← Back to Insights

ISO Climate Change Amendment Released

Published: February 2024

ISO has released a new amendment requiring all management system standards to include climate change considerations as part of their risk evaluation and context analysis. This update applies to all Annex SL-based standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 27001, ISO 22000, and others.

What Is the Climate Change Amendment?

The amendment introduces a mandatory requirement for organizations to evaluate how climate change may impact their management system. This does not add new clauses but modifies existing ones:

Clause 4.1 – Understanding the organization and its context
Organizations must consider climate change as an external factor that may affect operations.
Clause 4.2 – Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties
Stakeholders may have climate-related expectations that must be identified and addressed.

Who Is Affected?

This amendment applies to all organizations certified to ISO management system standards, including:

ISO 9001 – Quality Management
ISO 14001 – Environmental Management
ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety
ISO 27001 – Information Security
ISO 22000 – Food Safety
ISO 50001 – Energy Management
Any standard based on Annex SL structure

What Does This Mean for Organizations?

Organizations must now demonstrate that they have considered climate-related risks and opportunities within their management system. This may include:

Assessing climate-related risks (floods, heatwaves, supply chain disruptions)
Evaluating long-term environmental impacts
Updating risk registers and context analysis
Engaging stakeholders on climate expectations
Integrating climate considerations into planning and decision-making

Impact on Certification & Audits

Certification bodies will begin verifying compliance with this amendment during audits. Organizations should ensure that climate change is reflected in:

Context of the organization (Clause 4.1)
Interested parties (Clause 4.2)
Risk and opportunity planning (Clause 6.1)
Business continuity and resilience planning

Do Organizations Need to Re-Certify?

No separate re-certification is required. The amendment is automatically included in all applicable standards. Organizations simply need to update their documentation and demonstrate compliance during the next audit cycle.

Conclusion

The Climate Change Amendment strengthens the global commitment to sustainability and resilience. Organizations are encouraged to proactively integrate climate considerations into their management systems to ensure long-term stability and compliance.