ISO’s New Climate Requirements: What They Mean for Today’s Technology-Driven Organisations

ISO has recently introduced important updates to its mandatory management system clauses, reflecting the growing impact of climate change on modern operations. As organisations increase their reliance on digital technologies—including AI, cloud services, and data-centre infrastructure—energy use, resource consumption, and environmental expectations are rising sharply. These new amendments ensure climate change is formally recognised as a strategic factor affecting performance, resilience, and sustainability.

Why ISO Updated the Climate Clauses

Across sectors, organisations are experiencing new pressures driven by technology growth:

• Higher energy consumption from data processing, digital services, and AI workloads

• Increased cooling and infrastructure demand, placing pressure on local grids and water resources

• Greater carbon emissions, particularly where electricity sources remain carbon-intensive

• Rising use of precious and critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earth metals) used in modern electronics, servers, and advanced chips

These impacts extend beyond technology teams—they affect risk management, procurement, stakeholder expectations, operational continuity, and long-term sustainability.

Which ISO Clauses Changed?

ISO amended two foundational requirements that apply across all management system standards:

Clause 4.1 — Understanding the Organisation and Its Context

Organisations must now explicitly determine whether climate change is a relevant issue to their operations and management system.

Clause 4.2 — Needs and Expectations of Interested Parties

Organisations must identify stakeholders that have climate-related requirements or expectations, including regulators, customers, investors, supply-chain partners, and local communities.

These updates flow into Clause 4.3 (scope) and Clause 6.1.1 (risks and opportunities), meaning climate considerations must be integrated into planning, decision-making, and operational controls.

How Climate Change Connects to Technology Use

Technology growth amplifies climate-related impacts in areas such as:

1. Energy and Emissions

Digital platforms, cloud workloads, and AI processes demand increasing amounts of electricity, contributing to higher operational emissions when powered by non-renewable sources.

2. Cooling and Resource Requirements

Data-centre infrastructure—used by nearly all organisations either directly or through cloud services—requires significant cooling, electricity, and sometimes water.

3. Critical Minerals and Hardware Manufacturing

Modern servers, networking equipment, and advanced processing chips rely on precious and critical minerals. Their extraction and processing carry environmental and social impacts that organisations must consider through responsible procurement.

4. Supply-Chain Expectations

Stakeholders now expect organisations to understand and manage environmental impacts not only within their operations but across their entire digital and technology supply chain.

What Organisations Should Do Next

To align with the updated ISO requirements, organisations should:

• Assess how climate change affects operations, infrastructure, technology use, and supply chains

• Evaluate suppliers and service providers (including cloud and hardware vendors) for environmental performance

• Monitor energy use and emissions associated with digital operations

• Consider climate-related expectations from stakeholders

• Set objectives and improvement actions that reflect climate risks and opportunities

A More Sustainable and Resilient Future

ISO’s climate amendments signal a clear shift: all organisations must recognise the environmental impacts of their technologies, supply chains, and strategic decisions. By integrating climate considerations into their management systems, organisations strengthen resilience, reduce risk, and demonstrate responsible leadership in a rapidly evolving sustainability landscape.