ISO has recently introduced an important amendment across many of its existing and new management system standards, mandating organizations to evaluate the relevance of climate change risks in their contextual analysis. This update requires businesses to consider climate change when analyzing their organizational context and the needs of interested parties.
Climate Change and ISO’s Commitment to Sustainability
This change follows the ISO London Declaration, which highlights ISO’s commitment to combat climate change and contribute to global climate goals. While climate change risks may not have been top of mind for some organizations, ISO’s goal is not to enforce a forced connection but to ensure that all organizations consider climate change in their analysis and, if deemed relevant, integrate it into their management systems.
Why Is This Change Important?
Understanding an organization’s context and the needs of interested parties is already a mandatory requirement outlined in Chapter 4 of the ISO standard’s Harmonized Structure. The key change here is that climate change must now be part of that contextual analysis.
This means organizations will need to assess whether climate change is relevant to their operations and whether their stakeholders have any requirements related to climate change. If found relevant, organizations must then consider it in the development and implementation of their management system.
Which ISO Standards Are Affected?
The climate change amendment applies to all Type A ISO management system standards (those that specify requirements for certification). This includes key standards such as:
- ISO 14001 (Environmental Management)
- ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety)
- ISO 9001 (Quality Management)
- ISO 50001 (Energy Management)
- ISO 22000 (Food Safety Management)
- ISO 37001 (Anti-bribery Management)
- ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management)
For a full list of applicable standards, refer to the joint communiqué from IAF and ISO.
The relevance of climate change will vary across these standards depending on the industry, sector, and nature of an organization’s products and services.
What Does This Amendment Require?
The change affects Chapter 4 of the Harmonized Structure (Appendix 2 of Annex SL in ISO/IEC Directives Part 1). The key requirements are:
- 4.1 Understanding the organization and its context: The organization must determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.
- 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties: Relevant interested parties may have climate-related requirements that must be addressed.
In essence, organizations must assess the relevance of climate change risks and, if deemed important, factor this into their management system. If your organization is already certified to an ISO standard, you are likely already conducting a contextual analysis. The only change is that climate change must now always be part of that analysis.
Why Should Organizations Care About Climate Change?
he effects of greenhouse gases, global warming, and climate change have been clear for over 30 years. They have involved governments, businesses, and society alike. The negative impact of emissions is undeniable, and now, more than ever, organizations must take responsibility. By addressing climate change within your management system, your organization will be better equipped to navigate and mitigate climate-related risks.
Many businesses have already taken steps to evaluate how climate change impacts their operations. For those who have yet to consider it, this is an opportunity to proactively assess and address climate risks within your management system.
Conclusion
ISO’s new amendment on climate change is an important step forward in integrating sustainability into management systems. Whether you’re just starting to assess climate risks or you’ve already begun, ensuring your management system addresses climate change is crucial to meeting global sustainability standards.
