Climate change touches all spheres of business and society. It is crucial that businesses are aware of how their operations amplify this problem and incorporate measures to mitigate these impacts.
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) develops global standards for goods and services. ISO compliance assures consumers that a product or service meets the relevant quality and safety standards.
In February 2024, this body announced ISO standard updates and significantly amended numerous management system standards to highlight the impacts of climate change and the importance of controlling them within organisational structures. Shredall SDS Group is aware of these changes, and our existing policies and accreditations incorporate such and align with these amendments.
What are the latest ISO standard climate change updates?
The NQA, which ensures that UK businesses implement best practices in their management protocols, indicated that ISO introduced two core changes to its Clause 4 in its blog titled ‘ISO Standards Evolve To Incorporate Climate Change Considerations’.
They supplement clauses relating to 31 existing standards, which include ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 27001. By amending Clause 4.1 and 4.2, ISO emphasises the applicability of climate change to certain operations and stakeholder expectations.
Originally, Clause 4.1 stated: “Understanding the organisation and its context. The organisation shall determine external and internal issues that are relevant to its purpose and that affect its ability to achieve the intended result(s) of its XXX management system.”
The amendment clearly adds that an organisation must determine if climate change is relevant to its governance, operations and goals.
Clause 4.2 indicated that the relevant needs and expectations of interested parties must be determined and considered in a company’s management system. The addition or change indicates that “relevant interested parties” can have and voice “requirements related to climate change”.
These ISO standard updates do not alter the meaning or intention of the mentioned clauses, but ensure that climate change is a consideration in management systems. Should a company operate under multiple management systems, each segment must ensure that climate change is considered and represented within such protocols if needed.
How we’ve adapted to the new updates
Shredall SDS Group already has climate change relevance embedded in its management system and accreditations. Our NQA-certified climate change ISO accreditation standards include Quality Management (ISO 9001) and Environmental Management (ISO 14001).
Our ISO 14001 accreditation assures you, our customer, that we seek to continually improve our environmental best practices and are committed to prevent pollution. Shredall SDS Group minimises environmental impacts through a compliant and well-maintained fleet and recycling 100% of all shredded paper waste.
It also means that we are fully compliant with all relevant regulations and regulatory authorities and offer our customers duty-of-care documentation supported by management reporting and environmental data.
Additionally, Shredall SDS Group operates as an NQA-certified carbon neutral company, as evidenced by our PAS 2060 Carbon Neutral certification. This asserts that we are committed to sustainable and environmentally responsible business practices and underpins our dedication to protecting the planet for generations to come.
To date, Shredall SDS Group has offset a total equivalent of 1,240 tonnes of CO2 emissions, which equals 3,178,800 miles driven by a passenger vehicle. If your business is looking for a climate-conscious document management partner, we have the necessary accreditations and experience to back your company’s green drives.
