ISO Climate Change Amendments
In late February, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published amendments to the ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 standards (amongst others), specifically related to climate change. These amendments went into effect immediately upon publication, with no transition period. The changes read as follows (see the highlighted verbiage below):
The amendments themselves are available for free on the ISO website – we have provided links below to the 9001, 14001, and 45001 amendments:
- ISO 9001* amendment: https://www.iso.org/standard/88431.html
- ISO 14001 amendment: https://www.iso.org/standard/88209.html
- ISO 45001 amendment: https://www.iso.org/standard/88428.html
*Note: The ISO 9001 standard is undergoing a larger revision effort which is expected to be published sometime in 2025. It is anticipated that other ISO standards will subsequently be revised as well, as a result.
In conjunction with the publication of the ISO amendments, the IAF issued a statement or “Final Decision” on the subject. Here are two key excerpts from that guidance (which can be reviewed in its entirety using the following link: IAF and ISO Publish Joint Communiqué – IAF):
“Certified organizations should ensure that they have considered Climate Change aspects and risks within the development, maintenance, and effectiveness of their own management system(s).
Climate Change, along with other issues, should be determined as relevant or not and if so, considered within an evaluation of risk, within the scope of the management systems standards.”
“With the new additions on Climate Change, Certification Bodies are expected to ensure that Climate Change has been considered and if determined to be a relevant issue for its management system, included in any objectives and mitigation activities by the organization, as required. If it was considered not to be a relevant issue by the organization for its management system, the CB is expected to ensure the effectiveness of the organization’s process to make this determination and implementing related actions, when applicable.”
How do the amendments affect PJR’s clients?
Organizations certified to, or pursuing certification of, ISO 9001, 14001, and/or 45001, need to consider whether climate change is a relevant issue within their management system(s). If so, as with other relevant issues, the organization must consider it within their system’s objectives and risk evaluation, and within the scope of their management system(s). To quote the IAF’s Final Decision:
“The overall intent of the requirements for clauses 4.1 and 4.2 remain unchanged; these clauses already include the need for the organization to consider all internal and external issues that can impact the effectiveness of their management system; these new inclusions are assuring that Climate Change is considered within the management system and that it is an external factor that is important enough for our community to require organizations to consider it now.”
How do the amendments affect PJR’s audits?
All audits including ISO 9001, 14001, and/or 45001 beginning on or after 3/18/24 will include sampling against the amended standard verbiage discussed above. Specifically, the Leadership Interview—which already represents PJR’s primary assessment of clauses 4.1 and 4.2 – has been amended to prompt auditors to inquire about, sample, and record in the audit report(s) details about the organization’s consideration of climate change. Auditors will not be questioning a client organization’s conclusion(s) – even if they ultimately determine climate change is not an issue that is relevant to their organization or their interested parties. Instead, auditors will confirm a systemic and effective approach was evidenced within the management system, to prove the organization’s consideration and support the organization’s determination. These expectations have been shared with auditors and technical package reviewers alike.
For more information on the climate change amendments, give PJR a call at (248) 358-3388 or email pjr@pjr.com for answers!