If you are certified to a management system standard such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 22301, a new clarification to consider climate change has been issued.
What is the new Climate Change Requirement?
On the 23rd February 2024, ISO published an amendment to all management system standards via Guide 83 Harmonized structure for MSS with guidance for use.
The changes affect two clauses:
- Within 4.1 Understanding the organization and its context, the following requirement has been added:
“The organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.”
- Within 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties, the following note has been added:
“NOTE: Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.”
According to an IAF Communique:
“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 will the new requirement be audited?
As the “overall intent” of the clause remains unchanged, this amendment should be considered a clarification rather than a new requirement.
At your next audit, ATC Certification auditors will review your implementation of clauses 4.1 and 4.2 to ensure it meets the new clarified requirement.
An appropriate finding may be raised if the requirement cannot be evidenced.
Review & Update your Management System
You should now review and update your management system ahead of your next ATC Certification Audit.
Please note: as a certification company, we can not provide consultancy advice about how to comply with the requirements.
However, please contact us with any queries about the certification process.
