There’s a growing need for businesses to adopt sustainable practices and reduce their carbon footprint. Achieving internationally recognised standards like ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 can help you meet expectations when it comes to integrating climate change into your management system.
Recent guidance changes
In 2023, ISO made changes to its Guide 83 Harmonised Structure for Management System Standards (MSS) by introducing new requirements related to climate change. Sections 4.1 and 4.2 state that organisations now need to determine if climate change is relevant and consider the needs of interested parties regarding this issue. These changes will be incorporated into all management system standards over time, including those unrelated to environmental or sustainability themes.
The new requirement has already been included in ISO 42001:2023 for Artificial Intelligence Management Systems and will be implemented as other standards are revised or published. Organisations currently using management system standards should start considering these new requirements. While some standards like ISO 14001 may already address climate change, others such as ISO 27001 or ISO 9001 may require explicit consideration.
However, organisations have the flexibility to decide if climate change is relevant to their operations. Our consultants can assist you in addressing these new requirements and ensure your management systems remain effective in achieving the outcomes you’re aiming for.
How ISO 9001 can help
ISO 9001 is the gold standard for quality management systems and provides a framework for organisations to enhance customer satisfaction and improve internal processes. Although ISO 9001 primarily focuses on quality management, integrating climate change considerations into this system is essential for forward-thinking organisations.
By incorporating climate change into the QMS, a business can:
- Enhance customer satisfaction. Consumers are increasingly eco-conscious and prefer to support environmentally responsible companies.
- Attract and retail customers. By showing a commitment to sustainability through ISO 9001, your organisation can attract and retain environmentally conscious customers.
- Identify areas for improvement. Implementing ISO 9001 can also help identify areas for improvement in resource usage, which can lead to cost savings and environmental benefits.
- Encourage innovation. ISO 9001 has a focus on continual improvement and enables you to create a culture of innovation, encouraging employees to develop sustainable practices and technologies.
ISO 14001 and sustainability
ISO 14001 helps you take a systematic approach to environmental management. It enables you to minimise your environmental impact and comply with regulations.
By integrating climate change into the EMS, your organisation can reduce its carbon footprint. ISO 14001 enables you to identify, monitor and control your greenhouse gas emissions, helping you reduce your carbon footprint and mitigate climate change impacts. The standard gives you a framework to help you improve your environmental performance and achieve sustainability objectives.
The benefits of ISO 45001
ISO 45001 is designed to help you improve occupational health and safety (OH&S) performance and create safer working environments. Although the standard may not be directly related to climate change, integrating ISO 45001 into your management efforts is crucial, given how climate change impacts worker health and safety.
By incorporating climate change into the OH&S management system, you can protect worker health. Climate change can worsen occupational health hazards, such as heat stress, air pollution and extreme weather events. By addressing climate change within ISO 45001, you can identify and mitigate these risks to protect worker health and safety. Climate change can disrupt operations and pose risks to worker safety. ISO 45001 provides a framework that helps you assess and manage risks effectively, enhancing resilience to climate-related hazards.
To incorporate climate change into ISO 45001, organisations should assess the potential impacts of climate change on worker health and safety, develop emergency response plans for climate-related events and provide training on climate change risks and mitigation measures.
Contact us
To find out more about how ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 can help you integrate climate change into your management systems, get in touch today. You can reach us by calling us on 01268 758000 or send a message to info@jrconsultants.co.uk.
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