Integration of new climate change requirements into ISO management system standards
Climate change is a huge challenge that requires wide engagement as it has a significant impact on the environment, society and economy. In view of such a significant impact, this topic is also becoming increasingly important for management systems.
To integrate climate change more effectively into business processes, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have adopted important supplementations to the management system standards. Since February 23rd, 2024, companies have been required to systematically integrate climate change into their management systems. Certification bodies are required to integrate the factor of climate change into their audits.
The extension to include climate change encompasses all ISO standards for Type A management systems, including:
The most important points are:
- Chapter 4.1
„The organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.”
As part of the context analysis, companies are now required to assess whether climate change is relevant to them. This means that they are required to actively assess whether and to what extent climate change affects their business environment and the potential impact it has on their activities. - Chapter 4.2:
“Note: Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.”
Companies are expected to take account of the requirements of stakeholders in terms of climate change. This means that they are required to understand and integrate their stakeholders’ concerns and expectations surrounding climate change into their decision-making processes. What this means for organizations:
ISO-certified organizations are required to include climate change in their analysis of the business context. If relevant, the influence of climate change must also be addressed in the management system.
Effects on certified management systems:
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) has confirmed that the changes do not constitute new requirements but a clarification of the existing ones. They promote a comprehensive understanding and management of climate risks, which include both physical risks (such as extreme weather events) and transitional risks (such as regulatory changes and financial cost factors).
Certificates shall remain valid, but the new requirements have to be implemented immediately and will be checked directly by the auditors. Failure to comply will result in the immediate identification of a non-conformance that will need to be addressed.
Relevance for various standards: It is now explicitly expected that climate change will be systematically included in the considerations, in order to be able to understand the impact on the company and its management system and vice-versa. The impact may vary depending on the standard, geographic location and type of organization.
What you need to consider as a certified company:
As a certification body, we will incorporate the new requirements into our audits and ensure that the certified organizations adequately consider all of the relevant topics, including climate change. If a certified organization is unable to demonstrate that it has adequately addressed all of the relevant issues, including climate change, we will make a decision in accordance with our usual practices.
Further information is provided in the IAF and ISO communiqué and on their websites.
What are the new requirements concerning ISO management system standards and how will they be integrated?
Companies are required to systematically take climate change into account in their ISO management systems and integrate all the relevant internal and external aspects into their management systems. This includes an assessment of whether climate change is relevant to the organization (implemented in Chapter 4.1) and the consideration of the requirements of relevant stakeholders regarding climate change (implemented in Chapter 4.2).
What does it mean when companies have to classify climate change as being “relevant”?
How should companies take the climate change requirements of their stakeholders into account?
How will the new requirements affect the existing certifications?
What should organizations with several management systems need to consider?
How will the changes affect the way in which audits are performed?
What should companies do to prepare for the new requirements?
Where can companies find more information on the new requirements?
With the publication of the new supplementations, the consideration of climate change in ISO management systems becomes compulsory so as to reflect the global importance of the issue. This innovation not only strengthens companies’ commitment to environmental responsibility, but also improves their resilience and competitiveness on the basis of a sustainable orientation.
Anette Dési – Head of the Sustainability Team at DEKRA Certification GmbH