The scope of the Workshop is the definition of a Sustainable Nanomanufacturing Framework (SNF) for sustainability management in nanomanufacturing processes. It sets up the basic requirements to assess the sustainability of a nanomanufacturing plant, allowing drafting improvement plans and monitoring the degree of progress of the nanomanufacturing plant. 

The SNF model deploys the three traditional Sustainability Dimensions (SDs): social, environment and economy. Each SD is divided into several sustainability items (SIs). The SNF allows to diagnose the starting position of a nanomanufacturing plant with respect to the SNF model, at two levels: 1) Sustainability management practices and 2) associate KPIs to measure results. The result of the diagnose is used to elaborate the corresponding sustainability Improvement Plan for the nanomanufacturing plant. The SNF is used to monitor the progress of sustainability in the PL through a customizable dashboard (two radar diagrams, Management and KPIs), which allows intuitive visualization of the starting values and the proposed improvement values improvement baseline) for the period considered, as well as their evolution over time.

The European Committee of Standardization (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) renewed their cooperation agreement for further five years. Through the agreement, the three organizations aim to enhance the exchange of knowledge and expertise between scientific research and European standardization. The JRC and the European Committee of Standardization look back on a fruitful collaboration of more than 30 years, with its first agreement signed in 1994. The renewal of the collaboration with JRC, initiated in 2016, will continue to provide European and international standardization with scientific input and it will build on lessons learnt and successes achieved. 

One of the main initiatives developed jointly by CEN, CENELEC and JRC is Putting-Science-Into-Standards (PSIS), which aims to facilitate the identification of emerging science and technology areas that could benefit from standardization activities. The PSIS initiative has proven to be a successful example of foresight aimed at the timely identification of new sectors where standardization can enable innovation and promote industrial competitiveness.

Thirty years ago, the global economy was placed on a new footing in Vienna: the Vienna Agreement set the course for even closer co-operation and collaboration. What has changed since then? Fewer barriers to trade, more harmonized rules, and more room for innovation. Under the heading "From global to local: Joining forces to help global standards create local impact", the leaders of international standardization organizations such as CEN and ISO met again in Vienna on 11 October to further advance international co-operation.  The Vienna Agreement was signed in Vienna 30 years ago. Its objective: ensure that European and international standards are not in conflict with each other, but that rather they are as consistent with each other as possible. The motto: "One standard, one test – accepted everywhere". Much has happened since then. Thanks to the Agreement, enterprises can rely on globally harmonized approaches to improving the quality of products and processes – there are uniform rules for measuring, testing and quantification of greenhouse gas emissions – parents can be confident that the packaging of drugs is child-resistant – the users of health apps can be sure of clear security levels for data protection and machinery manufacturers can use the same standards for exporting tractors to countries all over the world.

SMEs are the businesses that could potentially benefit the most from standards, but they face fundamental challenges when it comes to taking up standards and use them to reach their full potential. To help address this issue, SBS has developed the SME Compatibility Test for Standards. The SME Compatibility Test, an absolute first in the field of standardization, can measure and quantify the impact of a standard on SMEs activities and rate it in terms of SME-readiness. The test allows standard-makers and SMEs to evaluate both existing standards and new standards under development. The test has been developed thanks to the work and support of SBS experts and builds on the CEN-CENELEC Guide 17 - “Guidance for writing standards taking into account micro, small and medium-sized enterprises’ needs”.

The European Union has today committed to increase the role of trade in the fight against climate change and protecting the environment. It has signed up to three new initiatives to step up joint action in the World Trade Organization, sending a strong political signal on pursuing a strong environmental agenda for trade. The EU and a significant number of WTO countries will now work jointly on facilitating trade in green goods and services, promoting sustainable supply chains and the circular economy. They will also cooperate on battling plastic pollution and to enhance transparency of fossil fuel subsidies.

Every year on 14 October, the international standardization community celebrates World Standards Day. This year’s edition “Our shared vision for a better world” is dedicated to how standards support the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs). The 17 SDGs are ambitious objectives stated in 2015 by the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They aim, among other issues, to address social imbalances, develop a sustainable economy, and slow the rate of climate change. To be achieved, the SDGs require the cooperation of many public and private partners, and the use of all available tools. In this context, standards, and standardization organizations such as CEN and CENELEC, have an important role to play. Voluntary, consensus-based standards can provide valuable solutions to complex, global challenges.

The Commission adopted a Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles, setting out how to increase removals of carbon from the atmosphere. To balance out the impacts of our CO2 emissions, the EU will need to drastically reduce its reliance on fossil carbon, upscale carbon farming to store more carbon in nature, and promote industrial solutions to sustainably and verifiably remove and recycle carbon. Removing and storing more carbon, from the atmosphere, oceans, and coastal wetlands, is essential to achieve the EU's legally binding commitment to become climate neutral by 2050. The Communication sets out short- to medium-term actions to support carbon farming and upscale this green business model to better reward land managers for carbon sequestration and biodiversity protection. By 2030, carbon farming initiatives should contribute 42Mt of CO2 storage to Europe's carbon sinks.