Auditing Climate Change Issues in ISO 9001

ISO offers guidance for auditors on integrating climate change considerations into the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) audits. This guidance reflects the amendments introduced to over 30 of ISO's Management System Standards, including ISO 9001, as a result of the London Declaration, emphasizing the importance of addressing climate change within these frameworks.

The document begins by contextualizing the urgency and relevance of incorporating climate change into the ISO 9001 standards, highlighting the new amendments that require organizations to consider whether climate change is a relevant issue for their QMS. It emphasizes the unchanged overall intent of clauses 4.1 and 4.2 in ISO 9001, which involve understanding the organization and its context, including the needs and expectations of interested parties. The addition aims to ensure climate change is considered an external issue that could impact the management system's effectiveness.

Climate Change in the Context of ISO 9001 The guidance outlines the importance of organizations identifying relevant climate change issues that may affect their ability to meet customer and regulatory requirements, as well as enhance customer satisfaction. It suggests that the relevance of climate change issues will vary significantly across organizations, depending on factors like size, sector, geography, and the scope of their QMS.

Auditing Climate Change Issues The document presents a series of questions and considerations for auditors to assess whether an organization has determined climate change to be a relevant issue. These include evaluating the organization's alignment with statutory, regulatory, and contractual requirements concerning climate change. It covers various auditing considerations, such as changes in statutory or regulatory requirements, the use of renewable materials, impacts on the organization's products and services, and the vulnerability of the organization's supply chain to climate change.

Addressing Relevant Issues The guidance also outlines how auditors should evaluate the organization's approach to addressing identified climate change issues within their QMS. This includes assessing actions to address risks and opportunities, determining the scope of the QMS, resource implications, operations, and the organization's performance evaluation and improvement processes in the context of climate change.

Specific Concerns and Summary It highlights specific concerns for auditors, especially regarding claims related to climate change impacts made by organizations on their products and services. The document concludes by reiterating the importance of considering climate change issues in the context of the QMS and how auditors need to assess whether these issues are identified and addressed appropriately.

Bibliography and Further Readings The document ends with references for further reading, including the ISO/IAF Joint communiqué on adding climate change considerations to management system standards and various guidance documents to aid auditors and organizations in this process.

This comprehensive guidance underscores the critical role of climate change considerations in ISO 9001 audits, offering a structured approach for auditors to ensure organizations integrate these considerations effectively into their quality management systems.