We have a structured process to ensure auditors are prepared for the transition. From our perspective, all Environmental Management Systems (EMS) auditors are required to complete a comprehensive transition training course covering the changes in the revised ISO 14001 standard. Auditors must successfully complete this training and demonstrate their competency before conducting transition audits.
ISO management system standards are evolving, with upcoming changes expected to impact quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems. For certified organizations, early preparation will be important to maintain compliance, reduce transition risk and support long-term business resilience.
Join us for a practical webinar exploring anticipated updates to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, including key considerations around governance, risk, climate-related requirements, environmental performance, worker wellbeing and certification readiness.
Whether your organization is already certified or planning future certification, this session will help you understand what the changes may mean for your management system and identify practical next steps to prepare with confidence.
Agenda
- Opening and transition context
- ISO 9001: what quality teams need to know
- ISO 14001: what environmental management teams need to know
- ISO 45001: what safety and people teams need to know
- How SGS can support your transition
- Live Q&A
Target audience
This webinar is designed for organizations certified to, or working with, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 management systems.
- Quality Managers, Operations Managers, Directors and Risk Managers
- Environmental, Sustainability and Compliance Managers
- WHS, OHS, HSE and HR professionals
- Integrated management system owners and internal audit teams
- Organizations preparing for future certification transition requirements
Watch the webinar on demand or scroll down for key takeaways and Q&A with our speakers.
Key takeaways
- Start Now Standard: Treat ISO 14001:2026 as the “start now” standard—published 15 Apr 2026 with transition ending 30 Apr 2029—so run a gap analysis early and bundle changes into your next surveillance/recert audit to save time and money.
- Context Conditions Explicit: Update your EMS context to explicitly cover five environmental conditions (climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem health, pollution levels, natural resources), because “we forgot to mention it” is now an auditable finding.
- Change Management Bolted: Build a real change-management process for ISO 14001 clause 6.3 (identify triggers, assess impacts, approve, record and control changes), and if you already have one in quality/safety, don’t reinvent the wheel—just bolt on the environmental bits.
- Supply Chain Footprint: Strengthen life-cycle thinking and supply-chain controls by embedding upstream/downstream impacts into your aspects register and adding environmental criteria/KPIs for suppliers, contractors and subcontractors (because your footprint doesn’t stop at your front gate).
- Upcoming ISO Overhaul: Prepare for ISO 9001:2026 (expected 16 Sep 2026; transition to Sep 2029) by getting leadership to promote quality culture and ethical behavior, separating and evaluating risks vs opportunities and baking climate change into context—while keeping an eye on ISO 45001:2027 likely adding change management, psychosocial risks and new work models.
Q&A with the speakers
No, there are currently no changes to ISO 19011. However, auditors are required to continually update and demonstrate their knowledge of any revisions to management system standards before conducting audits against those standards.
Quality culture can certainly be incorporated into an organization's overall culture. While quality culture is often discussed as a distinct concept, it should ultimately form part of the broader organizational culture. From an auditor's perspective, the focus is on identifying evidence that the organization actively promotes and supports a culture of quality throughout its operations.
Yes. At present, the transition training courses are being delivered separately for each standard. ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 each have their own transition course. It is expected that once the ISO 45001 revision is finalized, an integrated transition training approach may also be offered. Currently, however, the courses remain individual programs.
Until October 2027, certification bodies can continue to issue certifications against ISO 14001:2015. This means that a new client can still be certified to the 2015 version during the transition period. After October 2027, all certifications will need to be issued against the revised version of the standard.
This can be done once the revised ISO 9001 standard is published, which is expected in September 2026. From that point, organizations will be able to transition both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 together and complete the upgrades during a single audit process.
Yes, we do provide lead auditor training. Currently, the focus is on transition training. Dedicated lead auditor courses for the revised ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards will be released following publication of the new standards. Once ISO 45001 is also updated, integrated lead auditor training covering multiple standards may become available.
Organizations that are already certified to ISO 14001:2015 will remain certified during the transition period and can continue to be audited against the 2015 version until the transition deadline. After October 2027, organizations will need to transition to the revised standard to maintain certification. The existing certificate remains valid throughout the transition period, so organizations should not be concerned about losing certification, provided they complete the transition within the required timeframe.
About SGS
SGS is the world’s leading Testing, Inspection and Certification company. We operate a network of over 2,500 laboratories and business facilities across 115 countries, supported by a team of over 100,000 dedicated professionals. With more than 145 years of service excellence, we combine the precision and accuracy that define Swiss companies to help organizations achieve the highest standards of quality, compliance and sustainability.
Our brand promise – when you need to be sure – underscores our commitment to trust, integrity and reliability, enabling businesses to thrive with confidence. We proudly deliver our expert services through the SGS name and a portfolio of trusted specialized brands, including Applied Technical Services, Brightsight, Bluesign and Nutrasource.
SGS is publicly traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the ticker symbol SGSN (ISIN CH1256740924, Reuters SGSN.S, Bloomberg SGSN SW).
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