IAF and ISO Joint Decision on Climate Change
On 22 February 2024, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) issued a joint communiqué to support ISO’s climate action commitments by explicitly incorporating climate change considerations into management system standards.
As part of this amendment, climate change-related statements were added to Clauses 4.1 and 4.2 of management system standards, which address the context of the organization and the needs and expectations of interested parties. Organizations are therefore explicitly required to determine whether climate change is a relevant issue within the context of their management systems.
IAF / ISO Joint Communiqué
The implementation approach was explained by IAF and ISO in the “Joint ISO-IAF Communiqué on the addition of Climate Change considerations to Management Systems Standards”.
Management System Standards with Climate Change Amendments
The climate change amendments apply to numerous management system standards based on ISO’s harmonized structure. Therefore, consideration of climate change is not limited to environmental management systems.
- ISO 9001:2015/Amd 1:2024 – Quality Management System
- ISO 14001:2015/Amd 1:2024 – Environmental Management System
- ISO 45001:2018/Amd 1:2024 – Occupational Health and Safety Management System
- ISO 22000:2018/Amd 1:2024 – Food Safety Management System
- ISO 50001:2018/Amd 1:2024 – Energy Management System
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022/Amd 1:2024 – Information Security Management System
New Climate Change Provisions
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.
What Certified Organizations Should Consider
Certified organizations are expected to evaluate climate change within the context of their organization in accordance with the new provisions. The scope of this assessment may vary depending on the organization’s activities, sector, geographical conditions, interested parties and applicable management system standards.
Review the Organizational Context
Determine whether climate change is a relevant internal or external issue in relation to the organization’s activities and the intended results of its management system.
Analyze Risks and Opportunities
If climate change is determined to be a relevant issue, the associated risks and opportunities should be addressed through the organization’s existing risk assessment processes.
Review Interested Party Requirements
Assess whether customers, regulatory authorities, suppliers and other interested parties have requirements related to climate change.
Consider Each Management System Within Its Own Scope
Organizations operating multiple management systems should evaluate climate change in relation to the scope and intended results of each management system.
How Should Climate Change Be Assessed?
When assessing climate change, organizations may need to consider more than environmental impacts alone. Climate change can have different effects on operational continuity, supply chains, occupational health and safety, energy use, infrastructure, customer requirements and legal obligations.
| Assessment Area | Example Consideration |
|---|---|
| Physical Climate Risks | Impact of floods, droughts, extreme temperatures and severe weather events on operations |
| Supply Chain | Impact of climate events on the continuity of critical products, raw materials or services |
| Legal Requirements | Regulatory obligations associated with climate change, emissions and energy use |
| Customers and Interested Parties | Expectations relating to climate performance, sustainability and lower-carbon products or services |
| Operational Continuity | Potential impacts of climate-related events on facilities, infrastructure, personnel and business continuity |
Impact on Third-Party Audits and Certification
During management system certification audits conducted by KİOSCERT, it is assessed whether the organization has determined if climate change is a relevant issue. Where climate change has been identified as relevant, the audit evaluates how the organization has addressed the issue within the applicable processes of its management system.
The climate change amendment does not, by itself, constitute a revision requiring existing management system certificates to be replaced or reissued. The following points apply:
- Standard publication year: The primary publication year of the applicable management system standard has not changed.
- Certificate scope: The climate change amendment alone does not require a change to the existing certificate scope.
- New certificate: The amendment alone does not require an existing certificate to be reissued.
- Management system implementation: Climate change considerations can be integrated into the organization’s existing processes for context, interested parties, risks and opportunities.
KİOSCERT Management System Certification Processes
With the addition of climate change provisions to management system standards, maintaining an up-to-date understanding of organizational context and systematically evaluating the changing requirements of interested parties have become more explicit requirements.
KİOSCERT evaluates organizations’ conformity with applicable management system standard requirements through independent and impartial certification audits. Climate change provisions are also considered within the scope of Clauses 4.1 and 4.2 of the applicable management system standard.