Press releases

Christoph Winterhalter, Chairman of the Executive Board
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Christoph Winterhalter elected as ISO-Vice President Policy

( 2021-09-23 ) Today, DIN CEO Christoph Winterhalter was elected as new ISO-Vice President Policy by the ISO General Assembly. In this position he will be responsible for ISO’s Policy and Strategy. He will take on this additional role from January 1, 2022, initially for two years. “We are facing various changes around the world. The green and digital transformation offers us opportunities to make the economy and society around the globe more sustainable, safer and better. International standards are the foundation to make this possible. With the new ISO Strategy 2030, we have set a clear framework for our work. Now is the time to implement it together. In close cooperation with all ISO members, I will strive to achieve our goals,” said Christoph Winterhalter, describing his task. The ISO 2030 strategy was published in March 2021. It addresses three core elements from which implementation plans and projects are currently being developed: • Identifying global challenges early on and finding ... More

More climate protection through standards for resource conservation and the Circular Economy Kick-off for the German Standardization Roadmap Circular Economy

( 2021-09-15 ) Together with the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) and the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (DKE) of DIN and VDE and the Association of German Engineers (VDI) announce the launch of the German Standardization Roadmap Circular Economy. The aim of the Standardization Roadmap is to provide an overview of the status quo of standardization in the field of the Circular Economy, to describe the requirements and challenges for seven key topics, and to identify possible concrete needs for action for future standards and specifications. For example, standards and specifications have so far not set any requirements for plastic recyclates for the manufacture of new products. Such requirements could lead to a wider user of recyclates. The Standardization Roadmap aims to identify and close these gaps in order to move closer towards a circular economy. More

Closing the plastics loop New specification published for commenting

( 2021-05-21 ) In future, DIN SPEC 91446 will set a uniform specification for the classification of recycled plastics based on the available data depth (data quality level) and corresponding labelling. It is now available in draft form for public commenting. More than 15 million tonnes of plastic currently end up in the world's oceans every year - illustrating the deficits in the recycling of this material. Processing plastic waste for reuse in products of equal or higher value is still a challenge today, and the use of high-quality recycled plastics is still more expensive on average than the use of virgin material. Standards and specifications on the assessment of plastic waste and recyclates are therefore needed that enable high-quality recycling and the economic use of secondary raw materials. DIN SPEC 91446 "Classification of recycled plastics by data quality levels for use and (digital) trading" offers an approach encompassing all different types of polymers, which is intended to ... More

High-level coordination group on AI standardization and conformity established Impetus for setting the rules of the game for artificial intelligence

( 2021-05-17 ) Since autumn 2020, the Standardization Roadmap (AI) has been identifying standardization needs and recommendations for action in the realm of artificial intelligence in order to strengthen German industry in the international competition for the best solutions and products in this field. A newly founded AI coordination group will drive forward the concrete practical implementation of the recommendations in a targeted manner and bundle and coordinate the work involved. This new group, set up by the Federal Government, represented by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS), will act as the main hub for coordination, the exchange of ideas and participation for the entire AI landscape in Germany for aspects of AI relevant to standardization. It replaces the steering group that had previously spearheaded the development of the Roadmap. Efficient ... More

EU-wide cybersecurity regulation

( 2021-02-02 ) A horizontal European IT security approach that involves standardization is needed. BDI, DIN and DKE call for consistent EU cybersecurity regulation based on the principle of the New Legislative Framework (NLF) in order to maintain international competitiveness. The CE mark must also stand for cybersecurity. In a joint position paper entitled "EU-wide Cybersecurity Requirements", the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and the German national standards organizations DIN and DKE call for the introduction of mandatory, horizontal cybersecurity requirements based on the principles of the New Legislative Framework (NLF) at European level. According to the NLF principle, in legal texts legislators restrict themselves to formulating essential requirements and protection targets, and refer to harmonized European standards (hEN) to make these requirements and targets more concrete. This enables flexible legislation that takes into account the dynamic development of the IT sector and ... More

AI – Made in Germany German Standardization Roadmap AI published: Recommendations for action in standardization of artificial intelligence

( 2020-11-30 ) The German Institute for Standardization (DIN), the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (DKE) and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) today presented the German Standardization Roadmap AI to the public at the Federal Government's Digital Summit. The 200-page roadmap provides recommendations for action in the field of artificial intelligence standardization. “With the Standardization Roadmap AI, we are implementing a key measure of the Federal Government's AI strategy. Standards and specifications ensure a seamless collaboration and trust in AI systems and pave the way for ‘AI - Made in Germany’”, says Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy. The recommendations for action for AI standardization are the result of about a year of concentrated work: Since October 2019, 300 experts from industry, science, the public sector and civil society have jointly developed the document. A high-level ... More

COVID-19: DIN makes standards for medical equipment available

( 2020-03-30 ) In a move to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the European standards organizations CEN and CENELEC have decided, in agreement with all their Members and following a request by the European Commission, to make a series of European standards (ENs) for medical devices and personal protective equipment freely available. The aim is to tackle the severe shortage of protective masks, gloves and other products currently experienced by many European countries. Providing free access to the standards will facilitate the work of the many companies wishing to reconvert their production lines in order to manufacture the equipment that is so urgently needed. The standards are aimed purely at professional users. FAQs on the use of medical equipment and aspects to be considered when placing medical equipment on the market, can be found on the website of the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ... More

Both CEN-CENELEC “Standards + Innovation Awards” go to German nominees

( 2019-11-15 ) At the conference "Boosting innovation through standards" held as part of the BRIDGIT2 project on 13 November 2019 in Brussels, the Standards + Innovation Awards were presented for the first time. With this new award, the European standards organizations CEN and CENELEC have the chance to honour important contributions from research and innovation to standardization as well as to recognize researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs for their commitment to standardization. From a total of 19 nominees, two Standards + Innovation Awards were presented – and both of these went to Germany. The first prize was awarded to the Smart Mature Resilience Project. The project’s scientific coordinator, Jose Julio Cabeza Gonzalez of CIEM/University of Agder (Kristiansand, Norway), accepted the award on behalf of the project partners. The project managers developed instruments to improve the capacity of cities to resist hazards and disasters, e.g. natural disasters. With support from DIN, the work ... More

Focus on Circular Economy

( 2019-10-31 ) On 29 October 2019, CEN and CENELEC hosted the Stakeholder Workshop “Materials – Value chains for circular economy: Metal, Wood, Plastic and Concrete” in Brussels. More than 200 participants from industry, science, NGOs, representatives of the European Union and other policymakers accepted the invitation and discussed challenges and needs in the circular economy. Christoph Winterhalter, DIN Executive Board Chairman and CEN Vice President Policy, welcomed the workshop participants and encouraged all stakeholders to work together to develop a vision for the circular economy. This vision will provide the European standards organizations CEN & CENELEC a guideline for the development of concrete measures to strengthen the circular economy. The first part of the workshop focused on the challenges and needs in the metal, wood, plastics and concrete value chains. The greatest challenges identified were the lack of terminology for the circular economy, the lack of an overarching ... More

Artificial intelligence requires standards and specifications Successful kick-off event for AI Standardization Roadmap

( 2019-10-16 ) How can standards help ensure that artificial intelligence works safely and dependably for us in the future? The German Institute for Standardization (DIN) and VDE/DKE discussed exactly this question at the kick-off event for the Standardization Roadmap on Artificial Intelligence, along with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and more than 300 experts and stakeholders from industry, politics, the scientific research community and society as a whole. Key element of the German government’s AI strategy “Artificial intelligence is a key technology that holds enormous potential for German industry. Yet in order to further advance “AI made in Germany”, we need reliable standards and specifications. The standardization roadmap will make an important contribution toward this goal. This is also the aim of the Federal Government’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy," explained Dr. Ulrich Nussbaum, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs ... More

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