CEN and CENELEC have published a new edition of Guide 32: Guide for addressing climate change adaptation in standards, underlining the growing importance of climate resilience in European standardization. As climate risks intensify across Europe, adaptation is becoming an essential consideration for infrastructure and the standards that support it.
The 2026 edition brings together the 2016 version of Guide 32 and the 2022 tailored guidance for Technical Committees into a single reference document. By consolidating earlier materials, the new guide removes inconsistencies and makes the guidance easier to use.
It introduces a more structured approach to assessing climate risk across the life cycle of a standard, helping Technical Committees consider how climate change and extreme weather could affect relevance, performance, and durability over time.
By offering practical guidance rather than a one-size-fits-all model, Guide 32 helps Technical Committees integrate climate adaptation where it is most relevant. This supports the development of standards that remain robust and useful under changing climate conditions.
The update also reinforces CEN and CENELEC’s commitment to the London Declaration and to embedding climate considerations more fully into the standardization process.
Overall, the revised guide strengthens the role of standards to resilience and long‑term sustainability across the European Single Market.
