At a time when demands for quality, sustainability, and transparency are increasing, international standards play an increasingly important role in companies’ long-term success. ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are two of the most important and well-established frameworks for management systems. They are used by organizations worldwide to structure work related to quality and environmental management, and to ensure robust processes, clear structures, and regulatory compliance.
Revised versions of both standards will be released in 2026, bringing both new requirements and new opportunities for organizations. In this article, you will learn about:
What ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are
The key changes in ISO 9001:2026
The key changes in ISO 14001:2026
What companies need to consider ahead of the changes to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
How the right system support can help manage these changes
ISO standards are developed by the global organization International Organization for Standardization (ISO), where experts from around the world collaborate to create international standards in areas such as quality, environmental management, information security, and occupational health and safety. The purpose is to establish common guidelines that facilitate collaboration, comparability, and trust across countries and industries.
ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems (QMS). It provides a structured framework to ensure that products and services consistently meet customer requirements, legal obligations, and internal objectives. The standard focuses on clear processes, customer satisfaction, a risk-based approach, and continuous improvement.
ISO 14001 is the international standard for environmental management systems (EMS). It helps organizations identify and manage environmental impacts, ensure compliance with environmental legislation, and work systematically with environmental objectives and improvements.
In an increasingly complex and fast-moving business environment, standards also need to evolve. Recent years have been characterized by rapid digitalization, growing sustainability and climate requirements, and global events affecting supply chains and business models. In short, ISO conducts regular revisions of its standards in order to:
Ensure the standards reflect current business and external requirements
Take new risks, technologies, and ways of working into account
Strengthen the link between quality, environment, sustainability, and digitalization
Clarify requirements and improve guidance for users
Modernize and reinforce the standards where needed
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 were last updated in 2015. The new versions are expected to be published in 2026 (ISO 14001 in spring 2026 and ISO 9001 in autumn 2026).
The revised version of ISO 9001 is expected to be published in autumn 2026. The changes primarily emphasize clearer integration of the quality management system into daily operations and strategic governance. Key changes include:
Enhanced risk and opportunity management – greater focus on identifying and managing risks and opportunities, including external and climate-related factors
Leadership and culture – clearer requirements for top management responsibility regarding quality, ethics, and customer focus
Digitalization and technology – increased expectations for using digital tools for monitoring, analysis, and improvement
Supplier and stakeholder perspective – strengthened requirements for managing and monitoring suppliers and external parties
Improved guidance in Annex A – more practical examples to facilitate interpretation and application
While the fundamental principles of ISO 9001 remain unchanged, these areas become clearer and more integrated into the standard’s requirements to reflect current and future challenges.
The new version of ISO 14001 is expected to be published in spring 2026. The focus is on clarifying requirements and strengthening the link to climate and sustainability issues. Key changes include:
Clearer structure and improved clarity – continued use of the common high-level structure, with improved readability
Stronger life cycle perspective – greater emphasis on environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle, from raw materials to waste
Climate and environmental risks – climate-related risks more clearly integrated into context analysis and risk assessment
Improved guidance in Annex A – enhanced support for practical implementation and interpretation
Overall, the revision aims to strengthen practical support rather than introduce entirely new requirements. At the same time, expectations regarding climate change, biodiversity, and environmental responsibility in a broader sense are expected to increase.
The upcoming updates to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 involve more than revised wording – they place a stronger emphasis on how management systems are actually used in practice. For organizations, preparation is therefore as much about ways of working as it is about documentation.
Organizations need to be able to interpret the new requirements, understand their intent, and adapt their management systems accordingly. In practice, this may involve new approaches to:
Identifying and assessing risks
Monitoring effectiveness and performance
Integrating sustainability and climate perspectives into daily operations
Starting work on these issues early creates better conditions for a smooth transition – and for ensuring that the management system genuinely contributes to business value.
As requirements become clearer and more integrated into operations, the need for structured and flexible system support increases. A modern management system can serve as a central platform for both quality and environmental management. With the right system support, it becomes easier to:
Collect and structure processes, documents, and procedures
All information is stored in one place, version-controlled, and easily accessible to the right people at the right time.
Work systematically with risks, nonconformities, and improvements
Risk assessments, actions, follow-ups, and improvement efforts can be directly linked to business processes and become an integrated part of daily operations.
Integrate ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 in a single management system
Since the standards share a common structure, coordinated work becomes easier, duplication is reduced, and a holistic overview is achieved.
Strengthen traceability and follow-up ahead of audits
It becomes clear what has been done, by whom, and when – facilitating both internal governance and external audits.
Support continuous improvement in practice
The management system becomes a living tool, not just a documentation repository.
A system does not replace the work itself – but in many cases, it is a prerequisite for working correctly, consistently, and sustainably over time.
At Centuri, we have extensive experience supporting organizations of all sizes – from large, complex enterprises to smaller niche companies – in creating structure and visibility in their quality management efforts. With a modern and user-friendly solution, organizations can gather all aspects of quality management in a single system, making it easy to connect risks, nonconformities, documents, and improvement initiatives.
Would you like to learn more about how Centuri can support you ahead of the changes to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, or with quality management in general? Feel free to contact us – we’d be happy to tell you more.