A standard is neither a law, nor a regulation or mandatory requirement. Instead, it is an industry agreement on specific processes, definitions or tests. As standards are agreed among industry representatives of a country, a region or internationally, these standards can come from different interest groups. The most prominent two groups are the International Standard Organisation (ISO) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). These and the other organisations develop standards according to industry needs and explore new areas, such as IoT, cybersecurity, blockchain, nano-scale materials, radiation as in 5G, among others.
So, standards define the industry common understanding to establish a level of quality and safety.