Implementation of ISO management system standards for food safety and for information security (with IEC) has sharply increased, as revealed by The ISO Survey of Certifications – 2008.
Certification to ISO 22000:2005, which gives the requirements for food safety management systems, shot up by more than 96 % during 2008. At the same time, certification to ISO/IEC 27001:2005, which gives the requirements for information security management systems, increased by more than 20 %.
Despite the financial crisis which began in 2007 and spread to most countries and sectors of the economy in 2008, The ISO Survey reveals certification activity around one or more of ISO’s management system standards in 176 countries (175 in 2007).
ISO comments in the introduction to the survey: "This a clear demonstration that they have become essential tools of the world economy and retain their attraction for organizations even in time of crisis. It is also possible that organizations look to management systems for supporting their objectives even more during a crisis."
ISO 9001:2000/2008
The 2008 survey reports cumulated results for ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 because the new edition does not include any new requirements compared to the earlier edition which it replaces.
ISO 9001, which gives the requirements for quality management systems, is now firmly established as the globally implemented standard for providing assurance about the ability to satisfy quality requirements and to enhance customer satisfaction in supplier-customer relationships.
Up to the end of December 2008, at least 982 832 ISO 9001 (2000 and 2008) certificates had been issued in 176 countries and economies. The 2008 total represents an increase of 31 346 (+3 %) over 2007, when the total was 951 486 in 175 countries and economies. Services have signicantly increased their share of certicates, with service providers accounting for 40 % of all ISO 9001 certificates compared to 32 % in 2007.
ISO 14001:2004
ISO 14001:2004, which gives the requirements for environmental management systems, confirms its global relevance for organizations wishing to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Up to the end of December 2008, at least 188 815 ISO 14001:2004 certificates had been issued in 155 countries and economies. The 2008 total represents an increase of 34 243 (+22 %) over 2007, when the total was 154 572 in 148 countries and economies. Services accounted for 34 % of certicates, compared to 29 % in 2007.
ISO/TS 16949:2002
ISO/TS 16949:2002 gives the requirements for the application of ISO 9001:2000 by suppliers in the automotive sector. Up to the end of December 2008, at least 39 320 ISO/TS 16949:2002 certificates had been issued in 81 countries and economies. The 2008 total represents an increase of 4 122 (+12 %) over 2007 when the total was 35 198 certificates in 81 countries and economies.
ISO 13485:2003
ISO 13485:2003 gives quality management requirements for the medical device sector for regulatory purposes. Up to the end of December 2008, at least 13 234 ISO 13485:2003 certificates had been issued in 88 countries and economies. The 2008 total represents an increase of 249 (+2 %) over 2007 when the total was 12 985 in 84 countries and economies.
ISO/IEC 27001:2005
ISO/IEC 27001:2005 gives the requirements for information security management systems. At the end of 2008, at least 9 246 ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certificates had been issued in 82 countries and economies. The 2008 total represents an increase of 1 514 (+20 %) over 2007 when the total was 7 732 in 70 countries and economies.
Service providers account for by far the largest share of certificates, 94 % (up from 90 % in 2007).
ISO 22000:2005
ISO 22000:2005 gives the requirements for food safety management systems. Although the 2007 survey did not provide detailed breakdowns of ISO 22000:2005 certifications, it gave a rough global total. The 2008 survey allows a comparison by providing country-by-country breakdowns for both 2007 and 2008.
Up to the end of December 2008, at least 8 102 ISO 22000:2005 certificates had been issued in 112 countries and economies. The 2008 total represents an increase of 3 970 (+96 %) over 2007 when the total was 4 132 in 93 countries and economies.
Brochure + CD-ROM
ISO makes available the principal findings of the survey free of charge on the ISO Website. More information, including industry sector breakdowns, can be found in The ISO Survey of Certifications – 2008, which is a combined brochure and CD-ROM. It is available from ISO national member institutes (see the complete list with contact details).
It may also be obtained directly from the ISO Central Secretariat, price 50 Swiss francs, through the ISO Store or by contacting the Marketing, Communication and Information department (see right-hand column).
Note to Editors
Certification of conformity is not a requirement of the ISO standards themselves, which can be implemented without certification for the benefits that they help user organizations to achieve for themselves and for their customers. Nevertheless, many thousands of organizations have chosen certification because of the perception that an independent confirmation of conformity adds value.
ISO itself does not perform certification to its standards, does not issue certificates and does not control certification performed independently of ISO by other organizations. However, it frequently receives requests for information on the number of certificates and this led the organization to undertake The ISO Survey. ISO provides the basic results free of charge as a public information service.