Climate Compliance: Navigating ISO's Latest Mandates for Your Management System

In February 2024, ISO introduced an amendment addressing climate action changes, impacting not only ISO 9001 but also other prominent standards like ISO 27001 and ISO 14001.

To adhere to ISO's climate action commitments, 31 existing management systems standards underwent amendments to include considerations for climate change. Noteworthy standards affected include ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, ISO 22301, ISO 27001, ISO 45001, and ISO 50001. Clause 4.1, pertaining to the organization's context, will mandate an evaluation of whether climate change is pertinent to the organization's management system. Clause 4.2, concerning relevant interested parties and their needs, emphasizes that these stakeholders may have requirements regarding climate change.

The question arises: What correlation exists between climate change and seemingly unrelated standards such as information security management and quality management? 

Though one may be inclined to dismiss the former requirement as irrelevant, climate-related weather events can pose significant risks to supply chains and, consequently, disrupt operational continuity.

Discover why the new requirements, influenced by the London Declaration and UN climate goals, are significant yet do not mandate carbon neutrality. 

The presenter advises against costly actions aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and will elaborate on two key reasons: (1) the inevitability of climate change as a natural phenomenon beyond human control, and (2) the contradiction between urgency claims and extravagant behaviors of certain climate advocates.   

Gain insights into the profit-driven motives of carbon credit sellers and the potential cost-effectiveness of sponsoring trees through the US Forest Service compared to direct air capture (DAC) plants. Understand that while climate change is undeniably important due to its tangible impact on supply chains, organizations with existing risk mitigation processes may already meet the requirements. Furthermore, learn how efforts to reduce energy waste not only mitigate carbon emissions but also lead to lower prices, higher wages, and increased profits concurrently.

• Understand the new requirements in ISO 9001 and other ISO standards related to climate change and the context of the organization.
• Learn strategies to push back against cost-ineffective agendas related to Net Zero and carbon neutrality.
• Discover how actions to eliminate energy waste can lead to lower prices, higher profits, higher wages, and reduced carbon emissions.
• Understand how force majeure relates to climate change and how organizations can address and mitigate climate-related risks.

• Discover upcoming requirements in ISO 9001 and other standards, focusing on clause 4.1, regarding the organization's context and its relevance to climate change.
• Explore the inclusion in clause 4.2, highlighting how relevant stakeholders may have climate-related requirements.
• Gain perspective on climate change urgency, empowering resistance against costly Net Zero and carbon neutrality agendas that lack supply chain value.
  •- Understand that the importance of climate change lies in its reality and its capacity to influence weather events, potentially disrupting operational continuity.
  •- Learn why urgency regarding climate change may not be warranted, considering the limited control humans have over it. Discover how proponents of urgency often fail to align their actions with their rhetoric, leading to potentially ineffective expenditures.
  •- Explore the profit-driven motivations behind sellers of carbon offsets and credits, and their minimal contribution to the supply chain. Compare the cost-effectiveness of direct air capture (DAC) technology with alternative solutions such as sponsoring trees through the US Forest Service, which lacks a profit motive.
• Explore how the elimination of energy waste from the supply chain leads to reductions in carbon emissions and energy costs, facilitating lower prices, higher profits, and increased wages simultaneously. Discover the utility of the ISO 50001:2018 standard for energy management systems in achieving these goals.
  •- Understand the concept of energy waste personified in the German Second World War game "Hunt for the Coal Thief." This interactive game depicts energy waste as a shadowy figure known as the Coal Thief, drawing inspiration from folklore characters like the Sack Man and the bogeyman. 
  •- Learn how the game highlights the prevalence of energy waste in both factories and homes and aims to eliminate it to prevent the Coal Thief from stealing coal or other energy sources. 
  •- Explore how this game proves to be more effective than Allied posters that focus on singular sources of waste, such as driving alone or leaving unnecessary lights on.
• Gain insight into how climate-driven weather events serve as sources of force majeure, capable of significantly impacting supply chains and operational continuity. Understand the importance of having established processes within your organization to identify and mitigate these risks. Learn how this process can be utilized to fulfill the requirement of clause 4.1, determining whether climate change is relevant to the organization.
  •- Explore real-life examples, such as the susceptibility of automotive suppliers near the Susquehanna River in Northeast Pennsylvania to flooding events like Hurricane Agnes in 1973. Understand the necessity for protective measures, such as levees, to safeguard against shutdowns that can idle auto plants.
  •- Discover how historical figures like Henry Ford implemented contingency plans to address potential disruptions caused by weather events, such as rerouting rail shipments in the event of a rail bridge outage due to a flood or other unforeseen circumstances.