Revised ISO 14001 standard approaching publication

The revised environmental management system standard ISO 14001:2026 has now reached the final stage of the revision process. The Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) has been released for the final round of comments and ballot among ISO’s national member bodies. Publication of the revised edition is expected in April 2026.

ISO 14001 is one of the world’s most widely used environmental management standards and supports hundreds of thousands of organisations globally in managing environmental responsibilities and improving environmental performance. Regular review is essential to ensure the continued relevance of international standards.

“It is key that standards such as ISO 14001 are reviewed and revised regularly with involvement of subject matter experts,” says Tor Gunnar Tollefsen, Global Service Manager for Management Systems in DNV.

“This allows the standard to be improved based on user experience and ensures that it remains fit for purpose in addressing evolving environmental challenges and sustainability trends. ISO 14001 has proven its value in supporting systematic environmental management and enhanced environmental performance. We therefore look forward to publication of the new edition,” he adds.

Moderate changes in the revised standard

A key premise for the revision has been to clarify existing requirements while limiting the introduction of new ones. At the same time, the standard has been aligned with the latest version of ISO’s Harmonized Structure for management system standards.

Overall, the extent of the changes is considered moderate and is not expected to require substantial implementation efforts for organisations already certified to ISO 14001:2015.

Key changes in ISO 14001:2026

Among the main changes in ISO 14001:2026 are:

• A strengthened focus on a broader range of environmental conditions in addition to climate change for the analysis of the organisational context, such as pollution levels, biodiversity and availability of natural resources
• Restructured and clarified requirements related to risk and opportunity processes
• New clause and requirements for the planning of changes
• Strengthened emphasis on life cycle perspective in the environmental aspect process
• For operational controls, the focus is extended from “outsourced processes” to “externally provided processes, products and services”

In addition, the guidance section has been substantially extended and improved for various clauses to support interpretation of the various requirements.

Transition period expected to be three years

ISO is planning to publish the revised standard in April 2026, replacing ISO 14001:2015. The FDIS was released on 5 January 2026 for an eight-week ballot and comment period.

Based on a draft mandatory document from the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), the transition period for ISO 14001:2026 is expected to be three years. If confirmed, this means that all certificates issued to ISO 14001:2015 will need to be transitioned to the new edition before May 2029 to remain valid.

Early preparation recommended

Although the changes are moderate, early preparation is recommended to ensure a smooth transition. Organisations are advised to familiarise themselves with the revised requirements as early as possible, ensure relevant personnel understand the changes, and identify any gaps that need to be addressed in their environmental management systems.

DNV can support organisations throughout the transition to ISO 14001:2026 through webinars, training and transition audits, helping align existing certification with the revised standard.