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ISO 14001ISO 14001:2026 changes

ISO 14001:2026: changes and transition

ISO 14001:2026 is the new version of the environmental management standard, published in April 2026 by the International Organization for Standardization . It replaces ISO 14001:2015 and incorporates the climate amendment from 2024. NEN  (Netherlands Standardisation Institute) published the Dutch version. The changes are limited, but your certificate must be replaced before 15 April 2029. On this page you read what changes and what you do now. See also the requirements of the standard.

Short answer: ISO 14001:2026 replaced the 2015 version in April 2026. The biggest changes are a new clause 6.3 (planning of changes) and a fixed place for climate change. You have three years to switch over, so until 15 April 2029.

What changes in ISO 14001:2026?

According to NEN  and certification bodies such as DNV , the revision was deliberately kept limited. Companies that already have ISO 14001:2015 do not need to set up a large project. The main adjustments:

ChangeWhat it means
Climate change in the contextYou include climate change in chapter 4 (context and interested parties)
New clause 6.3A fixed process for planning changes, as with ISO 9001 and ISO 45001
Revised order in 6.1A clearer link between environmental aspects, compliance and risks
More focus on life cycleAttention to the supply chain, procurement and biodiversity

The core of the standard stays the same. The PDCA cycle, your environmental aspects and your compliance obligations do not change fundamentally.

The climate amendment from 2024

In 2024 ISO added a climate amendment to all management system standards. It required organisations to consider climate change in their context (clauses 4.1 and 4.2). ISO 14001:2026 now includes this amendment fully in the standard. If you already worked according to the amendment, then you already meet this requirement.

The transition timeline to ISO 14001:2026

For ISO 14001:2026, NEN  sets a transition period ending no later than 15 April 2029. Agree the date of your transition audit with your certification body.

MomentWhat happens
April 2026ISO 14001:2026 published
2026 - 2029Transition period; your own expiry date and certification conditions still apply
15 April 2029ISO 14001:2015 certificates expire

Your own certificate may expire before the final transition date. So also check the validity of your certificate and the planning of your certification body.

What do you need to do now as a certificate holder?

Don’t panic, but don’t wait until 2029 either. A practical order:

  1. Read the differences, for example via NEN  or your certification body.
  2. Buy the new standard text and do a short gap analysis on the new points.
  3. Add climate change to your context analysis if you have not done so yet.
  4. Set up the process for clause 6.3 (planning of changes).
  5. Plan the switch as a transition audit during a regular surveillance or recertification audit.

You do not need a completely new certification. The transition runs through an audit that focuses on the changes between 2015 and 2026.

Next step

See how the audit works and how to schedule a transition audit, or read the frequently asked questions about the switch. Want to go deeper into the climate requirement? The page CO2 reduction and ISO 14001 explains how to draw up a reduction plan and how it relates to the CO2-Prestatieladder (CO2 Performance Ladder) and ISO 50001.

Sources

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