Several ISO Standards have been Amended (including ISO 9001)
On February 23, 2024, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released amendments to several common ISO standards, including.
- ISO 9001
- ISO 14001
- ISO 45001
The amendments cover two additions regarding climate change. In section 4.1 of these three standards, the amendment requires the organization to determine whether climate change is a relevant issue impacting their management system.
Further, in section 4.2, a new note has been added stating that relevant interested parties may have requirements related to climate change.
Below are some Frequently Asked Questions covering the amendments:
Why were these requirements added?
ISO amended these standards consistent with the London Declaration on Climate Change to clarify the need for organizations to consider the impact. These requirements were always part of analyzing external issues and relevant interested parties. The amendment calls out this specific topic as having a potential impact.
What does this mean for a certified organization?
If organizations have considered environmental impacts, then they need to do nothing. , if they still need to do it, they must review and consider whether climate change impacts their management system. There are multiple ways to accomplish this, and while some organizations will see no impact or change in their system, others may see a significant impact and change as a result.
What are the expectations?
ASR expects each organization to thoroughly analyze all internal and external issues, along with the needs and expectations of relevant interested parties, as they relate to their management system and determine what needs to be addressed by their management system.
Do these amendments change the intent of the requirements?
No. It is an addition to highlight the potential applicability of climate change within several management systems.
What is the transition timing for the implementation of these requirements?
No transition timing is accepted. The requirements become effective and auditable immediately.
Will my auditor focus on this requirement at my next audit?
Your auditor may ask about this requirement since it is "new," but will not put significant focus on it. It will be a topic of conversation along with any other external issues that may be impacting the management system. These requirements should have already been considered, along with any other environmental factors; the amendment puts global focus on it as part of ISO's commitment to support the London Declaration. The amendment will be in new standards and upcoming revisions.
What if an organization decides that climate change isn't a relevant issue?
That is acceptable as long as factual evidence supports that decision, just like any other external issue considered and deemed non-applicable.
We are not certified to ISO 14001, so how can this change impact our management system?
It may not impact the system at all. The requirement is to determine whether it applies or needs to be incorporated into your risk assessment and subsequent action plans. It may not be applicable for organizations, such as a service organization doing computer networking; for others, such as a delivery service or a paint operation, the organization's environmental impacts must be considered because of the ecological interaction related to emissions.
Does this change impact other standards now?
Yes. Every Standard that utilizes ISO 9001 and 25+ other standards where the climate change amendment was published. Other standards affected now include ISO 22000, ISO 27001, and ISO 50001.
How can I get the amendment so I can read the actual wording?
You can "buy" a copy (it is free) from your local Standards organization or directly from ISO.org.
Where can I read more about the London Declaration?
You can go to ISO.org using this link: https://www.iso.org/ClimateAction/LondonDeclaration.html.
I know little about climate change or how our organization could impact it. Where can I get more information?
You can go to ISO.org Climate Action Toolkit at this link and find links on the right side of the page with information to help: https://www.iso.org/ClimateAction.html.
