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| Primary purpose Summary Potential benefits Who can use the tool? What resources are needed? Development, ownership and support Social enterprise examples Further sources of information EMAS – The EU Eco Management and Audit Scheme EMAS is an environmental management scheme that aims to improve the environmental performance of organisations by committing themselves to evaluating and reducing their negative environmental impacts. It is a voluntary framework that provides the basis for a published environmental report and it aims to recognise and reward those organisations that go beyond minimum legal compliance and continuously improve their environmental performance. EMAS incorporates ISO14001 and is externally evaluated. Participants can publicise their participation in the scheme through the EMAS logo. There are three main stages involved in achieving EMAS registration:
The core of the EMAS scheme is a ‘continuous improvement cycle’ or the plan-do check-act process. The elements of this circle are presented in Figure 1. The formulation of an environmental policy, reflecting top management’s commitment to continuous improvement in environmental performance inside the legal framework is the first visible step of the process. The environmental policy is a document that describes the organisation’s overall aims and principles of action with respect to the environment. Developed at the highest managerial level the environmental policy is intended to be revised periodically. It should contain at least two central elements: compliance with relevant environmental regulations and a commitment to continuous improvement. The environmental review is an initial comprehensive analysis of the environmental problems caused by an organisation’s activities. The outcome is a report that includes hard data about the consumption of raw materials and energy and the production of wastes and emissions; information on the indirect environmental impacts of the organisation’s activities; and an outline of the management structures in place to deal with these impacts. The purpose of the initial review is to identify the most significant environmental impacts – and thereby identify possible priorities to be set in the environmental programme – and to lay down a benchmark to measure future success in reducing these impacts. The environmental programme translates the general objectives and targets established in the environmental policy into specific targets, determining concrete measures, timeframes, responsibilities, and the resources necessary in order to meet them.1 The measures laid out in an environmental programme can be of a technical and/or organisational nature. All of the company’s activities – from top management to the lower levels – should be involved in these measures. To ensure the successful implementation of the environmental programme, an organisation is required to establish operating procedures and controls, or an environmental management system. Apart from the environmental impact of production activities and housekeeping activities (property management, procurement, energy consumption, waste production and management), an EMAS-registered environmental management system has to include the indirect environmental impacts of an organisation’s activities, products or services. This whole process is then described in the environmental statement, which has to include the following information:
When the environmental management system has been implemented and the environmental statement has been prepared, the organisation must have them validated by an independent accredited verifier: an independent external party that examines the organisation’s environmental policy, management system, audit procedure(s) and environmental statement to ensure that they meet EMAS requirements. If the verifier is satisfied that the requirements are met, he or she validates the information contained in the company’s environmental statement. Once the environmental statement has been verified, the organisation then sends its validated statement to the EMAS National Competent Body for registration.2 The organisation is then listed in the register of EMAS organisations and has the right to use the EMAS logo. Organisations are required to update their environmental statement annually, although in exceptional circumstances, for example, small organisations, this renewal period can be extended with the agreement of the verifier, normally up to three years. The EMAS environmental management system is defined according to the ISO 14001 Standard. However, when implementing EMAS, participating organisations must also:
Potential limitations
EMAS is open to all types of organisations from all economic sectors. Small or large socially enterprising organisations, local authorities, and multi-national companies can all participate in EMAS. EMAS can be applied to the whole of an organisation or to specific sites. At time of writing 3109 organisations had implemented EMAS at 4157 sites across the EU. Leadership Organisations will need to make sure that management levels are involved and that they support the EMAS implementation project. The EMAS Small Organisation Toolkit suggests that organisations find and name a co-ordinator to lead on the project, to make it effective and to promote it internally. Proficiencies or skills EMAS needs time, knowledge, human resources and potentially external advice. External assistance can be useful for carrying out the steps of the system, such as the initial environmental review and identification of the significant environmental aspects of your company’s activities and legal requirements. The cost of implementing EMAS will vary depending upon the organisation and size. Though the guidance notes for EMAS are free, the main costs relate mainly to those for the external verifier, registration fees and implementation costs. The EMAS Small Organisation Toolkit estimates costs at the following approximate amounts from the experience of organisations in northern European countries:
Staff time Depending on the organisation’s size, number of sites, previous experience with management systems and the complexity of environmental impacts, the typical time span to implement EMAS varies from a few months in a small organisation with few sites to several years in very large organisations with many sites. Once EMAS is implemented and registration attained, system maintenance takes fewer resources since many activities required for the first registration are no longer needed. The EMAS Small Organisation Toolkit suggests that one day per week will be required to keep EMAS effective, whether a large or small organisation.3 Courses, support, and information There are a number of web-based support tools available. The EMAS EU website is the main portal for information and support: This contains guidance on implementing EMAS, leaflets, statistics, case studies and an ability to view and compare other organisations’ environmental performance statements. The website also has details of the EMAS Helpdesk that can be contacted with all queries regarding the system. EMAS also produces publications, such as the Energy Efficiency Toolkit for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises that can be used as a ‘stepping stone’ to full EMAS registration. The EMAS UK website has a list of verifiers in the UK. Verifiers are environmental auditors who have been accredited by the government-appointed United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), to ensure that they are competent. EMAS and The International Network for Environmental Management (INEM) produce a toolkit for small organisations that may be particularly useful for socially enterprising organisations: www.inem.org/new_toolkit This provides a web-based guide to the system and extensive information on how to implement EMAS, as well as further information on financial support, case studies and other resources. The UK EMAS competent body, the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) also contains guidance in the form of reports and notes for verification in a UK context. Development, ownership and support EMAS emerged in 1993 as a framework open to industrial sector companies operating in the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA). In March 2001, the Council and the European Parliament adopted the revised EMAS Regulation that strengthens and extends the scope of the scheme. This includes the extension of the scope of EMAS to all sectors of economic activity, the EMAS logo and incorporation of ISO 14001:2004
Other examples:
Further sources of information The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) is the UK EMAS competent body responsible for registering, suspending or deleting organisations and responsible for the UK EMAS portal: www.emas.org.uk The International Network of Environmental Management (INEM) contributes to promoting of the scheme and developed the Small Organisations Toolkit: www.inem.org The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the EMAS accreditation body responsible for ensuring the competence of environmental verifiers, through witnessed assessments and ongoing supervision of their activities: www.ukas.com Envirowise is the UK Government-run site that offers UK businesses free, independent, confidential advice and support on practical ways to increase profits, minimise waste and reduce environmental impact. It may also provide information for social enterprises in implementing an environmental management system: www.envirowise.gov.uk The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is responsible for appointing the Competent Body and the Accreditation Body. It is also responsible for promoting the scheme. www.defra.gov.uk 1 EMAS objectives are overall goals; targets are a series of stepping-stones toward these goals. Both elements should be measurable wherever possible. 2 Every Member State has designated a Competent Body that is responsible for registering organisations and for maintaining the list of registered organisations in their country. This is the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) in the UK. www.emas.org.uk 3 This evaluation is based on a survey of 125 Belgian companies in the year 2000.
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