### Climate Change as a Strategic Factor in Management Systems

In recent years, climate change has emerged as one of the major global challenges, influencing not only the environment but also the strategies and operations of organizations. Aware of this reality, significant international bodies have emphasized the importance of integrating climate change into management systems. This approach not only promotes ecological awareness but also encourages proactive responses from organizations regarding the risks and opportunities arising from this phenomenon.

#### The Importance of Climate Change in Management Standards

Recently, changes have been made to Management System standards to consider climate change as a key element for the organizational context. This integration represents a fundamental strategy to ensure that organizations not only comply with regulations but also actively engage in mitigating the effects of climate change.

According to a joint communication from international organizations, it is essential that certified organizations take into account all internal and external issues that could affect the effectiveness of their management systems. In particular, climate change must be included as one of the main factors in the planning and implementation of business strategies.

#### Role of Certified Organizations

For certified organizations, the new regulations require careful assessment of climate change-related aspects during the development, maintenance, and effectiveness of their management systems. This not only implies a simplistic compliance with environmental regulations but requires thorough consideration of the collateral risks that climate change may entail.

For instance, if an organization manages multiple management systems, such as those related to Quality and Health and Safety, it will be essential to ensure that climate change is evaluated in an integrated and consistent manner across each system. This will allow for a holistic view that can strengthen the organization’s resilience in the face of evolving climate scenarios.

#### Impact on Certification Bodies

Certification Bodies are also required to adapt to these new directives. They must ensure that climate change is considered in the management system and integrated into all the organization’s objectives and mitigation activities. If an organization does not recognize climate change as a relevant issue, the Certification Body will need to implement an organizational process capable of monitoring and evaluating this determination as part of its verification work.

For this reason, it will be crucial for these bodies to be equipped to manage such complexity. It will be their responsibility to ensure that certified organizations are capable of justifying their approach to climate change and are taking concrete actions in this regard.

#### Activities of Accreditation Bodies

In parallel, Accreditation Bodies will need to set their activities to ensure that certifications are consistent with the required changes. This means they will need to verify that certified organizations take climate change-related aspects into account within their management systems. It will be necessary to develop specific guidelines and performance measures that demonstrate how climate change impacts the operations of various organizations.

#### Future Audits and Verifications

Looking to the future, certification bodies will need to include climate change-related topics in their audits and verifications. This will present a significant challenge for certified organizations, which will have to demonstrate that they have considered all external and internal aspects related to climate change. Otherwise, they will face appropriate reporting that could affect their certification.

It is important to note that changes to management standards will not require the issuance…