Climate Change considerations

The addition of Climate Change considerations to Management Systems Standards.

On Friday, February 23, 2024, ISO released two new textual statements to be incorporated into several existing management systems. These  include ISO 9001, ISO 1400, and ISO 45001. These statements will also be integrated into all forthcoming standards undergoing development or revision. They specifically highlight the importance of assessing the impact of Climate Change on the attainment of the management system’s intended outcomes. The revised statements are detailed below:

4.1 Understanding the organization and its context. The organization shall determine external and internal issues that are relevant to its purpose and that affect its ability to achieve the intended result(s) of its XXX management system. Added: The organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.

4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties. The organization shall determine: • the interested parties that are relevant to the XXX management system. • the relevant requirements of these interested parties. • which of these requirements will be addressed through the XXX management system. Added: NOTE: Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.

While the requirements for clauses 4.1 and 4.2 remain unchanged, the addition of Climate Change considerations highlights its significance as an external factor that organisations need to address.

Further information can be found on the following links:

https://iaf.nu/iaf_system/uploads/documents/Joint_ISO-IAF_Communique_re_Climate_Change_Amds_to_ISO_MSS_Feb_2024_Final.pdf

and:

https://committee.iso.org/sites/jtcg/home/projects/ongoing/ongoing-1/content-left-area/ongoing-advice-for-technical-com/updates-on-management-system-sta.html

You can also obtain further information from the Interface Team.  You can call us on 01952 288322 or alternatively you can initiate a live chat from any of our website pages.