ASTM Intl. has announced the planned formation of a new technical committee on sustainability. An organizational meeting for the new standards writing committee will be held Oct.1 in Miami.
Numerous environmental, social and economic challenges have brought issues of sustainability to the forefront in recent years. While both the public and private sectors have offered various programs that advance sustainability, widespread support is still lacking across several mainstream markets. The new ASTM committee will bring diverse stakeholders together to create the consensus standards that will further promote and integrate sustainable development across multiple industry sectors.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a longtime leader in sustainability-related programs, selected ASTM Intl. as the home for this important new initiative. Dr. Mary C. McKiel, EPA standards executive, said, “ASTM’s proven ability to produce globally used consensus-based standards in environmental and sustainability areas make it well suited to support the goals of this new standards-writing activity and the open process needed to ensure its utility.”
The planned scope for the new main ASTM technical committee will focus on the stimulation of research and the creation of standards related to sustainability--that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the future. Preliminary standards development efforts will focus on terminology and general principles that are applicable to multiple industry sectors as well as the development of sustainability standards for specific markets, including building and construction, consumer products, hospitality, agriculture, finance and corporate management, healthcare, water management and more.
The new committee will also assume coordination for ASTM standardization efforts on sustainability currently managed throughout other existing ASTM committees.
ASTM Intl. welcomes the participation of all interested stakeholders in the new activity on sustainability. The committee’s organizational meeting will be held Oct. 1 at 1:00 p.m. at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa during the ASTM October committee week in Miami. For membership or meeting information, contact Pat Picariello, director of developmental operations, at 610.832.9720 or by e-mail at ppicarie@astm.org.
