International trade

Standards are the key to your success.

• access markets and sell to customers in other countries

In order for Canadian industry to gain market access, products, processes and services must be designed and certified to international standards. Harmonized standards make market access easier, particularly for SMEs and innovative companies, by reducing compliance cost and time to market. In order to help break down barriers to commerce, many international trade agreements require their signatories to make use of international standards in their technical regulations and to mutually recognize conformity assessment procedures.

 

For businesses that manufacture and export products, adhering to recognized standards can help ensure products can be sold in world markets and can shorten the business cycle between an initial concept and entry to global markets.

 

SCC’s work to support the Conformity Assessment Protocol of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will help open new markets for Canadian businesses. Learn more here. 

• reduce costs, increase revenue and enhance productivity

Standards save business time and money. Using standards—whether to design a specific product, manage and optimize production, or deliver a service—can help business reduce costs and improve efficiency because they have been developed by experts from around the world. Standards deliver internal business improvements, cost savings in regulatory compliance, and increased productivity.

• manage and reduce risk

Business can enhance performance and manage risk by adopting and conforming to standards. Certification to a standard proves that your product or service meets current national and international standards. Standards set out clear specifications and help mitigate legal risk to business when bringing a service, product, or process to market.

 

By adhering to standards, businesses can:

• Improve quality and safety of products, services and/or systems
• Demonstrate market accountability
• Reduce costs and increase efficiencies
• Enhance their business reputation
• Increase consumer confidence by demonstrating compliance with health, safety, performance, and/or environmental expectations 

• gain a competitive edge

Canadian businesses get involved in international standards development as a way to assert their influence in the global marketplace and embed Canadian innovation, technology, products and services into the standards setting process internationally. By participating in international standardization, businesses can:

• Be global leaders at the forefront of their industry
• Increase knowledge by learning about the latest innovations and technologies
• Influence technical content, ensuring that standards respond to industry needs
• Sit at the table with leading experts in their sector
• Gain a competitive advantage with the most up-to-date information on emerging trends and best practices.

• foster and support innovation

Innovation may start with a creative “spark”, but it’s only truly successful when the new idea is developed and finds a market. The evolution of a great idea into a market-ready product, service, or method is the process of commercialization. And standards support commercialization by empowering innovation wherever it sparks.

 

Standards are a launching pad for innovation:

• They help establish a common language for new concepts and technologies.
• They define interfaces, compatibility requirements and uniform methods of measurement. 
• They create the conditions that foster and sustain innovation by making it possible for new products and services to be sold in markets around the globe. 

• support environmental objectives and sustainability

Climate change has resulted in more extreme wind, fluctuating temperatures, and changing precipitation patterns which threaten the integrity of Canada’s infrastructure—putting our communities at risk. That is why SCC is working with governments and industry to adapt standards and codes to ensure our infrastructure is climate resilient and safe.