Why SMEs need to have their voices heard in standards development
Last updated:
18/10/2025
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the engine of the Belgian economy. They create jobs, innovation and growth. But did you know that as an SME you can also have a say in the rules of the game that shape your sector? These rules are called standards - and they are not simply imposed by "others". As an entrepreneur, you can actively contribute to them.
Yet many SMEs are unaware of this. Often, standards development sounds far-fetched: "That's something for multinationals, not for us." Nothing could be further from the truth. Standards touch directly on your products, services and daily operations. By joining the conversation, you help build standards that strengthen your operation and move your Organisation forward.
Standards influence how you design products, deliver services and demonstrate compliance. By making your voice heard as an SME, you help ensure that standards remain understandable, achievable and realistic for companies of all sizes. That way, they truly become a support for your operation instead of a barrier.
Participating in standards development means: bringing in your practical experience. You know what works in the workplace and what can be improved. In this way, you help create standards that are stronger, more relevant and better suited to the reality of companies. You directly influence guidelines that later form the basis for products, services, certifications or policy choices in your sector.
Whoever writes along has a front row seat. You are the first to discover what changes are coming in your industry. That gives you a knowledge advantage over competitors who don't hear about changes until later. You can adapt your Organisation faster and even discover new market opportunities.
Standards committees bring together entrepreneurs, experts, researchers and policy makers. For SMEs, this is a unique opportunity to learn from others, exchange ideas and make new contacts.
In several sectors, such as construction, engineering and digitization, SMEs have already played a decisive role through working groups. In the elevator sector, for example, a consortium of small businesses was involved in the development of digital standards. Their input ensured that the new rules were tailored not only to high-tech multinationals, but also to smaller players bringing innovative solutions to market.
This example shows how important it is for SMEs to make their voices heard: when they participate in writing, standards become achievable and workable for all.
Many SMEs drop out because they think, "I don't have the time or resources to participate in that." Or, "I don't know how that process works."
The reality: you don't have to do it alone. NBN and the sector operators guide companies step by step in their participation, right from the start. You can join a national standards committee in your field. You decide how much time you invest.
By participating in standards development:
- defend the interests of your SME;
- build workable standards for SMEs;
- Get access to knowledge and contacts;
- you are more quickly prepared for new legislation.
In short, you don't turn standards into a burden, but an asset for your business.
Standards are everywhere. They determine how products are tested, how processes run and how safety and quality are guaranteed. As an SME, you not only have an interest in applying them, but also in co-writing them. Because this is the only way to ensure that your voice is heard, your reality counts and your Organisation is stronger.
Want to help shape the rules of the game in your sector?
