Article 4 of the Saudi Standards and Quality Law

This article shows why standards exist, that is, the aims that standardization activity mainly seeks to achieve, which are:

1. Protection: ensuring a high level of protection of the life, health and safety of humans and animals, and protection of plants, property, security and the environment.
2. Competitiveness: contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy.
3. Trade fairness: promoting fair trade in the market.
4. The consumer: protecting and promoting the consumer's interests and expectations.
5. Resources: improving the use of resources and energy, and promoting sustainable patterns of production and consumption.
6. Facilitating trade: facilitating trade exchanges by removing unnecessary technical barriers.
7. Quality: contributing to raising the quality of products and services.

The importance of this article is that it is a reference for interpreting the rest of the law's provisions; Article 5 makes the Authority the sole reference authority for standardization and quality activities that seek these aims, except for products and services within the competence of the Food and Drug Authority under its law. The guiding principles in Article 3, such as transparency and non-discrimination between local and imported products, also serve these aims.

The article does not create direct obligations on traders or consumers, but sets out the purposes. Someone who needs to know the obligations that apply to his product may consult a lawyer who specializes in commercial cases.