South African Forest Certification Expands Regionally and Enters PEFC Assessment

The South African Forestry Assurance Scheme (SAFAS) has expanded its national forest certification system into a regional framework for Southern Africa and submitted it for endorsement by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

Morocco Launches Online Service for Certificates of Conformity, Streamlining Foreign Trade

Morocco's Ministry of Industry and Commerce, in collaboration with PortNet, has introduced a new online service for managing Certificates of Conformity (CoCs).

Open Call for ICT Standardization Experts in Five Countries Under GIST Project

An open call has been launched to recruit experts in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) standardization for the Global Partnership for Human-Centric ICT Standardization Project (GIST).

Mauritius Breaks Ground with First Geographical Indications in Agriculture

Mauritius has established its first-ever Geographical Indications (GIs), marking a major milestone in the nation's agricultural sector.

Nigeria Calls for Dual-Marking Standards at ARSO Meeting in Casablanca

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) underlined the need for dual-marking standards at the 14th ARSO Champions meeting in Casablanca, Morocco.

Nigeria’s Healthcare Sector Leverages ISO Certifications to Reverse Medical Tourism

Nigeria’s healthcare system is taking strides to retain local patients and curb outbound medical tourism by implementing ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems (QMS) and ISO 15189 for medical laboratory competence.

IEC Hosts Training Series for 35 African National Committees

The IEC is hosting five training sessions for 35 African National Committees, with over 500 staff set to receive in-depth training on standardization this year.

ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Library Now Available in Spanish

The ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group has proudly announced the release of the complete APG Library in Spanish, making it accessible to over 500 million people across more than 20 countries.

Public Consultation Opens on Revised FSC Chain of Custody Standards

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has opened a public consultation on the revision of its Chain of Custody standards, with comments accepted until January 25, 2026.

ISO/DIS 9001 Approved with Overwhelming Global Support, Reports SIS

The Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS) reports that ISO member countries have approved the Draft International Standard ISO 9001:2026 with 97 percent voting in favor,

First Global Standard To Measure Pharmaceutical Impact: PAS 2090 Launched

The UK’s national standards body BSI has published the first global standard for measuring the environmental impact of medicines.

GLOBALG.A.P. Recognizes Eight Schemes in 2025 Benchmarking Round

Eight agriculture and floriculture schemes have secured recognized status as GLOBALG.A.P. benchmarked schemes for 2025, giving producers accepted ways to meet market requirements without duplicate audits.

First ISO/IEC 5259-3 Certification for AI Data Quality Management Published

AI Clearing has become the first organization to earn certification under ISO/IEC 5259-3, the new international standard for managing data quality in artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

GFSI Opens Applications and Extends Deadline for BMRs v2024

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has opened applications for the Benchmarking Requirements Version 2024 (BMRs v2024), the criteria used to evaluate and recognise food safety certification programmes worldwide.

PEFC Opens Consultation On Revised Project Sourcing Standard

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) has opened a public consultation on its revised PEFC Project Sourcing standard, which is available for feedback until December 23, 2025.

Circular Design Process Aims to Transform the Global Textile and Fashion Industry

The global textile and fashion industry is under increasing pressure to reduce waste, improve material use, and meet new expectations from regulators and consumers.

Global Payments Shift to ISO 20022 in a Move to Improve Data Quality

Banks worldwide have completed the shift to the ISO 20022 payments standard, following SWIFT’s cutoff of older message formats on November 22.

ISO 10993-1 Update Raises Biological Safety Expectations for Medical Devices

The new ISO 10993-1:2025 from ISO brings substantial changes to how manufacturers plan and justify the biological safety of medical devices.

IFS Publishes New Guideline to Support Wholesale and Cash & Carry Audits

IFS has released a new guideline to help companies prepare for audits under the IFS Wholesale and Cash & Carry 3 Standard.

Shift to Green Coding Responds to Rising Energy and Environmental Pressure

Green coding, the practice of designing and writing software that uses less energy, is becoming an important part of modern software development.