It’s been 14 months since ISO introduced the climate change amendment across all major management system standards. By now, every ISO 9001 certified organization should have had at least one Management Review meeting, if not more.
So here’s a serious question: Have businesses actually addressed the climate change requirements properly, or just found a way around them?
What ISO Actually Asked Us to Do
The amendment updated two important clauses:
- Clause 4.1: Organizations must determine if “climate change is a relevant issue affecting their ability to achieve intended outcomes.“
- Clause 4.2: Organizations must consider “whether relevant interested parties have requirements related to climate change.“
At a glance, it looks simple. But when you dig a little deeper, it becomes clear, this isn’t just about ticking a box.
The Excuse That I Keep Hearing
A lot of businesses are saying things like:
“Climate change isn’t really affecting us right now, so we decided it’s not relevant.”
And on the surface, that sounds fair enough. But is that really answering what ISO is asking?
ISO doesn’t just want to know if climate change is bothering you today. It’s about understanding whether climate change could impact your business over time, through risks, new regulations, supply chain disruptions, or changing customer expectations.
It’s also about showing that you’ve thought about it properly – not just saying “not relevant” and moving on.
Let’s Talk About Interested Parties and Why Government and Society Matter
Another common excuse I hear:
“Our clients aren’t asking us about climate change, so we’re good for now.”
Honestly, that’s missing a huge point.
Under Clause 4.2, Interested Parties can include Governments, Society, Customers, Employees, Investors, and Local Communities, not just immediate clients.
And in the UK, the Government isn’t just casually mentioning climate change it has:
- A legally binding commitment to Net Zero by 2050
- Mandatory climate-related disclosure requirements for many sectors
- Climate policies that affect supply chains, energy use, procurement, and more
In short: climate change is already a major regulatory, societal, and market issue. Even if your current clients aren’t raising it yet, both the national strategy and broader societal expectations already make it a relevant issue for every business.
So saying “our clients aren’t asking for it” doesn’t cut it anymore. The real question is: Has your organization considered where your regulators, your communities, and your society at large are moving, not just what today’s customer contract says?
Some Questions Businesses Should Be Asking Themselves:
- Have we assessed if climate change could impact our operations, supply chains, or legal compliance?
- Have we looked beyond today, into what’s coming down the line in regulations?
- Have we at least documented why we think it’s relevant or why we think it’s not, with proper justification?
If not, honestly, you’re leaving your management system exposed to nonconformities in future audits.
Final Thought
Climate change might not be a burning issue for your company today. But ISO isn’t asking you to predict disasters – it’s asking you to think seriously about risks, responsibilities, and resilience. It’s part of good governance and risk management, plain and simple.
14 months on, it’s no longer about whether climate change feels urgent to you. It’s about whether you did your homework properly.
Originally published on LinkedIn by Gopikrishna S.
