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FEATURE STORY

ISO Climate Change Revisions – Effective Feb. 2024

ISO released amendments to four standards (14001, 45001, 9001, and 50001) regarding climate change. In 4.1 you are now required to “determine whether climate change is a relevant issue” to your management system and in 4.2 there is a note added that states “relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change”. These amendments are effective immediately and certification bodies will want to see evidence at your next audit.

If you determine climate change is a relevant issue and if you determine your interested parties have requirements related to climate change, then you need to show how you have addressed this in your management system.

So what should you do? While it is not required to document your determination that climate change is a relevant issue, we recommend that you do so to have evidence to show your auditor. One option would be to note this determination in your next management review meeting. Another option (if you use Greeneye’s documents) would be to update your 4.1-F Risks and Opportunities Matrix and 4.2 Interested Party Analysis. Below are some helpful ideas on how climate change might relate to some of the common ISO standards in our industry. Contact the Greeneye Team for more information or support.

HERE ARE SOME IDEAS ON HOW CLIMATE CHANGE RELATES TO SOME COMMON ISO STANDARDS IN OUR INDUSTRY:

How does climate change relate to ISO 14001?

Increase of extreme weather events affecting environmental releases
Adoption of sustainable practices (reducing emissions)
Use of environmentally friendly products
Requirements for ESG reporting
Adopting sustainable procurement processes

How does climate change relate to ISO 45001?

Increase of extreme weather events (emergency events) affecting employee health and safety
Change of temperature that will affect employee health – working in hotter or colder conditions

How does climate change affect quality products and services (ISO 9001)?

Increase of extreme weather events affecting
supply chain disruptions
service disruptions
increased need for infrastructure/equipment repair and PMs
Customer requirements in design and manufacture of products (ex. emission levels)

How does climate change relate to ISO 50001?

Requirement to stop using fossil fuels as an energy source
Transitioning to renewable energy sources
Increase of extreme weather events affecting need for infrastructure/equipment repair and PMs
Tracking greenhouse gas emissions
Evaluating energy consumption patterns due to weather changes.

RESOURCES

Greeneye Partners keeps an ongoing Recall List and now we are making it available to you! Use the resource below to keep your Recall List up to date.

Greeneye Partners provides a summary of some of the electronic recalls reported to the CPSC. If you would like to sign up to receive all the recalls for all the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission CLICK HERE.

Greeneye Partner's Recall List

Stormwater No Exposure Exclusion

Electronics recyclers may have roll off scrap steel containers outside at their facility. It is important to review your states’ exclusion requirements. In most states to qualify for the No Exposure exclusion, 100% of the facility’s industrial activities and material must be indoors or in a storm-resistant shelter 100% of the time.

Coverings may be partial or total enclosures. Consider this covering that is on wheels and can be moved when loading material.

Temporary coverings, including tarps are usually allowed but require frequent inspections. If the cover fails and water gets into the roll-off the No Exposure exclusion will be lost and the facility risks violations from the state.

Updated Documents Available

In the spirit of continual improvement, Greeneye Partners has updated some of our documents. If you have contracted with us in the past for templates we provide these updates at no cost. Contact Katherine or your internal auditor for these updated documents:

Closure Plan
Closure Cost Estimate
EHS Aspects and Hazards List

TRAINING CENTER

THE GREENEYE

TRAINING CENTER:

e-Stewards v4.1 Internal Auditor Training

Check it out!

The Greeneye Training Center provides the industry’s best online training classes for facilities looking for educational and in-depth classes on R2, e-Stewards, RIOS, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and more. Each class provides a certificate of completion and resources to help you and your staff to sharpen their skills and knowledge.

R2 UPDATE

R2 TIP: USING ASSETS AS A FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT

Yes, we have covered this before, but we are still seeing some confusion in the field and want to make sure it is clear.

An asset alone is not a financial instrument. Wholly owned assets like operational equipment (e.g. forklifts, shredders, RF test equipment, balers, etc.), company vehicles, or real property may be used as collateral to establish a financial instrument such as a surety bond, letter of credit, or an assignment to name a few.

Core Requirement 9(e)(4) says, “Establish a financial instrument to provide the necessary funds for closure, including in the event of abandonment…” In the event of abandonment, creditors may seize assets. Assets that aren’t tied to a financial instrument might not be able to be used to provide the necessary funds for closure in that case. The way that the assets are tied to a financial instrument to be legally bound and effective against other creditors may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and that is why the financial instrument should be consistent with applicable law.

For example, a bank or insurer may create a surety bond using a company’s 2019 Hino 268 with a VIN of XXX and assign the deed/ownership to the surety bond for the purpose of funding closure of the facility at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, Refurbishing Heights, TX, USA through the sale of the truck.

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