Standards Council of Canada

Canadians Prospering in a Changing Climate: The Role of Standards

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is making a difference by delivering standardization strategies to mitigate the impact we have on the environment and thrive in a changing climate. Download the infographic.

Helping Canadians Adapt to Climate Change

Our world’s climate is changing dramatically, and Canada is on the frontline. SCC is working to help Canadians adapt by facilitating the development of better standards and guidance. Our projects range from publishing reports that identify priorities and best practices, to supporting national and international standards committees, to funding the development of these new standards and updating existing ones.

We focus on three key areas:

Arming standards writers with the tools to fight climate change
Getting the most out of weather and climate data
Helping northern communities adapt to a rapidly changing climate
Designing infrastructure that can stand up to extreme weather events

This work is currently delivered through SCC’s $11.7M Standards to Support Resilience in Infrastructure Program. Now more than halfway through the program’s five-year lifespan, SCC is on track to achieve our goal of launching 36 projects by March 2021. Read our interim report.

Supporting Clean Tech Innovators

At SCC, we support clean tech innovators through standardization activities that foster commercialization and market access. These activities include increasing participation on technical committees, supporting the development of new standards and developing conformity assessment programs based on existing standards such as ISO 14034 Environmental management -- Environmental technology verification.

Through our Innovation Initiative we connect directly with clean tech companies to develop a customized standardization strategy and examine funding possibilities to support their projects. As a member of the Clean Growth Hub, SCC is one pillar in the federal ecosystem which supports advancement in clean technology and we encourage innovators to connect with one of our sector specialists for targeted guidance and support on their standardization journey.

Profiles

Facilitating Canadian Leadership on the International Stage

International standards are the invisible grease on the wheels of today’s increasingly global economy. Common standards are instrumental in facilitating international trade and regulatory harmonization. Those with the most influence over the development of those standards, particularly relating to emerging technologies, can gain a competitive edge.

SCC makes sure that Canada is present at these tables, via the hundreds of technical committees facilitated by our International Standards Branch. These include longstanding committees such as TC 207 Environmental Management, as well as exciting new working groups relating to the circular economy, sustainable finance and the sharing economy. SCC supports the involvement of Canadians on many other committees that may not have a specific environmental aim, but whose work contributes to one or more of the UN 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals – enabling wider access to clean water or sanitary facilities, for instance.

Bring your expertise to the table and participate in standards development.