May 2026: New Environmental Safety Standards for Products, Radiation, and More

International collaboration in Environmental Protection, Health, and Safety has taken a leap forward this May 2026 with the publication of five influential standards. These documents address diverse aspects—from product data interoperability and immersion suit safety to vibration management in aviation, radiological protection, and lifecycle declarations for flooring materials. Their impact spans manufacturers, service providers, compliance officers, and sustainability leaders who must now navigate a new landscape of regulatory and technical requirements.

Overview

Environmental protection, health, and safety underpin every responsible enterprise today. As regulatory pressures and market expectations rise, up-to-date international standards ensure that products, materials, and workplaces are safer, more sustainable, and globally interoperable.

This article covers five recently published international standards from May 2026. Each standard introduces new specifications or requirements in its field, setting benchmarks for performance, data management, or sustainability. Whether you're a compliance officer, engineer, researcher, or procurement specialist, understanding these updates will help your organization stay ahead in compliance, risk management, and innovation.

In this article you will learn:

• The scope and key requirements of each new standard
• Who needs to comply and how these standards apply across industries
• Technical updates and transition details for implementation
• Where to access each standard for full details and further study

Detailed Standards Coverage

EN 18223:2026 - Digital Product Passport - System Interoperability

Full Title: Digital Product Passport - System Interoperability

As sustainability and circular economy directives deepen, the Digital Product Passport (DPP) becomes core to global supply chains. EN 18223:2026 standardizes the semantic, technical, and organizational interoperability of DPPs across industry sectors.

Scope and Key Requirements:

• Defines a comprehensive semantic model for describing product properties and lifecycle data
• Establishes a common information model for data dictionaries, enabling multilingual, multi-sector integration
• Specifies metadata models and data exchange formats for robust interoperability
• Outlines rules for systematically using metadata when developing product-specific models
• Demands organizational best practices for both human and machine (software) access and integration

Who Needs to Comply:

• Manufacturers and distributors placing regulated products (especially in electronics, appliances, textiles, and construction) onto the European market
• IT solution providers implementing DPP systems
• Sustainability officers and compliance managers

Implementation & Notable Changes:

• Advances prior semantic data recommendations by enforcing unique identifiers, status tracking, and versioning
• Facilitates conformance with Ecodesign and circularity regulations by aligning with EU delegated acts
• Supports ease of future integration as DPP becomes mandatory in additional product groups

Key Highlights:

• Fully structured data elements and lifecycle attributes for every DPP
• Organizational, semantic, and technical interoperability addressed for both legacy and future systems
• Lays groundwork for cross-sectoral data integration and product traceability

Access the full standard:View EN 18223:2026 on iTeh Standards

FprEN ISO 15027-1 - Immersion Suits: Safety and Performance for Constant Wear Suits

Full Title: Immersion suits - Part 1: Safety and performance requirements for constant wear suits (ISO/FDIS 15027-1:2025)

Professional and leisure users on or near water face increasing safety and regulatory demands. This international standard specifies the minimum safety and performance requirements for constant wear immersion suits—critical for reducing cold shock, delaying hypothermia, and improving survival during accidental water immersion.

Scope and Key Requirements:

• Applies to both 'dry' and 'wet' constant wear suits (excluding abandonment suits)
• Covers materials’ innocuousness, ergonomic design, comfort, and accessory requirements
• Establishes test methods for buoyancy, thermal protection, field of vision, and mechanical resilience
• Mandates high-visibility materials, retro-reflective surfaces, and emergency lighting
• Details marking, user information, and consumer labeling protocols

Who Needs to Comply:

• Manufacturers and suppliers of immersion suits for marine, offshore, emergency, and leisure sectors
• Operators (workboat, shipping, offshore, rescue)

Implementation & Notable Changes:

• Builds on previous editions (ISO 15027-1:2012), adding new thermal performance classes (including SOLAS-equivalent uninsulated suits)
• Refines ergonomic, donning, and dexterity criteria
• Enhances consumer transparency through revised product information and marking

Key Highlights:

• New thermal performance level and insulation identification
• Enhanced marking and user guidance for end-to-end safety
• Clear delineation from abandonment suit requirements to avoid confusion

Access the full standard:View FprEN ISO 15027-1 on iTeh Standards

FprEN ISO 31915-3 - Aircraft Ground Support Equipment: Vibration Measurement & Reduction

Full Title: Aircraft ground support equipment - General requirements - Part 3: Vibration measurement methods and reduction (ISO/FDIS 31915-3:2026)

Addressing whole-body vibration is vital for health protection in the aviation sector. This standard sets forth the methods for measuring, declaring, and minimizing the vibration emissions of aircraft ground support equipment (GSE), benefiting both manufacturers and ground operations personnel.

Scope and Key Requirements:

• Applies to drivers/operators of freely moveable GSE (standing or seated)
• Details hazards and technical requirements for type evaluation and verification
• Outlines vibration reduction techniques (pneumatic tires, suspension, shock absorbers, isolated cabins or seats)
• Prescribes detailed instrumentation, frequency weighting, test track setup, and environmental controls
• Specifies report formats and declaration requirements for transparency and procurement

Who Needs to Comply:

• GSE manufacturers, airport authorities, maintenance organizations
• Safety and risk managers in aviation ground operations

Implementation & Notable Changes:

• Supersedes EN 1915-3:2004+A1:2009
• Adds new hazard lists and updates reference standards
• Refines procedures for vibration reporting, enhancing comparability and risk assessment

Key Highlights:

• Robust methodology for measuring whole-body vibration during driving
• Emphasis on minimizing operator exposure through engineering controls
• Comprehensive documentation and reporting for conformity assessment

Access the full standard:View FprEN ISO 31915-3 on iTeh Standards

ISO 18090-1:2026 - Radiological Protection: Reference Pulsed Photon Radiation

Full Title: Radiological protection — Characteristics of reference pulsed radiation — Part 1: Photon radiation

Precision calibration of radiation protection devices is critical in medical diagnostics, research, and industry. This standard defines the characteristics of reference pulsed photon radiation (e.g., pulsed X-rays) to calibrate and test dosemeters for both occupational and public radiological safety.

Scope and Key Requirements:

• Applicable to pulsed X-radiation with durations from 0.1 ms to 10 seconds
• Focuses on single pulse response (with guidance for repeated pulses)
• Specifies parameters such as air kerma, pulse air kerma rate, field uniformity, time-dependent tube voltage, and pulse repetition frequency
• Uses existing ISO/IEC radiation qualities but adds requirements for pulsed fields
• Details test methods, instrumentation, and limits for calibration environments

Who Needs to Comply:

• Medical device calibrators, radiation protection laboratories, equipment manufacturers
• Regulatory agencies approving dosemeters and medical imaging systems

Implementation & Notable Changes:

• Replaces earlier ISO/TS versions with clarified scope and new instrument examples
• Provides more explicit requirements for beam uniformity and pulse-trapezoid equivalence

Key Highlights:

• Harmonizes calibration of dosemeters for challenging pulsed fields
• Addresses single-pulse and repeated-pulse calibration scenarios
• Strengthens worker and patient safety in diagnostic radiology and nuclear technology

Access the full standard:View ISO 18090-1:2026 on iTeh Standards

prEN 16810 - Environmental Product Declarations for Floor Coverings (EPD-PCR)

Full Title: Resilient, textile, laminate and modular mechanical locked floor coverings, underlays - Environmental product declarations - Product category rules

Sustainable construction depends on reliable, standardized information about product lifecycles. The revised prEN 16810 provides updated product category rules (PCR) for Type III Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) specific to resilient, textile, laminate, and modular mechanical locked floor coverings and their underlays.

Scope and Key Requirements:

• Covers plastics, cork, rubber, linoleum, textile, laminate, modular floor coverings and related underlays
• Adheres to EN 15804:2012+A2:2019 and ISO 14025 principles
• Provides harmonized structure for environmental indicators and life cycle stages (production, use, end-of-life, etc.)
• Sets clear rules for data quality, reporting, and verification (including updated service life calculation and waste formulas)
• Allows for single-product, product group, or average-product EPDs

Who Needs to Comply:

• Manufacturers and suppliers in the flooring industry
• Environmental consultants and construction specifiers
• Certification bodies involved in EPD verification

Implementation & Notable Changes:

• Now includes product underlays in the scope
• Aligns with updated EN 15804 core rules
• Refines module reporting and adaptation to service life situations (B modules)

Key Highlights:

• Supports market-driven sustainability through transparent PCRs
• Consistent, comparable lifecycle data for informed building material selection
• Future-proofs flooring products for green building certifications and regulatory compliance

Access the full standard:View prEN 16810 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

Adopting these standards can have a transformative effect on your organization's products and processes:

• Improved ability to demonstrate conformity to evolving regulatory and market requirements
• Support for digital transformation through data models and interoperability frameworks
• Enhanced safety outcomes for both workers (via vibration and immersion suit standards) and the broader public (via radiological protection)
• Strategic advantage in green procurement and sustainability certification

Compliance Actions & Timelines:

1. Gap Assessment: Map current processes, documentation, and product attributes against new standard requirements.
2. Training & Communication: Update compliance, engineering, and quality teams to reflect new protocols, especially for marking, labeling, and data reporting.
3. Supply Chain Integration: Align suppliers and IT systems, especially those affected by DPP, EPD, and PCR transitions.
4. Certification & Testing: Plan third-party verifications, recertification, or internal audits where updates affect product labels or safety claims.
5. Documentation Update: Ensure all technical files, risk assessments, and declarations are revised as per the new versions.

Risks of Non-Compliance:

• Product bans in regulated markets (e.g., EU Digital Product Passport requirements)
• Increased liability exposure and insurance costs from safety or environmental breaches
• Lost market opportunities in green procurement and certification

Technical Insights

Common Themes Across the Standards

• Data Structure and Traceability: Both EN 18223 and prEN 16810 focus on harmonized data management—driving the future of smart, traceable, and sustainable products.
• Performance and Testing: Standards such as FprEN ISO 15027-1, FprEN ISO 31915-3, and ISO 18090-1 detail rigorous testing methods to ensure reliability under real-world operating conditions.
• Transparency and Lifecycle Assessment: EPD and PCR rules promote transparency from cradle to grave, driving meaningful environmental improvements and comparability.

Implementation Best Practices

• For Product Data: Invest in digital transformation and data governance to ensure all attributes required by DPP standards (EN 18223) are accessible and uniquely identified.
• For Safety Products: Use certified labs for required performance testing; maintain robust records of all marking and labeling updates.
• For Vibration and Radiological Standards: Regularly calibrate test equipment and verify operator training to achieve accurate and reproducible results.
• For EPD Verification: Document all life cycle inventory (LCI) data decisions and use third-party verified software or platforms to meet reporting rules.

Conclusion & Next Steps

Staying ahead in environmental, health, and safety compliance not only protects organizations but also opens new opportunities for innovation and market leadership. The May 2026 standards set a clear pathway for harmonized data, resilient safety equipment, sustainable construction materials, and future-ready compliance processes.

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace the transition to digital product data and EPD alignment across the supply chain
• Engage with certified professionals and platforms for product testing, data modeling, and EPD verification
• Monitor upcoming regulatory changes—like expanding Digital Product Passport requirements—in your sector
• Visit iTeh Standards for authoritative access to the latest international standards and to stay updated as further parts in this series are released

Take Action:

• Access the full texts via the provided links for each standard
• Conduct internal reviews and update implementation plans
• Stay tuned for Part 3, covering additional Environmental Protection, Health, and Safety standards for May 2026