ISO 9001 has now reached its time for review. International standards like this undergo a review at least every 5 years; the last review resulted in a minor amendment requiring organisations to determine if climate change is a relevant issue for them and whether interested parties can have requirements related to climate change. However, the review currently being undertaken is expected to include more changes, similar to those made to ISO 14001:2026 version we are waiting on final publication for. This will result in a new version of the standard being published this year.
When in 2026 will the new standard be released?
Reviews of ISO standards follow a set process – you can look into the specifics on their website if you are interested in the detail, and for each standard you can see at which stage it is on the bottom of the standard’s webpage.
The current review of 9001 is currently at the ‘close of voting’ stage, following a draft standard having been circulated to ISO member bodies for voting and comments. Any feedback at this stage could result in revisions to the draft, with the potential of further voting stages. Following this a Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) will go to a final vote and if successful the new standard will be published.
Current timelines estimate a publication date of Autumn 2026, although this can change based on how much feedback there is and whether any revisions are needed. For now, we expect it will be with us in September this year at the earliest. Rest assured, we’ll keep you up to date as we know more.
What changes can we expect?
If, like me, you can recall the huge changes in the standard that came in the 2015 version, it can be easy to feel a little nervous when the standard is being revised! I think it’s fair to say we can expect it won’t be such a big overhaul, but there will still be changes organisations will need to make to make to ensure compliance. Some changes that are expected:
- Climate change and sustainability to be more explicitly included, following the amendment made in 2024.
- Increased requirements for leadership responsibility for quality culture and ethical behaviour.
- A clearer requirement for leadership to be driving continual improvement.
- A greater focus on opportunities and organisational culture.
We won’t know the exact changes until the standard is published, so hang tight before starting to think about what actions you need to take.
For those that also have certification for their environment management system, ISO 14001:2026 is expected to be published very soon and we have the FDIS already. We have another article on the specific changes and you can also attend one of our courses where we walk you through each change. You can expect further updates on 9001 and courses to be released in due course.
We have plans already in place for courses to inform you of the changes to ISO 9001 and what steps to take. Register your interest here.
