with the collaboration of Lionel Cauchard
This exploratory study aims to report on the multiplicity and diversity of standardization stakeholders, both in general and specifically in the construction sector. The term "standardization" is used in a broad sense: it refers to those involved in developing standards, those responsible for certifying (products, processes, etc.) to these standards or benchmarks, and those responsible for accrediting certifiers. With reference to these three phases, we take into account the actors involved in standard-making, certification, and accreditation (NCA).
This research is based on a review of the international literature on standards and, with regard to the building sector, mainly on 18 interviews conducted with actors involved in standardization, certification, or accreditation.
First, we highlight, in relation to the extension of standardization in general, not one but two NCA sub-models, whose mechanisms are significantly different. Depending on the sectors concerned, but also on the regions of the world, the actors involved in standardization can be classified according to one or other of the sub-models outlined below.
NCA sub-model No. 1 largely concerns organic or sustainable agriculture. Actors from "civil society" (farmers, consumers, NGOs, etc.) work together to develop a standard designed to differentiate a particular product from its "common" equivalent (e.g., "organic" apples); and these promoters/advocates of the standard accredit "independent" or third-party certifiers to certify, or not, the conformity of products or production processes with the standard in question. In this first NCA sub-model, it is the promoters of the standard who organize relations with other standardization actors, inventing specific rules on a case-by-case basis. The success of these private initiatives is measured solely by market standards.
Sub-model NCA No. 2, on the other hand, concerns standards that aim to standardize the characteristics of a product or process (to guarantee consumer safety, for example) and, unlike the previous model, is promoted or supported by public authorities, particularly in Europe. In theory, at least, it promotes a strict separation between the activities of standard-setting, certification, and accreditation, with the latter function being performed on a cross-sectoral basis, country by country, but with mutual recognition agreements between countries, by a single, independent body.
The report describes the emergence of these two sub-models and outlines their differences in order to propose a framework for analyzing "standardization actors," particularly in the construction sector.
The building sector has several specific characteristics compared to the sectors mentioned above. First, standards are multiplying in this sector at three distinct but interconnected levels: construction products, which "circulate" on the markets; structures (the certification of "green" buildings); and, more recently, "sustainable" neighborhoods. Secondly, in addition to standards that qualify "objects," there are standards designed to regulate processes (construction standards) and to qualify organizations and even individuals (e.g., eco-responsible craftsmen). Finally, in this field more than in others, public authorities (regional, local, and especially national) support certain standards or certifications and are therefore important players in standardization.
The report reviews the three levels indicated, using the previous diagram between the two NCA sub-models. It concludes that the level of construction products, which was essentially governed at European level by the "New Approach to Technical Harmonization and Standardization" Directives and, more recently, by a European Regulation, falls under NCA sub-model No. 2, with a large and relatively unknown population of "certifiers" " (Notified Bodies), competing in markets organized by public authorities. He highlights the competition and controversies that are further stirring up the construction sector and proposes to report on them by comparing the respective "philosophies" and modes of legitimization of NCA sub-models No. 1 and 2: international competition between the French "HQE" standard, the British "BREEAM" standard, and the American "LEED" standard, and the methodological disputes between the promoters of each of these standards for the certification of "green" buildings can be analyzed using this duality. Finally, the report initiates a discussion on the emerging issue of "sustainable" neighborhoods from the perspective of the emergence of new standards.
In addition to the avenues for further research indicated throughout the report, its conclusion raises a more general question about the role of national public authorities in promoting standardization and certification.
Keywords: Standardization, Certification, Accreditation, Europe, sustainable development.
Method: Consultation of regulatory and technical documents. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with the main French players in standardization in the building sector.