We would like to inform all our certified clients and partners that the revised version of the international standard for environmental management systems – ISO 14001:2026 – has been officially published.

Why was a revision of the standard necessary?
In recent years, global challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity have grown significantly. The goal of ISO 14001:2026 is to respond to these trends by integrating environmental management even more closely into strategic business planning. The new version does not require a complete rebuild of existing environmental management systems (EMS), but rather builds upon and refines the current requirements.

What are the key changes in ISO 14001:2026?
The amendments aim to reduce unnecessary documentation burden and focus the management’s attention on real results:

• Context and environmental conditions (Clauses 4.1 and 4.2): A requirement is introduced for a clearer consideration of specific factors such as climate change, resource availability, biodiversity, and pollution levels. Organizations must conduct a two-way analysis – how these conditions affect their operations and what the business’s impact on the environment is.

• Life-cycle perspective: The requirement to assess environmental impacts across the entire value chain is strengthened. Organizations must consider impacts not only within their own production but also upstream (raw materials and suppliers) and downstream (customer use and end-of-life waste treatment).

• Planning of changes (new Clause 6.3): An entirely new clause has been introduced that regulates the requirements for a planned and structured approach when implementing changes in the EMS, in order to avoid unintended adverse effects on the environment.

• Alignment with the Harmonized Structure (Annex SL): The text of ISO 14001:2026 has been fully updated in accordance with the latest version of Annex SL. This standardizes the terminology and further facilitates the integration of the system with other popular standards such as ISO 9001 (Quality) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety).

What does this mean for certified organizations?
If your organization is already certified under the 2015 version, you have an excellent foundation. The transition will require a review of your current assessment of aspects and risks, updating the context, and implementing a change management process. The focus of upcoming audits will be less on the existence of paper procedures and more on the actual effectiveness of the implemented measures.

Transition rules and deadlines
An official transition period (expected to be two years) for adapting the systems is yet to be announced, during which already issued ISO 14001:2015 certificates will remain valid. Organizations can transition to the new version during their regular surveillance or recertification audits.

Next steps
To support our clients, the technical team of our Certification Body is preparing detailed instructions. Shortly, we will publish on our website and send to all clients:

• A detailed Gap Analysis compared to the previous version.

• A schedule and procedure for transitioning to ISO 14001:2026.

We recommend that organizations begin early familiarization with the standard and plan training for their internal auditors and environmental managers. Follow the news on our website for upcoming guidelines. Should you need additional information regarding your next audit, please feel free to contact our team.

INCERT now offers accredited certification of anti-bribery management systems according to ISO 37001:2016. Following a positive assessment by the EA BAS, our accreditation certificate has been reissued for another four years, with the scope of accreditation expanded to include ISO 37001:2016.
ISO 37001:2016 is a standard for anti-bribery management systems.

Implementing the standard helps companies reduce the risks of corruption and illegal practices, which could lead to significant legal, financial, and reputational consequences. ISO 37001:2016 contributes to building trust among clients, partners, and stakeholders, demonstrating the organization’s commitment to honesty and ethics in business relationships. Last but not least, the standard provides a framework for developing effective measures to prevent corruption, which can improve the efficiency and sustainability of business processes.

If effectively utilized, ISO 37001:2016 could be a powerful tool in combating bribery and corruption. In some countries, local legislation has been introduced that allows an organization to avoid or reduce liability in cases of corruption involving its employees or business partners if it can demonstrate that it has implemented an effective anti-bribery program.

ISO standards for management systems are being updated to address climate change

ISO has announced an update to a number of management system standards to address climate change. These changes affect all organizations that are certified to ISO standards such as ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System).

In the “Certification” section of our website, you can find the INCERT compliance policy. All certified clients are invited to study it and take appropriate action.

What has changed?

• New requirement added in clause 4.1. “Understanding the Organization and Its Context”. Organizations are required to determine whether climate change is a significant issue that may affect their ability to achieve their objectives.
• Note added in clause 4.2. “Understanding the needs and expectations of the interested parties”. The note states that interested parties (e.g., customers, investors, regulatory authorities) can have requirements related to climate change.

What must organizations do?

• Study the changes in ISO standards and implement them in their management systems.
• Determine whether climate change is a significant issue for their context and take action if needed.

Important!

• There is no requirement to certificates to be reissued.
• Certification bodies are required to audit compliance with the new requirements at the first upcoming audit for each client.

At the end of 2023, INCERT was granted membership in Club 9000 – one of the oldest organizations in the country which operates in the area of quality and management systems.

Founded in 1991, Club 9000 is the largest quality organization in Bulgaria. It brings together over 200 organizations and specialists dedicated to enhancing quality and management systems across the country.

INCERT’s acceptance into Club 9000 serves as a testament to the company’s endeavors in the area of quality and management systems. It is our distinct honor and gratification to contribute to improving the management systems, certification, and training environment while collaborating with the field’s finest experts.

A new Mandatory document of the International Accreditation Forum states that both accreditation and certification bodies must start reporting the issued ISO certificates to the IAF public register – IAF Certsearch.  The deadline for the implementation of these new requirements is set as October 2024.

INCERT has been reporting all certificates issued and their status real time since the start of the registyr and this is a guarantee that the certificates are all known and controlled by the accreditation service and issued in compliance with applicable regulations.

IAF Certsearch can be the sigle and reliable point of contact for the verification of any ISO certificate issued around the world. The register when fully operational will be a valuable tool agaist fraud and counterfeiting and for the support of fair competition.

As of today 18 August 2023 changes in the management systems of INCERT certification body come into force. Changes are related to the certification of food safety management systems.
Changes are the results of the implementation of the requirements of ISO 22003-1:2022 Food safety — Part 1: Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of food safety management systems.
Important for clients are the changes related to the determination of the duration of audits based on various influencing factors, the prohibition of the use of the certification sign or any reference to certification on any product packaging, and last but not least the clarification of the objectives of the audits of food safety management systems.
In this article, as well as in the relevant sections of our website, you can familiarize yourself with the current version of the Certification Rules, in which the changes are reflected.
All certified clients will be notified if changes to their certification programs are required as a consequence of the implemented changes.

13 April 2023

Since 13 April 2023 we provide certification according to the latest version of the Information Security Management Systems standard. After a positive evaluation by the EA BAS our accreditation certificate has been reissued!

For all current clients the transition to the new version will be done at a regular surveillance or certification renewal audit, or at a special extraordinary audit.

After a positive decision on the completed transition to the new version of the standard, the certificate will be reissued according to ISO/IEC 27001:2022, preserving the original validity of the certification.

All existing customers must undergo a transition audit and have their certificates reissued for compliance with  ISO/IEC 27001:2022 no later than 31.10.2025.

It is important for new customers to know that until 31.10.2023 we will accept requests for new certifications for both versions of the standard, and after that date requests for certification will only be accepted for the new version of the standard – ISO/IEC 27001:2022.

Please look at our “Transition” Policy which summarizes the most important things every organization that is certified, or about to be certified, needs to know.

We’re available to answer all your questions, and don’t forget that the expiration date for the 2017 version of certifications is October 31, 2025.

1 February 2023

An updated issue of the Certification Rules has been published on our website (issue 07/01.02.2023) The changes concern the introduction of additional requirements in relation to the certification of anti-bribery management systems under ISO 37001:2016. There are no other changed requirements.

The Certification Rules are an integral part of the certification contracts and are binding for both the certified client and the certification body.

Please check the current issue of the Certification Rules here.

3 June 2022

Since 31 May 2022 we are able to offer our customers EA BAS accredited certification for ISO 39001 (road safety) and ISO 22000 (food safety). These two standards complete our list of accredited certification services and the benefits of implementing them makes them relevant and in demand, both nationally and in the European market.

11 December 2021

Changes have been made to the Certification Rules as of 10.12.2021 and a new issue 5 has been published. The rules are an integral part of the contracts with certified clients, who must know and comply with them. All certified clients will also be personally notified of the changes made.

29 September 2020

We still don’t know if the “second wave” of the epidemic will overtake us, but we can still be prepared. The General Labor Inspectorate and the European Health and Safety Agency in Bilbao have published a free online tool that allows businesses to objectively assess what they have done so far and what they have failed to do in relation to preventing harm from the COVID epidemic on businesses and workers, or at least with their reduction. By answering a series of questions, use of resources and a selection of predefined measures, you canensure that you have not missed anything important in your preparation, or if it turns out that there is one – to use the best practices and resources in the tool, to do so. This is an OiRA tool that is completely free to use. It complies with our national legislation and gives practical ideas on what to do in order to protect the people who work for you. Check out the COVID tool here.

13 March 2020

In connection with the spread of the coronavirus and the declared state of emergency, we want to assure you that reasonable measures have been taken at INCERT to conduct business as usual and to maintain confidence in the certification process.

The requirements and measures to be taken for the safe conduct of audit activities, or for the postponement of audits under specific conditions, will be further discussed and agreed with all clients who are due to be audited during the state of emergency.

10 March 2020

You can check the validity of the certificates issued by INCERT by using the search field in the header of the website. All you need to have is the number printed on the certificate. After entering the number in the search field, if the certificate is valid, you will be able to see its basic data to compare it with the one you have.

The validity of a certification may change over time, so it is important to check the public register of the certification body or contact them directly to obtain confirmation.