Management system guidance
7.4 Communication
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7.4.3 External communication
Clause 7.4.3 requires your organization to communicate information relevant to its environmental management system (EMS) to external parties in line with the communication process(es) it has set up under 7.4.1, and as its compliance obligations demand. In other words, some external communication is mandatory (because a law, permit or agreement requires it) and the rest is whatever your organization has decided to communicate voluntarily.
What changed in ISO 14001:2026
Clause 7.4.3 is unchanged in substance from ISO 14001:2015. Annex A.7.4 now gives more context, noting that demands for external disclosure of environmental and sustainability information continue to grow, and that organizations can benefit from exchanging information on environmental aspects with suppliers and customers to support improvement across the product life cycle. This links closely with the life cycle requirements in 8.1.
Mandatory external communication
Start with your register of compliance obligations and identify every obligation that carries a duty to report, notify or publish. Typical examples include:
- Periodic returns to regulators under environmental permits (emissions, discharges, waste);
- Notification of pollution incidents or permit breaches within set deadlines;
- Waste transfer and consignment documentation;
- Statutory energy, carbon or packaging reporting;
- Information required by customer contracts or voluntary agreements your organization has signed up to.
For each one, record the deadline, the owner and the source of the data, and keep copies of what was submitted.
Voluntary external communication
Your organization decides what else it will communicate, and to whom, based on the needs and expectations of interested parties identified in 4.2. Options include:
- Publishing the environmental policy and EMS scope on the website;
- Annual environmental or sustainability reports, or performance updates for investors;
- Product information on resource efficiency, recyclability or water and carbon footprints;
- Information for users on transport, use, end-of-life treatment and disposal of products;
- Open days, community liaison meetings or newsletters for neighbors;
- Responses to customer and supplier questionnaires on environmental performance;
- Communicating environmental requirements to external providers, including contractors.
Record decisions about what will and will not be communicated, especially regarding significant environmental aspects, so the reasoning is clear to an auditor. Whatever is published must be reliable and consistent with EMS data – treat any environmental claim as something that may be challenged and keep the evidence that supports it.
Handling incoming external communications
Clause 7.4.1 requires your organization to respond to relevant communications. Set up a log for enquiries and complaints from neighbors, regulators, customers and others. For each entry record the date, the issue, who is dealing with it, the investigation carried out, the reply and any follow-up action. Be prompt and clear, particularly with complaints, and review the log periodically for trends. Agree who is authorized to deal with regulators, lawyers, insurers and the media, and make sure front-line staff know how to pass such contacts on.
You should seek and record evidence that your organization communicates externally on EMS matters as set out in its communication process and as required by its compliance obligations. Check a sample of mandatory reports and notifications against their deadlines, confirm that published information agrees with internal EMS records, review decisions on voluntary communication, and verify that relevant external communications, including complaints, have been answered and recorded. Templates to help with this can be found in our environmental manual templates.
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