The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Established in 1947, the organization develops and publishes international standards for a wide range of products, services, processes, materials and technologies. ISO’s mission is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in order to facilitate the exchange of goods and services worldwide.

ISO has published over 22000 International Standards covering almost all aspects of technology including product safety requirements; environmental regulations; quality management systems; information security protocols; energy efficiency ratings as well as software interoperability guidelines among others. These standards are used by businesses around the world to ensure that their products meet specific performance criteria while also ensuring consistency across industries when it comes to quality control measures or production methods etc.. The use of these internationally accepted norms helps reduce costs associated with exporting goods since countries can rely on each other’s approved certification instead having their own set rules which may vary drastically from country-to-country resulting in higher expenses due to additional testing/inspection procedures required at each border crossing point etc..

In addition ISO works closely with industry experts through its Technical Committees who provide valuable feedback on existing or proposed new standards so that they remain relevant & up-to date according meeting changing needs within different sectors such as medical device manufacturing or automotive engineering amongst many others thus helping drive innovation & economic growth throughout global markets without compromising consumer safety.