Voluntary International Standards do not seek to drive public policy or regulations, but they can provide valuable support to effective policy deployment by helping to share the knowledge of the world’s experts in any given field with interested parties the world over. They can be referenced in legislation or regulations, and used to support other kinds of public policy decisions or actions (such as in public procurement, incentive systems, or awareness campaigns). They provide a harmonized, stable and globally recognized framework for the dissemination and use of technologies, and encompass best practices and agreements that encourage more equitable development and promote the overall growth of Society.
Central to the viability and achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals from UNIDO’s perspective is Goal Number 9 – “To build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”, and in this context international standardization has always played an important role. In more recent years, however, International Standards have evolved to address more extensively other key components of the sustainable development agenda, including not only economic considerations, but also the environmental and social dimensions in the so-called “Triple Bottom Line” approach.
This has been done by incorporating sustainability-related issues into traditional core standards (for example by including life-cycle considerations into product standards) and by developing specific standards that relate to sustainability issues. This approach aligns well with UNIDO’s programmatic framework for 2016 – 2019 for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, and means that international standardization can support the achievement of just about all the Sustainable Development Goals.

Triple bottom line is a concept which seeks to broaden the focus of financial implications (usually profit) to include social and environmental responsibilities.