Governments around the world are embracing green growth strategies to fight climate change, promote growth and create new jobs in times of financial crisis.
Korea, in particular, plans to make a huge investment in renewable energy, environment-friendly technology and infrastructure with the aim to create nearly 1 million jobs.
But to make this green effort succeed, the country has to set standards for the new green products and services first, Choi Kap-hong, chairman of the Korean Standards Association, said yesterday.
"Korea`s export-driven companies have to move fast to deal with new standards on green products and services because they could become new trade barriers in the future," Choi said in an interview with The Korea Herald.
"The role of Korean Standards Association is to spread the message of green standards and its importance to the related companies," he said. "The KSA will promote the standards on green products, services and management to encourage the government`s green growth strategy."
KSA is a public institution under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy which provides standardization and quality management training and education in Korea. The institution implements a variety of research and activities related to standardization and quality management.
In an International Standards Organization meeting held in Malaysia in January, member countries decided to standardize the carbon footprint of commercial products as a part of a global effort to save the earth from ongoing environmental pollution.
"The world is moving fast toward those green growth and environmental issues. The KSA will support companies to better deal with the transition to a green economy," he said.
Stressing the need to quickly adopt international standards on carbon footprints or on green growth, Choi said Korean companies should move fast to ensure that their products conform with international standards.
"For instance, the KSA could suggest green guidelines on manufacturing light-emitting diode lamps to companies and help them to secure the quality of green products and to learn how to reduce carbon emission during the manufacturing process," the veteran administrator said.
The Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement by the World Trade Organization demands member countries abide by the principle of "one standard, one test and accepted everywhere."
The TBT agreement, however, excludes trades of products and services on safety, health and environmental sectors.
"European countries are moving fast to set new standards in the environmental sector, because products in the sector are excluded from the TBT agreement.
"Each country can keep changing standards in the green sector and this can possibly become a reason to block imported goods that have failed to achieve the country`s green standards on products," he said.
The chairman said it is important for companies to promote their corporate image as a green leader to their customers in the future.
"As social awareness on green strategy and environment protection grows, an increasing number of customers around the world will look for green products and services.
"The KSA will issue green certificates for well-performing companies related to the green industry as well as providing a tool to recognize companies` efforts on carbon reduction," he said.
By Cho Chung-un
(christory@heraldm.com)
[출처 : 코리아헤럴드]
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