Notice on IAF and IAS Joint Communique on Adding Climate Change

On February 23，2024, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) issued a joint announcement on adding climate change considerations to management system standards.

The announcement pointed out that in support of the London Declaration on Climate Change of the International Organization for Standardization, the International Organization for Standardization will add two new text statements considering climate change to some existing management system standards, and will incorporate them into all new standards being developed/revised. These changes will be introduced as amendments to these published standards. The two new declarations will be incorporated into the new text of the harmonized structure (Appendix 2 to Annex SL in the ISO/IEC Directive Part 1 Consolidated ISO Supplement).

Change content

4.1 Understanding the organization and its environment

The organization shall identify various external and internal factors that are relevant to its purpose and strategic direction and affect its ability to achieve the expected results of the XXX management system.

Additional: Organizations should determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.

4.2 Understand the needs and expectations of relevant parties

Since relevant parties have an impact or potential impact on the ability of the organization to consistently provide products and services that meet customer requirements and applicable laws and regulations, the organization shall determine that:

A) Relevant parties related to xxx management system

b) Requirements of relevant parties in relation to xxx management system

The organization shall monitor and review the information of these interested parties and their related requirements

Additional: Note: Stakeholders can make requests related to climate change.

Significance of amendment

The significance of this amendment is to ensure that organizations consider climate change, among all other issues, when considering the effectiveness of the management system. These additional notes in each management system standard are designed to ensure that all organizations do not neglect this important topic when designing and implementing the management system.

The overall intent required by clauses 4.1 and 4.2 remains unchanged; These provisions already include all internal and external issues that organizations need to consider that may affect their management system effectiveness; The new addition will further ensure that climate change, an external factor that is important enough for our society to require organisations to consider it now, is taken into account in management system.