ISO approved an amendment that brings climate change into ISO 9001:2015 and other ISO management system standards. It was published in February 2024 and announced by ISO together with the IAF (International Accreditation Forum). For quality, it is designated ISO 9001:2015/Amd 1:2024.
What the amendment means
The change is in clause 4, Context of the organization:
- Assess whether climate change is relevant. Clause 4.1 (understanding the organization and its context) now states that the organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue within its context.
- Interested parties and climate change. Clause 4.2 (understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties) now includes a note: relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.
How it affects certified organizations
- There is no need for a new certification because of this amendment. Certification bodies check the topic during regular audits.
- The main point is that the organization determines whether climate change is relevant to its quality management system (QMS) and can show that it took it into account when reviewing external and internal issues.
- If climate change turns out to be relevant to the QMS, it is treated like any other external issue and considered when determining risks and opportunities (clause 6.1).
A clarification, not a new requirement
- Adding climate change is treated as a clarification, not as a new requirement.
- The intent of the requirements does not change: consider every relevant issue in order to achieve the intended results of the management system.
Not only ISO 9001
The amendment does not affect ISO 9001 alone: it covers more than 30 management system standards, such as ISO 14001, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 45001 and ISO 50001. If your organization has an integrated management system, you can address the topic in a single context analysis and see what it means for each standard.
What to review in your system
- The context analysis. Record whether climate change is relevant or not, and why. Either conclusion is valid; what is expected is that the analysis has been done.
- Interested parties. Check whether your customers, regulators or other interested parties have climate-related requirements.
- Risks and opportunities. If the topic is relevant, add it to the assessment. For example, extreme weather events that affect facilities, logistics or suppliers.
- Management review. Include the topic among the changes in external and internal issues that management reviews.