The EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme

Voluntary environmental management tool operative since 1995
What is EMAS?
Aim
Continual improvements in the environmental performance of companies and other organisations
Means
Tools allowing organisations to measure, evaluate, report and improve environmental performance
Outcomes
Better management of environmental issues and credible information on these issues

EMAS follows a Systematic “Plan-Do-Check-Act” Approach

What are the Core Elements of EMAS?
Performance
Carrying out annual updates of environmental policy targets and actions to implement and evaluate these targets
Credibility
Third party verification by independent auditors guarantees the value of both actions taken and disclosed information
Transparency
Environmental statements provide public information about the environmental performance of the organisation
EMAS
Premium benchmark for environmental management

Who can participate?
I
II
Organisations operating in all economic sectors
Organisations located inside or outside EU, EEA and Accession countries (EMAS Global)*
* It is in the realm of EU Member States to allow registration of organisations located outside EU, EEA and Accession Countries. Before introducing EMAS Global a number of practical and legal issues need to be clarified.

What are the Steps to EMAS Registration?
Environmental review
(1)
Environmental policy
Environmental management system
Environmental audit
Environmental statement
Registration by Competent Body and use of EMAS logo
(2)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
Environmental programme
(3)

What are Benefits of EMAS Registration?
Risk minimisation: possibilities to reduce associated risk levels by assessing operational procedures
(b)
Regulatory compliance: greater awareness and knowledge of regulatory requirements
Regulatory relief: regulators may choose to relax regulatory requirements
Improved relations with internal stakeholders: employee involvement and training under EMAS can lead to improved employee morale
Improved relations with external stakeholders: EMAS registration of a site in close proximity to residents can enhance credibility and transparency
Competitive advantage: EMAS registration can lead to improved market access and increased market share
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
Cost reductions: better management of resources (e.g. energy and resources efficiency)
(a)

What are Costs of EMAS Registration?
Fixed costs: assumed to be unrelated to staff numbers (e.g. registration fees, IT costs)
External costs: incurred by employing external consultancy to support EMAS implementation (e.g. employee training)
Internal costs: incurred by organisation staff to implement, administer and report on EMAS (e.g. internal audit)
(a)
(b)
(c)
Costs vary with the size and the sector of the organisation*
* For detailed information about the costs of EMAS implementation and financial incentives, please contact your national Competent Body

EMAS Development
EMAS I
EMAS II
EMAS III
29 June 1993 EMAS adopted by the European Council
1995 EMAS opens for participation by industrial companies
19 March 2001 New Regulation adopted by the Council and the EP
27 April 2001 Entry into force of new Regulation (EC) N°761/2001
25 Nov 2009 New Regulation adopted by the Council and the EP
11 Jan 2010 Entry into force of new Regulation (EC) N°1221/2009

New Provisions of EMAS III
I
II
Improvement of applicability of scheme
Strengthening visibility and outreach of scheme

New Provisions of EMAS III (cont’d)
(I) Improvement of the applicability of the scheme
Transitional registration procedures: facilitate introduction of EMAS III
(a)
Revised audit cycles: further improve applicability for small organisations
Single corporate registration: ease administrative and financial burden on organisations with several sites
Cluster approach: provide specific assistance to clusters of organisations in the development & implementation phases of EMAS registration
Environmental core indicators: adequately document environmental performance and create multi-annual comparability
Sectoral reference documents: facilitate practical implementation ‘on the ground’ of EMAS requirements
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)

New Provisions of EMAS III (cont’d)
(II) Strengthening EMAS visibility and outreach
Single EMAS logo: communicate EMAS in one coherent and distinctive way
(a)
EMAS Global: encourage global uptake of the scheme by making EMAS certification possible for organisations outside the EU Community
Information and promotion activities of EU Member States and European Commission: support uptake of EMAS III
(b)
(c)
Recognition of other EMS: facilitate uptake from existing EMS to EMAS
(c)

In the Spotlight: Six Environmental Core Indicators

One single logo
In the Spotlight: EMAS Logo

EMAS goes further than ISO 14001
ISO/EN ISO
14001
(2004)
+ Public reporting through EMAS environmental statement
+ Legal compliance
+ Employee involvement
+ Performance
improvement
checked by
environmental verifiers
EMAS
+ Registration by public authority

Successful EMAS Implementation: Involvement

EMAS Statistics

Further Information on the EMAS Website
www.ec.europa.eu/environment/emas

Links
European Union: http://www.europa.eu
EMAS Register: www.emas-register.eu
EMAS Toolkit for small organisations: www.ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/toolkit/
EMAS Easy: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/tools/emaseasy_en.htm
European Portal for SMEs: www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sme/
EU Ecolabel: www.ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/
Green Public Procurement (GPP): www.ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm
Environmental Compliance Assistance Programme for SMEs (ECAP): www.ec.europa.eu/environment/sme/index_en.htm
European Environment Agency: www.eea.europa.eu
International Standard Organisation (ISO): www.iso.org