What is the ISO 9001 Climate Change Amendment?
So we the consultants are getting a lot of queries since this ISO 9001 climate change amendment has been issued on the end days of February 2024. It is the first ever amendment on this addition since the standard was issued in 2015. Basically it is not amendment but only two sentences are added in the existing standard.
The amendment can be downloaded for free from the iso.org website the link we will add in the end of this article. But since they are only two lines and I have already downloaded it I am writing below:
What are the actual wording mentioned in the amendment pdf?
//start//
4.1
Add the following sentence at the end of the subclause:
The organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.
4.2
Add the following note at the end of the subclause:
NOTE Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.
//end//
In the clause 4.1 where it has been already mentioned that as an organization we have to determine issues, as the standard words “organization shall determine external and internal issues that are relevant to its purpose and its strategic direction and that affect its ability to achieve the intended result(s) of its quality management system. The organization shall monitor and review information about these external and internal issues.”
How will the clause look now?
The new clause after adding this amendment will be as follows:
4.1 Understanding the organization and its context
The organization shall determine external and internal issues that are relevant to its purpose and its strategic direction and that affect its ability to achieve the intended result(s) of its quality management system.
The organization shall monitor and review information about these external and internal issues.
The organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.
And,
4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties
Due to their effect or potential effect on the organization’s ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, the organization shall determine:
a) the interested parties that are relevant to the quality management system;
b) the requirements of these interested parties that are relevant to the quality management system.
The organization shall monitor and review information about these interested parties and their relevant requirements.
NOTE Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.
In summary, this clause is added to increase the focus on the “climate change” aspect. While determining the external and internal issues organization must also focus on climate change issues that it organization can have. And while determining the needs and expectations of interested parties the interested parties can also defined their climate change requirements, needs and expectations.
Moreover, according to 4.2 now the clients can have their requirements related to climate change in addition to their existing requirements.
How to implement it in your system?
Now that we have understood what is the amendment is about we have to take two actions which I have mentioned below:
Action No. 01: Review the external and internal issues list and see it with new perspective of climate change
If you have climate change issues already addressed in them then no need for any addition.
If you don’t have any climate change issues, then check your organizational issues with a new eyes and see if they need to be added or not.
Similarly,
Review the “needs and expectations” document and inquire the customers about if they have any requirements related to climate change or not. If climate change related requirements are already part of the needs and expectation and customer requirement then no need to revise. But if there isn’t any then you have to check if it is must be added or not.
Hope it clarifies. If not you can always feel free to reply.
From where you can download the ISO 9001 climate change amendment pdf?
The amendment can be downloaded from this link. It is free to download so you can download. But it requires your credit or debit card number.
If you are not aware of the standard and still a beginner, I suggest you to start from here 🙂
Ciao!