3.2 How to get started
How would you like to be a consumer representative?
If you are interested and willing to read and understand the issues, and dialogue within a group, you can be one!
Many consumer representatives have some prior experience with consumer advocacy issues or product testing (either formally in a lab or as a consumer in the marketplace). While it does help to have interest in and background knowledge of the subjects that the group is writing standards on, no specific credentials are necessary.
You don’t even always have to attend standards meetings in person. Many committees allow participation “by correspondence”, using e-mail, fax, teleconferencing, or other communication tools.
In different countries the focus for coordinating or developing consumer representation in standardization will lie with different bodies. In some countries there may not yet be a focus for this. If you decide to get involved, here are several ways you might get started:
Contact your national consumer association
Consumer associations often cooperate with national standards bodies or with other, larger consumer organizations, or both.
If not, encourage your consumer association to do so!
Contact the ISO member in your country
This organization is the representative national standards body of your country. Contact details are available on ISO’s Web site, ISO Online (www.iso.org), or by contacting the ISO Central Secretariat (central@iso.org).
Example: A network of about 30 consumer organizations in Argentina recently joined the "IRAM Consumer Committee", which coordinates the work of these consumer organizations with IRAM, the ISO member in Argentina.
Contact international and regional consumer associations
Consumers International is the worldwide organization for consumer groups (www.consumersinternational.org).
A practical guide, "First steps in standards representation – a guide for consumer organizations" can help you get started
In Europe, ANEC is a regional association representing consumers in standardization (www.anec.eu)
Contact the ISO Committee on consumer policy (COPOLCO)
For more about COPOLCO, see Section 1.6 or www.iso.org (See Resources for ….Consumers - on the Home Page)