> ISO 9001:2026 climate change in 4.1 and the new decision in 4.2: what changes for context and interested parties, and which evidence auditors expect.

Source: [https://docxpert.io/en/guides/iso-9001-2026/context-and-climate-change](https://docxpert.io/en/guides/iso-9001-2026/context-and-climate-change)

# ISO 9001:2026 climate change and context (4.1, 4.2) | docxpert

## What changes in 4.1 and 4.2

Our own summary; the licensed text of the standard prevails.
| Clause | 2015 edition | 2026 edition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 4.1 Organization and its context | Determine external and internal issues relevant to purpose and strategic direction. | Also explicitly determine whether climate change is a relevant issue. Introduced by Amendment 1:2024, now part of the main text. |
| 4.2 Interested parties | Determine and monitor relevant interested parties and their relevant requirements. | New: determine which of these requirements will be addressed through the QMS. Climate-related requirements are mentioned in a note. |

If you already implemented the 2024 amendment, you are largely done with 4.1. The second step in 4.2 is new for everyone. A list of parties and their requirements used to be enough. Now it must be clear which of them actually feed into processes, objectives or rules of the QMS and which deliberately do not.

## What “relevant” means for climate change

The standard does not require a carbon footprint or emission targets. The question is whether climate change affects your ability to deliver conforming products and services or to achieve customer satisfaction. The answer can be “no” if it is properly justified.

-   **Supply chains:** heat, heavy rain or low water levels can hit transport and sub-suppliers.
-   **Products and services:** temperature-sensitive goods, field work or cold chains are directly affected.
-   **Customer requirements:** large customers increasingly ask for emission data, climate targets or contingency plans.
-   **Infrastructure:** buildings, data centres and production plants are exposed to extreme weather.
-   **Regulation:** customers' reporting duties reach small companies through supplier questionnaires.

Reasoning, not a stock phrase

A sentence like “climate change is not relevant to us” rarely convinces an auditor. A short justification per area works better, for example: “Our service is delivered remotely; data centre outage risks are covered in the contingency plan.”

## Implementation in five steps

1.  1
    
    Extend the context analysis
    
    Add climate change as a separate item to your analysis of internal and external issues, for example in the SWOT or PESTEL. See [context of the organization](https://docxpert.io/en/glossary/context-of-the-organization) in the glossary.
    
2.  2
    
    Assess relevance
    
    Review supply chain, products, infrastructure and customer requirements. Record the result and the reasoning.
    
3.  3
    
    Update parties and requirements
    
    Add climate-related requirements, such as customer questionnaires, to your list of [interested parties](https://docxpert.io/en/glossary/interested-parties).
    
4.  4
    
    Decide how they are addressed
    
    Decide for each requirement whether it is addressed through the QMS. If so, name the process, objective or document. If not, briefly record why or where it is handled instead.
    
5.  5
    
    Review and monitor
    
    Review the decisions regularly, at least in management review. In the 2026 edition, changes in the expectations of interested parties are an input there anyway.
    

## Evidence auditors expect

The standard does not prescribe specific documented information for 4.1 and 4.2. In practice, auditors still expect traceable results. These have proven useful:

-   a current context analysis with date, owners and the climate change item,
-   a register of interested parties with their requirements and a column “addressed through the QMS: yes/no, where?”,
-   the link to risks and opportunities under 6.1 where context issues lead to risks,
-   management review minutes showing that changes were discussed.

## Common mistakes

-   Ticking climate change off as irrelevant without looking at supply chain and customers.
-   Keeping a long list of parties that does not show what follows from it.
-   Adopting climate targets into the QMS that nobody follows. The standard does not require environmental objectives; if you set them, they must be pursued.
-   Creating the analysis once and never touching it again.

## Implementation in docxpert

The “Context and interested parties” template in the [template library](https://docxpert.io/en/features/template-library) has a dedicated section for the 2026 edition: relevance of climate change, the requirements determined and the decision on which of them are addressed through the QMS. You adapt the template, have it reviewed and approve it like any other document.

In the transition area this is the “context” step. There you link the approved analysis, assign owners and due dates and see in the comparison which existing documents are already linked to 4.1 and 4.2. The [transition check](https://docxpert.io/en/tools/iso-9001-2026-transition-check) shows where you stand overall.

## Frequently asked questions

Do I need a carbon footprint because of ISO 9001:2026?

No. Clause 4.1 requires a decision on whether climate change is a relevant issue for your QMS. ISO 9001 does not require a carbon footprint or emission targets.

Can climate change be irrelevant for my company?

Yes, if the decision is justified. Review at least supply chain, products, infrastructure and customer requirements and record the result.

What is really new in 4.2?

You determine which of the relevant requirements of interested parties are addressed through the QMS. A plain list of parties is no longer enough.

Does this already apply to my ISO 9001:2015 audit?

The climate change item already applies to 2015 certifications through Amendment 1:2024. The new decision in 4.2 belongs to the 2026 edition and is assessed in the transition audit.

## Read next

[ISO 9001:2026 transition checkRate the 17 changes, see your priorities and get the result as PDF – no sign-up.Learn more](https://docxpert.io/en/tools/iso-9001-2026-transition-check) [ISO 9001:2026 transitionClause-by-clause changes, transition dates to 2029 and a transition plan.Learn more](https://docxpert.io/en/guides/iso-9001-2026-transition) [Context of the organizationDetermine, assess and keep internal and external issues up to date.Learn more](https://docxpert.io/en/glossary/context-of-the-organization) [Interested partiesWho counts, which requirements are relevant and how to address them.Learn more](https://docxpert.io/en/glossary/interested-parties) [Risks and opportunities apart6.1.1 to 6.1.3 and 9.1.3: evaluate opportunities on their own and evidence effectiveness.Learn more](https://docxpert.io/en/guides/iso-9001-2026/risks-and-opportunities)

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## ISO 9001:2026 transition check

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