A simple change to the ISO standards regime seeks to reflect the risks that a warming planet presents to all organisations and to ensure that certified management systems actively consider the impact of climate change on their business context and on their interested parties.
Following a decision by the ISO general assembly to utilise its standards to accelerate the delivery of both the Paris Agreement (limiting global warming to 1.5°C) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the International Organisation for Standardisation and International Accreditation Forum have jointly agreed to capture climate change considerations within all ISO management system standards with immediate effect.
This means that an ISO auditor arriving at your site tomorrow will now expect to see how your business is taking account of the impact of climate change in any ISO certified management system your business currently operates including quality management (ISO 9001), occupational health and safety (ISO 45001), environmental management (ISO 14001), energy management (ISO 50001) and information security, cyber security and privacy protection (ISO 27001).
While any broad change to the ISO frameworks delivered without an implementation period is likely to raise eyebrows – and even heart rates – in some quarters, the reality is that most businesses will have already recognised the benefits of using management systems to support their path to net zero and address the pressing challenges posed by the climate crisis.
By updating the frameworks, the ISO general assembly will now ensure that all businesses – across the world, including both developed and emerging economies – are being audited to the same standards when it comes to climate and sustainability.
Now is the time to use your management system to provide a structured approach to climate change adaptation and ensure resilience in the face of this global environmental challenge.

If you are uncertain about what this ISO update means for your business and how to effectively implement these changes within your management system, Mayer stands ready to provide guidance, training, and support. The company’s gap analysis and internal audits can identify where your business may need to improve its systems and check that you are ready for your ISO auditor’s next visit.
While changes to an ISO framework may at first seem alarming, the relatively minor effect of this update will nonetheless enable thousands of businesses to contribute to the emerging green economy and the fight against climate change.
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