Revision of ISO 14001 - Environmental Management System

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is expected to publish the new version of ISO 14001 in April 2026 replacing the existing ISO 14001-2015 version. Drafting of the revised standard started in the fall of 2023 and it has now reached the final draft stage. The FDIS (Final Draft International Standard) was released 5 January for a eight weeks ballot and comment period among ISO’s national member bodies.

Draft revised ISO 14001

One main frame condition decided for the update has been to clarify existing requirements associated with key topics, but to limit the introduction of new requirements. Another aim has been to align text with latest contents of ISO’s Harmonized Structure for management system standards.

Main proposed changes include but are not limited to:

• Climate change amendments (Clause 4.1.and 4.2):
  The climate change amendment introduced in 2024 (ref. ISO 14001:2015/Amd1:2024) is now included in the standard. However, in addition to climate change, also other environmental perspectives are added for consideration, such as use of natural resources, pollution levels and biological diversity. These amendments maintains the  holistic environmental focus.
• Actions to address risks and opportunity (Clause 6.1):
  The text has been restructured with the aim to clarify existing requirements: Most of the text in 6.1.1 ‘General’ has been moved to a new clause 6.1.4 ‘Risks and opportunities’ and ‘Planning actions’ is updated and renumbered to 6.1.5.
• Environmental aspects (Clause 6.1.2):
  A new note is included to explain the concept of lifecycle perspective.
• Planning and managing of changes (New clause 6.3):
  New clause added to ensure a structured approach for the management of changes that are relevant to the EMS.
• Operational planning and control (Clause 8.1):
  The focus is extended from the control of “outsourced processes” to control of “externally provided processes, products and services”.
• Improvement (Clause 10):
  Consolidation of clauses and renumbering. The content is quite similar.
• The guidance in Annex A has been substantially revised and improved for various clauses to support interpretation of the requirements in clause 4-10.

In addition, there are several textual changes to align with the Harmonized Structure.
The overall changes are quite moderate and are less extensive than the changes for transitioning to the 2015-edition.

Transition rules and timelines

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) defines the requirements for the transition to ISO 14001:2026. These are expected to be available before the publication of the new ISO 14001:2026 standard. Based on a draft document it is likely that the transition period will be three years. This means that all certificates issued to the 2015-edition need to be transitioned to the new edition before May 2029 to remain valid.

Preparing for implementation

We recommend you start preparing for the transition as early as possible and plan properly to incorporate needed changes into your management system.

Recommended steps for the transition:

• Get to know the changes of the revised standard as soon as possible, bearing in mind that the transition time may be shorter than the usual three-year timeline.
• Ensure that relevant personnel in your organization are trained and understand the changes and clarifications.
• Identify gaps which need to be addressed to meet the new requirements and other clarifications and establish an implementation plan.
• Implement actions and update your management system to meet the new requirements.

How we can support

Once you start preparing to transition to the new version of ISO 14001, DNV can support your journey.
We will be able to support you with:

• Webinars to get an overview of the main changes and the transition process.
• Training where you learn more about the revisions and changes and how to tackle key areas to continually improve and build a high performing management system.
• Transition audit to move your certification in line with the new version of the standard.

We can support you every step of the way.