ISO Climate Change Amendments
Are you currently ISO certified or considering certification? ISO’s new climate change amendments may affect you.
The International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) recently published the 2024 Climate Action Amendments to ISO Management System Standards. As a result, organisations certified in quality, safety, environmental, and information security management systems will need to incorporate climate change considerations into their management systems.
What Amendments?
ISO added the following sentences at the end of subclause 4.1 and subclause 4.2.
Clause 4.1
‘The organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.’
Clause 4.2
‘NOTE Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.’
To which Standards do these Amendments Apply?
ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
ISO 44001:2017 Collaborative Business Relationship Management Systems
The free published ISO amendment for each standard can be accessed via the links above.
Does This Mean I Must Address Climate Change Risk?
Not quite.
The Amendments do not require businesses to address or include climate change risks in their management systems. They merely have to ‘determine whether climate change is a relevant issue’.
Further, even if you decide that climate change is a relevant issue, the Amendments do not require that such determinations be documented – although good business practice suggests that you should.
Why is Climate Change an Important Consideration?
Risk Management
Business should address and mitigate physical risks from extreme weather events, regulatory risks from environmental reporting standards, and reputational risks from accusations of greenwashing. Failure to consider climate change risks could be financially and reputationally disastrous.
Regulatory Compliance
Businesses must comply with relevant emissions limits and environmental reporting requirements set out by the Government.
Reputation
Consumers and employees are increasingly concerned about businesses’ approach to sustainability. Considering the impacts of climate change can strengthen your brand image and attract top talent.
How do I Know if Climate Change is a ‘Relevant Issue’?
The key word is context.
Ask yourself, ‘How will climate change impact the environment in which my business operates?’
For example, if you are a company that supplies portable buildings, climate change will be a relevant issue – increased flooding may increase demand for temporary accommodation, and higher temperatures may increase demand for air-conditioning in the portables.
Climate change will be a relevant issue for a business that supplies ladders to firefighters, as more frequent bushfires will increase demand for firefighting services.
However, climate change is unlikely to be a relevant issue for medical locums and predominantly administrative work.
You may choose to introduce a tailored process to help determine whether climate change is relevant to your operations.
Do the Amendments Affect Me?
The Climate Action Amendments affects all organisations who are currently ISO certified as well as any certifications going forward.
If you are already certified, you do not need a new certificate and do not need to transition to a new version of the standard. However, you should ensure that the scope of your existing management system encompasses climate change considerations, if relevant.
Please reach out if you have any questions.