ISO 14001:2026 Explained: Key Changes and Transition Requirements - What Organizations Need to Know

by Chad Kymal,William Kovacich published on June 19, 2026

ISO 14001:2026, Environmental management systems—Requirements with guidance for use, introduces important updates to one of the world's most widely adopted management system standards. Developed to address evolving stakeholder expectations and the growing emphasis on sustainability, the revised standard reflects the increasing complexity of today's business environment. With more than 670,000 certificates issued worldwide, the changes to ISO 14001:2026 will have a significant impact on organizations across industries and global markets.

This webinar provides a practical overview of the key changes in ISO 14001:2026, including revisions to existing requirements and the introduction of new concepts and expectations. Participants will gain insight into the rationale behind the updates, their implications for environmental management systems (EMS), and the transition requirements organizations must meet to maintain certification.

By understanding both the changes and their intended outcomes, attendees will be better equipped to strengthen and continually improve their EMS while planning and implementing an effective transition to the revised standard. Because leadership engagement is essential to the success of any environmental management system, this webinar is ideal for organizational leaders, environmental managers, auditors, consultants, and professionals responsible for implementing, maintaining, or assessing ISO 14001-based systems.

Speaker

Chad Kymal

Chad Kymal is the CTO and Founder of Omnex Inc. He is the author of seven books and more than 100 papers including several on integrated management systems. Chad is currently on the writing committees for several standards including TC 22/ SC 32/WG 8 for ISO 26262 (Functional Safety), ISO/TC 176 for ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management), ISO/TC 207 for ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management), and PC283 for ISO 45001 (Health and Safety Management Systems). He founded and was the CEO of an Automotive registrar for over 10 years and is familiar with conducting audits, being witnessed for audits, and also evaluating auditors and assessors. He authored and teaches a course for 3rd Party Auditors for Automotive Registrars on behalf of International Automotive Certification Bodies Association (IACBA). This course explains how 3rd Party Auditors audit IATF 16949 in an environment that includes ASPICE, Functional Safety and Product Cybersecurity. He is currently rolling out the course to global 3rd Party Auditors for IATF 16949. Chad has spent over 20 years in system, hardware and software development in various capacities. He assesses and works in automotive system, hardware and software for Agile, ASPICE, and Functional Safety ISO 26262. Chad is also currently an intacsTM certified Principal Assessor for Automotive SPICE.

William Kovacich

Willim Kovacich Bill Kovacich, a retired metallurgist and senior quality engineer from Caterpillar Inc., dedicated 38 years to advancing manufacturing and quality systems, following his graduation from the University of Missouri-Rolla with a degree in metallurgical engineering and later earning a master’s in management. His expertise spans metal casting, welding, heat treatment, powder metallurgy, and quality systems, and he holds a patent for powder metallurgy sinter brazing. A certified Six Sigma Black Belt and IRCA-certified QMS Principal Auditor, Bill played a key role in transitioning Caterpillar to ISO 9001:2015 and trained over 700 internal auditors across multiple continents. He has received prestigious honors, including the ISO Excellence Award and US TAG Colleague of Distinction Award. Bill also contributed to the development of ISO 10013:2021 as a convenor for TC 176.