ISO 9001 and Climate Change

Recently the controlling bodies of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) Standard have signaled their intention to require ISO 9001 Certified organisations, companies and businesses to include Climate Change as a consideration within the organisational context analysis. Specifically at Clause 4.1 and 4.2. of the Standard organisations must consider all internal and external issues that can impact the effectiveness of their QMS as it relates to climate change.

What it means for you?  You are already considering your internal and external forces already as part of your strategy formulation, and if you are an Evahan client you are doing this via a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Matrix. So simply put you need to ensure that you identify internal strengths and weaknesses around Climate Change and formulate strategies and tactics to improve the strength or overcome the weaknesses. And you need to ensure that you identify external opportunities or threats around Climate Change and formulate strategies and tactics to capatlise on the opportunities or mitigate the threats.

Three Practical Steps:  Evahan has developed three practical steps to ensure that your system meets this new requirement. They are:

1. Include in your PESTEC (Political, Economic, Socioeconomic, Technology, Environment and Competitor) External Forces Analysis, any external factors related to Climate Change that are presenting opportunities or threats.
   1. P – Political/Government/Regulations – Are there any environmental and climate change related opportunities or threats as the result laws or regulations or government (local, state and federal) policies that you must comply with?
       
   2. E – Economic – Are there any economic forces like climate change or environmental subsidies, rebates, tax reduction opportunities to capitalise on? Are there any cost savings to be achieved using lower cot recycled inputs, the use of renewable power or financial gains through the sale of recycled waste?
       
   3. S – Socioeconomic – Are there any customer demand increases, or brand improvement opportunities related to a lower carbon footprint, recycling, biodiversity enhancement by promoting your company’s climate change and environmental credentials?
       
   4. T - Technology – Are there any technology threats or opportunities for your business because of environmental technologies, such as alternative fuel sources, alternative energy sources, reduced real estate footprint, new recycling technologies?
       
   5. E – Environment – Are there any system, methodology technology, joint venture, corporate donations opportunities you can make to simply improve the natural environment regardless of whether it is driven by P, E, S, T or C forces?
       
   6. C – Competitive – Are there any compactors gaining market share and improved brand recognition by being early adopters of climate change and environmental policy ways of conducting business, that you can replicate, improve upon so your company is not left behind?
       
2. Include in your FAB (functional Areas of Business) Internal Forces analysis, any company strengths that can be improved upon to enhance your positive contribution to climate change and the environment. And conversely any company weaknesses that must be overcome that your company increases its horsepower to execute upon positive environmental and climate change strategies and tactics. For example, if your business is a Tasmanian based manufacturer of HDPE stormwater pipe key strengths related to climate change could be:
    
   1. The use of recycled HDPE stormwater pipe from the manufacturing process that is shredded and used as a raw material in new stormwater pipe
   2. 100% renewable hydro electric energy generation powering the manufacturing facility
   3. Products that assist in the control of large-scale stormwater and reduce native forest and land degradation 
       
3. Document the Strengths, Weaknesses, Oppurtunites and Threats identified in steps 1 and 2 above to update your SWOT Matrix and develop a SWOT review schedule to update your SWOT, for your whole business, including the Environment and Climate Change, to at least twice per year and ad hoc revisions as required if a significant unforeseen threats or opportunity emerges outside of this 6-monthly review cycle.

When is this effective from? You will be assessed against this requirement at your next assessment whether it’s a surveillance or recertification. It is expected that you ensure that Climate Change has been considered and if determined to be a relevant issue by the organisation, that your QMS includes any objectives and mitigation activities.