Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties — what changed from 2015 to 2026
ISO 9001:2026 published 16 September 2026 · checked against the published text on 27 September 2026
The mechanics carry over from 2015: determine the interested parties relevant to the QMS and their relevant requirements. The 2026 text (in force since the 2024 amendment) adds a note-level nudge with practical teeth: interested parties can have climate-related requirements, and your register is expected to show they were considered. Customers asking for emissions data with quotations, insurers and lenders imposing site conditions, and regulators tightening energy or reporting rules are the everyday forms this takes. The published text also adds one small new determination: for each interested-party requirement, which of them your QMS will actually address — so the register needs a column, not just a list.
ISO 9001:2015 said
Determine relevant interested parties and their relevant requirements.
ISO 9001:2026 says
Same, with explicit recognition that parties can have climate-related requirements (in force via the 2024 amendment) — plus one new determination: which of the interested-party requirements your QMS will address.
What to actually do
One pass through the register asking 'who now expects what of us on climate?', then mark for each requirement whether the QMS addresses it — capture requirements with their source.
Full clause guidance
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Checked against the published text of ISO 9001:2026 (SANS 9001:2026 Ed. 6, the identical South African adoption of ISO 9001:2026) on 27 September 2026. Qlause provides interpretive guidance only and is not a substitute for the standard — refer to your licensed copy of ISO 9001:2026 for the authoritative text.