2.10 National and international standards in product design

British Standards Institution (BSI)

a national organisation formed to devise agreed standard procedures for performing a wide range of tasks

BS EN 71-1:2014

safety of toys, mechanical and physical properties

BS EN 62115

electric toys, safety

BS EN 50361:2001

basic standard for the measurement of absorption rate related to the human exposure of to EM fields

international standards organisation (ISO)

a federation of national standards institutions that devise international standards to improve safety, productivity and reliability

restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS)

A directive aimed at preventing hazardous substances from entering the production process in order to prevent damage to human health and the environment

Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive

mandatory European directive that covers the end of life of electronic equipment

battery directive

deals with the restriction of hazardous substances and the safe disposal of batteries

mobius loop

indicates that the product can be recycled. Sometimes used with a percentage to say how much of the product is recyclable.

polymer codes

a mobius loop will have a code stating which polymer and the percentage of it

packaging directives

aims to limit the production of and prompt the recycling and use of packaging materials

EC energy label

a labelling system used to indicate the energy efficiency of electrical products

eco-labelling

a wide range of voluntary environmental certifications given to companies/products that are seen to meet specific environmental targets

energy efficiency label and logo

certification mark issued by the energy saving trust as a recommendation to only the most efficient products within categories

forest stewardship council (FSC)

A third-party certification body that certifies wood is cut from a sustainably managed forest.

EU energy star

a standardised system of labelling energy use of IT equipment