ISO 53001 certification

New international standard for work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals

ISO/UNDP 53001 will become the new international standard for organizations’ work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is intended to provide companies with a systematic framework for linking the Sustainable Development Goals to strategy, management, objectives, processes, risks, documentation and continuous improvements. With ISO 53001, work with the Sustainable Development Goals becomes a management system that can be embedded in the organization, followed up on, and assessed by an independent third party.

Why is ISO 53001 being introduced?

Many Danish companies already use the UN Sustainable Development Goals in their ESG work. For several years, Bureau Veritas has carried out SDG certification for companies that wanted a common method to prioritise, structure and document their work.

Now, ISO 53001 creates the common international framework.

“We wanted to establish a common standard internationally, so that more organisations can benefit from a structured approach to ESG, and we are proud of the role that Bureau Veritas Denmark has played in the development of ISO 53001.”

Tomas Riegels-Jørgensen, Sustainability Nordics & BNL Manager at Bureau Veritas.

About ISO 53001

ISO 53001 describes how an organisation can work in a structured way to identify, prioritise, manage and improve its efforts in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals where the organisation has the greatest relevance and impact. The purpose is not for all companies to work with all 17 goals. The purpose is to work seriously, in a well-argued and documented way, with the goals and targets where a company can create real value.

ISO itself describes the purpose of the standard as a framework for organisations that wish to demonstrate and improve their work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, while managing their responsibilities in a systematic way that contributes to sustainability.

Among other things, the standard is expected to help organisations to:

• link the Sustainable Development Goals to business strategy and management
• prioritise the goals and targets where the organisation has the greatest impact
• work systematically with risks, opportunities and compliance
• set objectives and follow up on progress
• document actions and results
• build greater trust among customers, employees, partners and other stakeholders

Who is ISO 53001 relevant for?

ISO 53001 will be relevant for anyone working with ESG, sustainability, responsibility, or the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This may include:

• companies that use the Sustainable Development Goals in their strategy or reporting
• companies that want to strengthen the documentation behind their sustainability efforts
• organisations experiencing increasing demands from customers, investors, or partners
• SMEs that want to work more systematically with responsibility and future compliance requirements
• larger companies that want a common framework across departments, countries, or value chains
• public and semi-public organisations working with social responsibility and sustainable development

How does ISO 53001 relate to other ISO standards?

ISO 53001 is a management system standard. This means that it follows the same fundamental approach as many other ISO standards: leadership, planning, operation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.

If you already work with, for example, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, or ISO 27001, ISO 53001 can be integrated into your existing management system.

The common ISO structure (harmonized structure) makes it easier to consolidate requirements, documentation, audits, and improvement activities in one place. This makes ISO 53001 particularly relevant for companies that already have a mature management system and want to bring their sustainability efforts into the same systematic framework.