Standards for climate action: from ambition to implementation

Global supply chains are increasingly exposed to climate, environmental, and geopolitical risks. Building resilience requires not only securing the flow of goods and services but also strengthening transparency, traceability, and trust across complex international value chains. Sustainability standards can play a key role in this process by establishing common expectations and providing practical tools for monitoring, verification, and assurance that support more coordinated action across supply chains.

This roundtable will bring together representatives from UNFSS/UNCTAD, SMIIC, standards organizations, businesses, producers from developing countries, and government and regulatory authorities to discuss how sustainability standards can contribute to more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive supply chains. The session will explore how standards can support businesses and producers in addressing sustainability challenges while facilitating market access and enhancing confidence among consumers, regulators, and trading partners.

Participants will examine the opportunities and challenges associated with the growing use of sustainability standards, including issues related to fragmentation, multiple certification requirements, compliance costs, and limited implementation capacity. Particular attention will be given to the impact of these challenges on SMEs and producers in developing countries, who often face difficulties in meeting diverse market requirements while remaining competitive in international trade.

The discussion will also address the evolving relationship between voluntary sustainability standards and mandatory due diligence requirements. As sustainability-related regulations continue to expand, there is a growing need to ensure that different systems work together effectively and do not create unnecessary duplication, trade barriers, or disproportionate burdens for producers and businesses.

Through the exchange of experiences and perspectives from different stakeholders, the roundtable will explore practical approaches to improving interoperability, promoting harmonization and mutual recognition, and strengthening internationally aligned conformity assessment mechanisms. The objective is to identify solutions that can reduce compliance costs, support credible sustainability assurance, facilitate trade, and enable broader participation in sustainable global value chains.

By bringing together public and private sector actors from across the supply chain, the session aims to generate actionable insights on how sustainability standards can enhance resilience, support sustainable development objectives, and foster more inclusive economic opportunities, particularly for developing countries and small-scale producers.

• Thorsten Arndt, Head of Advocacy, PEFC International
• Helena Boniatti Pavese, FSC regional director LATAM, UNEP
• Chantal Line Carpentier, Head, Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, UNCTAD
• Rana Ghoneim, Director of the Division for Energy and Climate Action, UNIDO
• Axel Marx, Co-Chair, UNFSS Academic Advisory Council, KU Leuven
• Duong Nguyen Dai, Certification & Sustainable Agriculture Development Manager, Ea Tan Cooperative.
• İhsan Övüt, Secretary General, SMIIC
• Cameron Plese, Head of Government Affairs (North America & Europe), Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
• Rob de Jong, Head of the Sustainable Mobility Unit in the Industry and Economy Division. UNEP
• Moustpha Kamal Gueye, Director, Policy Coherence Hub, ILO

• HATİCE MERVE KILIÇ

How can dependable measurement help prevent avoidable waste and support climate action? This session explores the systems that make measurement results trustworthy, and useful for decisions about materials, products and resources.

The discussion will connect the different parts of quality infrastructure: standards, metrology, conformity assessment, accreditation, market surveillance and enforcement. It highlights how legal metrology, the regulation of measurements and measuring instruments where quantity affects transactions or the public interest, and its role in supporting fair exchange and confidence in regulated measurements.

Accurate, comparable measurements can help identify losses, inform resource use and underpin credible climate-related information. They are an underlying enabler, not a guarantee of less waste, or proof of sustainability. The methods, evidencem, and limitations still matter in each use-case.

The session will consider how these functions work together, how requirements can remain responsive and inclusive, and what policymakers and practitioners should ask when building measurement capability into waste and climate work.

• Ian Dunmill (Moderator), OIML
• Bobjoseph Mathew, OIML President, Vice Director and Head of Legal Metrology, Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS)

Achieving battery circularity — through reuse, recycling, and repurposing — requires more than ambition: it demands robust safety and performance standards. This session will examine how standards are shaping circular supply chains, enabling safe second-life applications, and supporting material recovery at scale. Participants will explore where current standards are advancing circular economy goals and where gaps remain to ensure safety, reliability, and sustainability throughout the battery lifecycle.

Demonstrate How Standards Enable Safe Circular Supply Chains - Examine the role of safety and performance standards in guiding the reuse, recycling, and repurposing of batteries across their lifecycle.

Explore Standards for Second-Life Battery Applications - Highlight how standards help ensure that repurposed batteries meet safety, reliability, and sustainability criteria for new applications such as stationary energy storage.

Address Gaps in Standards for Recycling and Material Recovery - Identify where additional standards or updates are needed to safely scale battery recycling, optimize material recovery, and minimize environmental risks.

Strengthen and align standards to accelerate battery circularity worldwide - Industry, policymakers, and standards developers must collaborate to create a consistent and robust framework that ensures battery materials are safely reused, repurposed, and recycled—supporting both economic opportunity and environmental sustainability.

• Caitlin D’Onofrio, Senior Standards Project Manager – Sustainability, UL Standards & Engagement
  Vimal Mahendru, IEC Vice-President, International Electrotechnical Commission (tbc)
  Daniel Ramos, Legal Officer, Trade & Environment Division, World Trade Organization
• Emmanuel Escoto, Senior Manager International Engagement, ASTM International

International standards are essential tools for policymakers, companies and investors who want to turn climate commitments into action. This informal fireside discussion brings together the leaders of the Standards Pavilion’s three partner organisations, IEC, ISO and UL Standards & Engagement, to give a unified voice to the international standards community at COP31. 

The leaders will discuss how their organizations work together, and how standards are central to achieving clean energy goals under discussion in Antalya, from electrification, energy efficiency and energy access to waste and methane reduction, food safety and sustainable agriculture, and green industrialization. The conversation will reflect the Presidency’s focus on moving from goals to implementation. 

• Philippe Metzger, Secretary-General and CEO, IEC
• Sergiio Mujica, Secretary-General, ISO
• Sonya M. Bird, Vice President International Standards, UL Standards & Engagement

Join us for an opportunity to connect with UL Standards & Engagement and others to collaborate on sustainability topics

Sonya Bird, Vice President, International Standards, UL Standards & Engagement

As global climate ambitions face the critical test of implementation, the railway sector stands as the essential backbone of sustainable mass transit and decarbonized logistics. This fireside chat, "Green Approaches for Railways," brings together key global leaders and experts to explore how international standardization bridges the gap between high-level COP climate pledges and measurable technical execution across the rail ecosystem.

The discussion focuses on driving systemic decarbonization across the entire rail value chain through the complementary capabilities of international sector organizations, advanced technology research institutes, and national standardization bodies. The session highlights UIC’s leadership in setting global sustainability frameworks, establishing cross-border interoperability, and defining modal shift strategies that enable seamless, low-emission freight and passenger "Green Corridors." Complementing this overarching vision, TÜBİTAK RUTE brings a deep technological perspective by examining cutting-edge R&D in alternative propulsion systems, such as battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cells, energy-efficient control technologies, and advanced materials. Connective technical rigor is provided through TSE, which focuses on operationalizing international standards, deploying Life Cycle Assessment methodologies and Environmental Product Declarations to quantify supply chain emissions, and applying robust conformity assessment, testing, and certification protocols to ensure long-term safety, performance, and durability.

• Dr. Metehan ÇALIŞ (Moderator), Deputy Secretary General, Turkish Standards Institution (TSE)
• Lucie ANDERTON, Director of Sustainability & North America Coordinator, International Union of Railways (UIC)
• Dr. Tolgahan KAYA, Director, TÜBİTAK Rail Transport Technologies Institute (TÜBİTAK RUTE)

Food security is a growing strategic concern across OIC countries, many of which face increasing pressure on food systems from resource constraints, supply-chain disruptions and changing environmental conditions. At the same time, standards can help countries strengthen food safety, improve resource efficiency, facilitate trade and build greater trust and resilience across food value chains.

This fireside conversation will bring together SMIIC and representatives of relevant OIC institutions to explore how standardization - and, in particular, halal standards and Halal Quality Infrastructure - can contribute to more resilient, sustainable and inclusive food systems.

The discussion will examine practical challenges facing OIC countries, including food loss and waste, traceability, resource efficiency, SME participation, market access and the need for stronger institutional coordination. It will also consider how cooperation between SMIIC, OIC institutions and the wider international standards community can help translate shared priorities into practical approaches that countries and industry can apply.

Rather than presenting standards in isolation, the conversation will focus on where standards can make a tangible difference within food systems and what stronger cooperation among OIC institutions can achieve.

The session will conclude by identifying three priority areas for future cooperation on standards, food security and resilient food systems across OIC countries.

• Dr. Memduh Ünal, Director of the Programs Department, IOFS
• Mr. Ali Fahd, Training and Capacity Building Officer, SESRIC

Over the past seven years, MECS has supported electric cooking initiatives in nearly 30 countries and helped appliance suppliers enter multiple new markets.  GeCCo member countries (13 and growing) have formally committed to accelerate electric cooking as part of GeCCo, whilst other countries have also made strong progress to adopt eCooking at scale. The momentum behind electric cooking transitions is growing markedly.

As part of the rapidly growing Electrify Now movement, GeCCO partners, alongside the IEC, leading Turkish electric cooking brands and their relevant trade association, KESİD will organise a high-level Blue Zone COP event bringing Turkish manufacturers together with governments, electricity service providers, financiers and local distributors from countries committed to accelerating electric cooking transitions.

The event will explore a critical question: How can we unlock opportunities and overcome barriers to scaling access to high-quality, energy-efficient electric cooking appliances in emerging markets? Many of these markets are expected to experience rapid growth in demand over the coming years, driven by ambitious government-supported eCooking programmes and broader efforts to expand access to modern energy services.

The session will highlight the need for high-quality affordable appliances for countries undertaking eCooking transitions at scale. It will further demonstrate Türkiye’s potential leadership role in supporting efficient clean cooking adoption across the emerging economies.

Key themes will include:

• How can import requirements be aligned to better ensure rapid flows of high-quality appliances from reputable suppliers while restricting the entry of inefficient and unreliable products?
• What supply chain partnerships are needed to further enable this and how can business to business collaborations be facilitated to drive Joint Ventures or investments?
• What is the role of the wider electricity sector in the key markets in facilitating greater demand for eCooking appliances?
• What is the role of the IEC, national standards bureaus and IEC national committees in supporting access to efficient, high quality appliances?

• Prof Ed Brown, Professor of Global Energy Challenges, Research Director: Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme, Loughborough University
• Demetrios Papathanasiou, Global Director of Energy, World Bank
• Dr Ayse Demir, Associate Professor of Sustainable Development, University of Roehampton
• Patrick Tonui, Head of Policy and Regional Strategy, GOGLA
• Matthew Doherty, Senior Advisor - IEC Impact Alliance, IEC
• CLASP (tbc)
• Turkish Standards Institute (tbc)
• Turkish Small Domestic Appliances Industrialists and Exporters Association (tbc)

Cities and critical infrastructure face growing risks from climate-related hazards, including floods, extreme temperatures and wildfires, alongside earthquakes and other natural hazards. Strengthening resilience requires integrating risk considerations throughout the life cycle of the built environment, from planning and design to construction, maintenance and rehabilitation.

This fireside chat, “Resilient Infrastructure and Cities,” will explore how international standards, building codes and technical guidance can translate resilience objectives into practical requirements. The discussion will focus on structural safety, durable and resilient construction materials, the assessment of existing structures, and risk-informed infrastructure development.

Drawing on lessons from disaster-prone countries, including Türkiye, speakers will examine how experience gained from earthquakes and extreme weather events can inform international standardization and improve engineering practice. They will consider how buildings and infrastructure can be designed and upgraded to withstand disruptions, maintain essential functions and support timely recovery.

The conversation will also address how innovative materials, testing, conformity assessment and certification can help improve confidence in infrastructure performance. Particular attention will be given to bridging the gap between technical standards and implementation by local authorities, infrastructure owners and construction professionals.

Through a moderated exchange and audience questions, the session will bring together perspectives from standards organizations, technical institutions and the construction sector. Its objective is to identify practical priorities for embedding resilience into infrastructure decisions and strengthening cooperation between those who develop standards and those who apply them, supporting safer, climate-resilient and sustainable cities.

• Dr. Onur Seçkin (Moderator), Head of Foreign Relations Department, Turkish Standards Institution (TSE)
• Dr. Matthew P. Adams, Director, ACI Board of Directors, American Concrete Institute (ACI)
• Nilüfer Salbas, Head of Quality System and Certification Division, TURKCIMENTO

This session will focus on climate resilience and adaptation in municipalities, with a particular emphasis on infrastructure and the built environment. As climate risks intensify, there is an urgent need for practical frameworks that help cities assess vulnerabilities, strengthen resilience, and guide long-term adaptation planning.

Participants will explore critical questions, including:

• What training and capacity-building efforts are needed to support implementation?
• Where are the opportunities for advocacy and policy alignment?
• Is there a pathway to develop new or enhanced standards in this space?
• How can momentum be sustained beyond COP to ensure continued progress?

The session aims to move beyond knowledge-sharing toward actionable outcomes, identifying concrete next steps and longer-term pathways for advancing climate resilience in the built environment. By fostering dialogue and collaboration, it will help shape a coordinated approach to standards development, implementation, and ongoing work in this critical area.

Champion collaboration across sectors to align policies, standards, and practices that strengthen climate resilience at scale.

Invest in capacity-building, including training and knowledge-sharing, to equip professionals with the tools needed to assess and address climate risks effectively.

Drive the development of standards and guidance, using momentum from this work to close gaps and accelerate consistent, actionable approaches.

Commit to next steps, whether through pilot projects, partnerships, or advocacy, to ensure progress continues beyond COP.

• Judy Zakreski, Senior Vice President, Global Operations & Solutions, International Code Council
• Daniel Ramos, Legal Officer, Trade & Environment Division, World Trade Organization 
• Emmanuel Escoto, Senior Manager International Engagement, ASTM International 

This invitation-only roundtable will bring together a small group of senior leaders to explore what it will take to translate ISO/UNDP 53001 from a global standard into meaningful implementation and wider uptake, particularly in developing countries. The discussion will focus on the institutional and market pathways, partnerships and evidence needed to support implementation, and where leadership and collaboration could help unlock greater scale and impact.

• Sergio Mujica, Secretary General, ISO
• Marcos Neto, Assistant Secretary General, UNDP
• Noelia Garcia Nebra, Head of Sustainability and Partnerships, ISO

With sustainability standards now being adopted worldwide, the challenge is making reporting work in practice. Companies need to report once against multiple standards, while investors need comparable data they can trace back to the original disclosures.

Forward-looking corporate climate transition plans are central to this effort. However, emerging plans vary in format, location and frequency of updates, making them difficult to access and compare. Digital transition plans that connect targets, investment and performance could provide greater clarity and consistency for companies and investors.

This session will explore these challenges and the role of standards in addressing them. Bringing together standard setters and market leaders, the discussion will examine the alignment, digital frameworks and market infrastructure needed to make transition plans decision-useful and support informed capital allocation.

• Anthony Miller, Chief Coordinator, UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges (UN SSE)

• Tiffany Grabski, SSE Academy Head, UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges (UN SSE)
• Ersin Ercan, System Management Manager, Türk Standardları Enstitüsü (TSE)

• John Turner, CEO, XBRL
• Alicia Kedzierski, Head of Sustainable Finance, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
• David Harris, Head of Sustainable Finance, Strategic Initiatives, Partnerships, London Stock Exchange Group
• Elodie van de Woestyne, Head of Sustainable Finance, Luxembourg Stock Exchange
• Rose Vennin, Head of ISSB Strategic Affairs, IFRS Foundation
• Lotfi Khezami, Head of Communication Department, Tunis Stock Exchange (BVMT)
• Camila Corradi Bracco, Policy Manager, Government Affairs & Strategic Relations, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
• Aydın Sargın, Expert, İklim Değişikliği Başkanlığı
• Erhan Çalışkan, Sustainability Coordinator, Akçansa
• Burcu Otman, Sustainability Manager, Borusan Holding
• Seçil Kızılkaya Yıldız, Deputy General Manager, Development and Investment Bank

Circularity doesn’t fail because of lack of ideas—it fails at implementation. What role do standards play in closing that gap?

To explore how standards enable circularity across the electrification value chain, while:

• Identifying implementation gaps across sectors
• Highlighting near-term standards releases and work-in-progress
• Positioning ULSE as a convener focused on practical deployment, not just frameworks

• Define priority implementation gaps in circular electrification systems
• Identify where standards can accelerate deployment now
• Establish next-step collaboration pathways across stakeholders

Engage in standards-based collaboration to move circularity from concept to implementation across electrification systems.

• Emmanuel Escoto, Senior Manager International Engagement, ASTM International 

As companies face growing pressure to address Scope 3 emissions, many are investing in projects within their value chains to reduce and remove emissions. These projects can unlock much-needed finance for producers and suppliers, but their value depends on the integrity of the claims companies make. Credible corporate use of Scope 3 value chain projects requires robust quantification, a clear link to the company's own value chain, independent validation and verification, and safeguards against double counting and double claiming.

This fireside chat will explore what integrity looks like in practice when companies use Scope 3 value chain projects. It brings together the perspectives of target setting, verification and standard setting. Speakers will discuss where current practices fall short and what companies need to show for their claims to be trusted. They'll also look at how lessons from the voluntary carbon market can be applied within value chains.

The discussion will also place value chain projects within the broader corporate net-zero ecosystem. That includes the evolving role of Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) under the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard and how verified Scope 3 outcomes may count toward net-zero targets alongside direct decarbonization. Speakers will reference emerging programs that apply project-based accounting within value chains, including Verra's newly launched Scope 3 Standard Program (S3S). These programs show how standardized methodologies, independent verification and transparent digital infrastructure can support credible claims.

The session is designed for a small audience and will encourage open, candid exchange. Participants are invited to bring their own questions and experiences on designing, verifying and reporting Scope 3 projects. They will leave with practical insight into the integrity principles needed to turn climate commitments into credible outcomes.

This is a small invite-only event. To express your interest to participate please register.

• Stefan Jirka, Director, Agriculture & Supply Chain Innovation
• Thomas Blackburn, CEO, SustainCERT
• Alex Kazaglis, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, SBTi

Textile Transformation: Trade, Trust and Chemistry for a Healthier World is a 30-minute facilitated circle dialogue at COP31, co-convened by ISO and BSI as part of the Standards Pavilion programme.

Textiles are one of the world’s most traded product categories, worth over $1 trillion, yet the chemistry inside them is largely invisible as goods cross borders. Only 38% of chemicals can be verified as safer, 28% cannot be characterised at all, and many PFAS escape standard disclosure. The societal cost of PFAS alone is estimated at around $17.5 trillion a year.

This conversations asks one question: could interoperable transparency and traceability standards for chemical disclosure work across borders, if built from opposite ends of the textile spectrum? At one end are the cleanest materials, such as those certified safe for babies, where trust is the product’s value. At the other are durable, recyclable synthetics that could anchor a circular global value chain, when only 2-3% of textiles are recycled into new textiles.

Regulation is already moving: the EU’s Empowering Consumers Directive demands specific, substantiated environmental claims, and extended producer responsibility schemes are taking effect. Without shared international standards, exporters, especially SMEs and producers in developing economies, face a patchwork of requirements that raises costs and fragments markets.

Eight to ten expert voices from academia, philanthropy, the UN system, standards, traceability science, retail, natural fibres and policy will bring live challenges from their own organisations, not presentations.

The sale and use of electric vehicles has increased extremely rapidly in the last few years, and this increase looks likely to continue. However, the regulation of the charging infrastructure is not yet consistent worldwide, resulting in a lack of consumer protection and a risk of fraud. As the inter-governmental organization covering legal metrology, which is the application of regulation to measurement, the OIML is working with its 129 members worldwide to develop harmonized model regulations for EV supply equipment which will enable manufacturers of EVSE to comply with common requirements in countries which adopt the OIML Recommendation. This session will explore the OIML's progress in this area and look at the future actions to achieve harmonization.

• Bobjoseph Mathew (Moderator), OIML President, Vice Director, Head of Legal Metrology, Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS)
• Ian Dunmill, Assistant Director, OIML

Climate change is already affecting communities, infrastructure, economies and ecosystems worldwide. Climate risk assessments are becoming increasingly sophisticated. At the same time, translating their findings into concrete adaptation measures remains a major challenge. Decision-makers must identify priorities, evaluate competing options, mobilize financing and allocate limited resources effectively, often under considerable uncertainty.

How can international standards and associated tools help bridge the gap between understanding climate risks and taking effective adaptation action?

The “Paris Statement”, adopted by ISO on 1st October 2026, reaffirms the role of international standards in supporting global efforts to build greater resilience, adapt to climate change and protect nature. This interactive workshop, jointly organized by DIN and AFNOR, forms part of this ongoing process and brings together policymakers, practitioners, scientists and standardization experts to explore how existing and emerging approaches can support better adaptation decisions. Particular attention will be given to the needs and perspectives of the Global South, where limited financial and institutional capacities, data gaps, context-specific vulnerabilities and a lack of awareness on standardization at local level can create additional barriers to implementation.

The workshop will introduce a selection of practical tools and standardization approaches addressing different stages of adaptation decision-making:

1. Climate risk assessment: ISO 14091 provides a structured approach to identifying climate-related risks and vulnerabilities, helping determine where adaptation action is most urgently needed.
2. Climate-sensitive standards: the AFNOR methodology enables the identification and prioritization of standards requiring revision to account for future climate conditions, thereby contributing to the implementation of the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (Measure 24, led by the CGDD).
3. Economic assessment and prioritization: A planned DIN standard explores standardized benefit-cost assessments to support transparent comparisons of adaptation measures and more effective investment decisions.
4. Climate services: European standardization approaches provide first standardized frameworks for delivering and using climate information.
5. Climate-resilient asset management: Emerging approaches explore how future climate risks and adaptation requirements can be integrated into long-term infrastructure planning, investment and maintenance decisions.

Building on these examples, participants will collaboratively examine the tools needed along three interconnected stages of the adaptation decision-making process: risk identification and prioritization, financing, and implementation.

Working in small groups, participants will identify existing solutions, methodological and institutional gaps, and opportunities for developing new tools or improving existing ones. Discussions will address international transferability, specific challenges faced by developing countries, and the conditions necessary for successful application.

The workshop will conclude with a joint discussion to identify five to seven actionable recommendations for an internationally applicable Adaptation Decision-Making Toolkit developed at ISO.

The ultimate goal is to move from assessing climate risks to making informed decisions, directing investments where they are most needed, and accelerating effective adaptation action worldwide.

• Jörg MEGOW, DIN (Moderator)

• Benoit DESFORGES, Chair, ISO TC207/SC7, GHG and Climate Change
• Nadita RAMACHALA, Twinned Chair, ISO/TC 207 Environmental Management / Standardization Manager, Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards
• Ana DIAZ, Programme manager Capacity Building, ISO
• Virginie COURMONT, AFNOR
• Oliver MARCHAND, Resilens

• Marco WILKENS

Find your climate crew! is an interactive networking session bringing together children, youth, young professionals and organizations supporting their participation in climate action.

Across the climate community, many organizations and initiatives are working to engage younger generations. Yet opportunities to connect, exchange experiences and build collaborations across these networks remain limited.

Co-hosted by ISO, WMO, UNITAR and ITC, this session aims to connect people and initiatives, facilitate new partnerships and explore a shared question: What’s getting in the way of meaningful engagement for people like you?

The session will begin with three small, facilitated circles focusing on children, youth and young professionals, led by representatives from the respective communities. Participants will introduce their organizations and initiatives, share experiences and identify the barriers they encounter in accessing and meaningfully contributing to climate action.

A cross-group networking activity will then bring participants together to exchange perspectives, identify common challenges and highlight what differs across the three groups.

The session will conclude with informal networking, creating space for new connections and potential collaborations.

Beyond the conversations, the objective is to establish a practical network of organizations and individuals, map existing initiatives and identify opportunities to strengthen meaningful participation during and beyond COP31.

Every net-zero pathway relies on a rapid expansion of clean energy, electricity networks, battery storage and low-carbon technologies. Delivering these systems will require unprecedented investment, infrastructure and increasing volumes of minerals and metals. This fireside chat will take an honest look at the realities of industrial decarbonisation. Rather than focusing solely on targets and ambition, it will ask a simple but important question: are we building the conditions needed to achieve a net-zero economy in the real world? 

• Dana Cartwright, Environment Director, ICMM
• Rodrigo Lauria, Climate Change Director, Vale

The expansion of Artificial Intelligence requires significant computational capacity, leading to increased energy demands across data centre infrastructures. As high-performance workloads scale, aligning data infrastructure growth with environmental and resource efficiency targets presents a practical technical challenge for the technology sector.

This 30-minute session explores the technical frameworks and operational standards needed to manage energy consumption in the AI era. Combining lightning presentations with an expert-led fireside chat, the discussion examines how standardized metrics, testing methodologies, and certification protocols support sustainable data center infrastructure.

The session addresses two complementary perspectives across the infrastructure value chain:

• Standardizing Sustainability: The Roadmap to Green Data Center Certification
  An examination of operational standards and compliance frameworks including TSE Data Centre certification. This presentation outlines technical criteria, Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metrics and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) etc. methodologies used to measure, audit, and reduce environmental impacts in facility operations.
• Powering Intelligence Responsibly: Sustainable Data Centers in the AI Era
  This presentation examines the growing energy and infrastructure demands of AI workloads, highlighting practical strategies in grid integration, advanced cooling architectures and hardware efficiency. It further evaluates how standardized environmental metrics and credible third-party certifications can ensure scalable, net-zero-aligned digital infrastructure.

By connecting international standardization mechanisms with technological infrastructure planning, this session provides data centre operators, IT strategists, and policy experts with a practical overview of compliance pathways and efficiency standards in data management

• İbrahim KILIÇ, Head of Inspection of Surveillance Center,TSE
• Ali KURTUL, Data Centers Director, Turkcell

Net-zero commitments have set the ambition. Now comes the real test: proving progress, unlocking investment, and delivering results at scale.

As COP31 places implementation at the heart of global climate action, a critical question emerges: How can we transform climate promises into measurable, verifiable, and investable progress?

This fireside chat brings together different complementary perspectives - international standardization, and the COP31 Presidency to explore how credible evidence, country-led implementation pathways, and real-economy action can reinforce one another.

International Standards, including the ISO 14064 family for greenhouse gas quantification, reporting, and verification offer essential foundations for transparency, credible transition planning, and confidence in reported progress.

From the COP31 Presidency perspective, the emerging Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE) seeks to connect country-led climate and development priorities with investment-ready project pipelines and tailored financing solutions. The session will also provide insights into BRIDGE's evolving objectives, design, and three-part structure.

This session will highlight how businesses, investors, cities, and other non-State actors can translate commitments into measurable action and accelerate implementation across the real economy.

But what happens when trustworthy climate evidence meets investment readiness and collective action?

Moving beyond parallel conversations on standards, finance, and implementation, this session will examine the practical connections needed to strengthen accountability, build investor confidence, and turn ambition into tangible results.

Because the credibility of net zero will ultimately be defined not by what we pledge, but by what we can prove and deliver.

• Berna BİLDİK (Moderator), Expert, Sustainability and Climate Change Department, Turkish Standards Institution (TSE)
• Usha MULUKUTLA, Chair-Elect, ISO /TC 207 Environmental Management, International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• Zeynep Cansu AYTURAN, COP31 Action Agenda BRIDGE Focal Point, Directorate of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change (MoEUCC)

Networking reception for existing and potential new endorsers of the Steel Standards Principles.

• Clare Broadbent, Director constructsteel, World Steel Association

Achieving global decarbonization goals requires reliable, transparent and comparable environmental data. Yet, differences in methodologies, reporting frameworks and sector-specific requirements continue to challenge the consistent measurement and communication of the environmental performance of products across industries and international markets.

How can we ensure that environmental data supports effective climate action rather than creating fragmented reporting systems and new barriers to trade? What role can international standards play in bridging the gap between political ambitions, industrial needs and practical implementation?

This interactive rapid-fire discussion will bring together three perspectives: government, intergovernmental organizations and international standardization. Moving from high-level policy objectives to practical implementation, the speakers will explore the key challenges and opportunities for harmonizing environmental assessment and reporting approaches.

Through short, focused contributions and a dynamic exchange between speakers, the session aims to bridge the gap between policy ambitions and technical implementation, highlighting how cooperation between governments, international organizations and standardization bodies can establish common rules for environmental data.

• Stela Ivanova (Moderator), Policy Advisor, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
• Gabriela Maretto Figueiredo, Director, Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services, Brazil
• Sarbojit Pal, Head of Secretariat, Global Matchmaking Platform (UNIDO)
• Christian Krüger, Chair, ISO/TC 207/SC 5 (Life Cycle Assessment)

Decision-makers need high-quality environmental observations to assess climate trends and human impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use and land-use change. Comparable, reliable data collected over decades and across the globe are essential for guiding policy. Yet inconsistencies occur in measurements of key climate and ocean variables, especially related quantities such as pH and dissolved carbon.

Applying metrological principles — including clear measurands, traceability and robust uncertainty evaluation — can improve consistency across time and locations. This requires reliable reference standards, materials and instruments for settings from laboratories to extreme field and space environments, plus methods to evaluate and propagate uncertainty across complex measurement chains, including sensor networks, historical datasets and advanced models.

Quality assurance, standardization and metrology support consistent data quality. Collaboration between observation networks and the metrology community is vital to establish such frameworks, as demonstrated by WMO-GAW and CEOS-QA4EO. The European Metrology Network for Climate and Ocean Observations supports long-term monitoring, trend detection and verification of climate actions. Integrating metrology early into regulations and standards can strengthen policy development and enforcement.

Examples of gas-compound measurements worldwide will show how climate and ocean observations inform decision-making and metrology regulations. From vehicle-emissions regulations to decades-long upper-troposphere measurements, comparability and traceability are crucial for compliance and effective mitigation.

• Celine Pascale, head of domain “Metrology in Chemistry and Biology”, Federal institute of Metrolgy Switzerland (METAS)
• Carmen Garcia Izquerido, head of domain “Mass and Mechanical quantities”, national metrology institute of Spain (CEM)

As hydrogen markets expand across borders and industries, common rules for measuring, verifying and communicating sustainability performance are becoming increasingly important. This session brings together perspectives from international standardisation, policymakers, hydrogen producers, industry, end-use sectors, certification bodies and financing institutions to explore how harmonised standards can support the development of global hydrogen markets.

The dialogue will focus on two key challenges:

From production to consumption – ensuring consistent carbon footprint accounting. Building on the ISO 19870 series, participants will discuss how harmonised methodologies can ensure reliable and comparable carbon footprint data throughout the hydrogen value chain, including hydrogen derivatives and different end-use sectors. Key topics include data interoperability, certification, mutual recognition and the practical challenges of applying common methodologies across jurisdictions.

Beyond carbon – building sustainable hydrogen markets. Carbon emissions are only one dimension of sustainability. How can environmental impacts such as water and land use, as well as broader social and governance considerations, be addressed consistently? The discussion will explore the role of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Product Category Rules (PCR) and broader sustainability frameworks in supporting credible assessments, local value creation, investment decisions and access to international markets.

By connecting perspectives from across the hydrogen ecosystem, the session aims to identify gaps, opportunities and priorities for international standardisation.

• Harley Higgins-Watson (Facilitator), UNIDO
• Laurence Boisramé, Global Director for Hydrogen and CCUS, Bureau Veritas (TBC)
• Pete Hemingway, Senior Associate, Low Emissions Standards, Mission Possible Partnership (MPP)
• Wa’el Almazeedi, Co-founder and CEO, Avance Labs
• Prof. Dr. Paulo Emílio Valadão de Miranda, President, Brazilian Hydrogen Association (ABH2) (TBC)
• Dr. Christian Krüger, Chair of ISO/TC 207/SC 5, BASF
• Dr. Jörg Megow, Head of Strategic Development Resilience, DIN
• Noelia Garcia Nebra, Head of Sustainability & Strategic Partnerships, ISO
• Sven Egbers, Head of Project, Global Carbon Markets, GIZ
• Chris Neidl, Carbon Removal Lead, UN Climate Champions Team (TBC)
• Dr. Dolf Gielen, Senior Energy Economist and Green Hydrogen Program Lead, World Bank / ESMAP (TBC)
• Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO, Everllence

As the global transition toward nature-positive economies accelerates, credible standards are vital to translate ecological scientific knowledge into actionable corporate and policy outcomes. Centered on the emerging ISO 17298 framework, this session explores how Türkiye bridges rich national ecological data with international standardization. The discussion examines how comprehensive national conservation baselines, specifically data assets from the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks like the Noah's Ark Biodiversity Database, can be integrated into standardized corporate sustainability and reporting mechanisms. Bringing together public authorities, academia the panel will address how local ecological monitoring directly informs ISO 17298 implementation, ensuring credible enterprise-level biodiversity footprints. Furthermore, it will evaluate academic perspectives on science-based metrics for habitat conservation and examine how reliable public ecological datasets can de-risk investments and unlock nature-positive finance. By highlighting Turkey's proactive involvement through national mirror committees, the session demonstrates how regional megadiversity and hands-on conservation practices can actively shape global biodiversity standards, ensuring they remain scientifically robust, practical, and globally relevant.

• Dr. Murat GÜNDÜZ (Moderator), TSE
• Doç. Dr. Emel TOPUZ, Gebze Technical University
• Neslihan ÖZİÇLİ, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks

Behind every International Standard on climate action stands a network of national experts. In this fireside chat, a mirror committee expert from academia, and an international expert of ISO/TC 207 Environmental management, explore how mirror committees carry Türkiye’s expertise to the global table and bring global solutions back home. Mirror committees are the national groups that follow and feed into ISO technical committees. Drawing on experience with greenhouse gas, carbon footprint and carbon neutrality standards, the speakers will discuss how national positions are built and how they shape international texts. They will also look at why broader participation matters for credible climate action.

Join us on 19 November at 11:00 to find out how you can help shape the standards that shape our climate future.

• Dr. Akif Sesli, Head of Standardization, TSE
• Lect. PhD SAVAŞ YAĞLIKÇI, Ankara University, Founder, ATAK İleri Malzeme Teknolojileri A.Ş., Expert MTC 045
• Dr. Usha Mulukutla, Incoming Chair of ISO/TC 207 ISO Environmental Management