards can both accentuate the positive aspects of the sharing economy while reducing the risks and issues. One of the key benefits of this new business model for an organization is the effective utilization of unused resources he enthuses. On the flip side however there are potential risks related to transparency and accountability safety and security and other issues such as protecting workers and managing the platforms. These are all areas that standards can help with. CALLING CONSUMERS Transparency and accountability are also key elements of informed consumer choice for which there is an increasing demand. Again standards can provide some order and methodology instilling confidence that products and services are what they say they are. This includes standards for online reviews labelling and claims which if followed correctly reduce the risk of misleading information and help to make the information provided to consumers credible accurate ethical and verifiable.The ongoing climate emergency and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic have thrown many of these issues into sharp relief and will continue to do so into the next decade adds COPOLCO Secretary Dr Cristina Draghici. The beauty of the ISO system is its ability to bring together all stakeholders including consumers who have a variety of experiences knowledge sets and views into commonly agreed best practices and solutions she says.
