What is ISO and Why is it Important?

What is ISO and Why is it Important?

International Organization for Standardization (ISO 9001)

If you are in the e-cigarette, e-liquid or ENDS industry, undoubtedly you have heard of ISO. But, you may be wondering what it is and why it is important.

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 163 national standards bodies. It is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards for products, services and good practices. Certification of compliance with ISO standards can be a useful tool to add credibility, by demonstrating that a product or service meets the expectations of your customers. For some industries, certification is a legal or contractual requirement.

The ISO does not decide when to develop a new standard, but rather responds to a request from industry or other stakeholders such as consumer groups. Once the need for a standard has been established, a panel of experts within a technical committee meets to discuss and negotiate a draft standard. When a draft has been developed it is shared with ISO’s members who are asked to comment and vote on it. If a consensus is reached the draft becomes an ISO standard, if not it goes back to the technical committee for further edits.

In response to the explosion of the e-cigarette/e-liquid industry, ISO established a new ISO subcommittee: ISO/TC 126 – Tobacco and tobacco products, SC 3 – Vape and vapour products. It held its first meeting in October 2016 to focus on safety and quality requirements for electronic cigarette devices and e-liquids, as well as test methods, dosage of substances, testing conditions, equipment, reference products, emissions, vaping machines, and robots, and user instructions.

There are 17 countries participated in e-cigarette/e-liquid standardization work. A global standard is good news for the vaping industry since it would hopefully reconcile the inconsistencies in the numerous international regulations. This would make it easier to comply with regulatory requirements around the world, such as the US FDA’s deeming rule and the European Union’s Tobacco Products Directive.

The first International Standards are expected to be ready for publication in 2018.

ENDS Attorney Gregory G. Brown

The e-cig/e-liquid attorneys at Brown & Charbonneau, LLP are up to date on all of the relevant issues affecting the industry, including ISO and other manufacturing issues, and are prepared to assist you. To learn more, call us today at 714-406-4397 to set up a consultation. For more information about the e-cigarette, e-liquid and ENDS industry, please click here