EMAS

WHAT IS THAT

The first EMAS Regulation n. 1836 was issued in 1993 and in 2001 it was replaced by Regulation no. 761 which, in turn subjected to revision, was replaced in 2009 by the new Regulation no. 1221 (which repealed and incorporated Reg. 761/2001, Decision 2001/681/EC and Decision 2006/193/EC).

Companies and organizations , both public and private, based in the territory of the European Community or outside it, who wish to engage in evaluating and improving their environmental efficiency , can voluntarily join the Community eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS = Eco-Management and Audit Scheme).

EMAS, as an important tool of the Action Plan "Sustainable Consumption and Production" and "Sustainable Industrial Policy", aims to:

• promote the continuous improvement of the environmental performance of organizations through the establishment and application of environmental management systems
• the systematic, objective and periodic evaluation of the performance of these systems
• the provision of information on environmental performance
• an open dialogue with the public and other interested parties
• the active involvement and adequate training of personnel by the organizations concerned

CSQA is an EMAS accredited verifier specialized in some sectors thanks to its twenty years of experience in the certification sector.

KEY POINTS

The Regulation provides for the obligation :

• the existence of an EMS, Environmental Management System (see ISO 14001 )
• the preparation of an environmental analysis
• of carrying out internal audits
• the drafting of an Environmental Declaration (DA) and its validation (subject to verification) by an Environmental Verifier (accredited or enabled depending on the choice of the member country in which the registration takes place)
• of the official registration of the Competent Body (in Italy the Ecolabel and Ecoaudit Committee - EMAS Section) in order to also obtain the use of the Emas logo

Verification means conformity assessment procedures carried out by an environmental verifier in order to ascertain whether the environmental analysis, policy, EMS and internal environmental audit and its implementation comply with the provisions of 1221/2009.

Validation means the confirmation , by the Environmental Verifier who carried out the verification, that the information and data contained in the DA and in the updated DA and any additional environmental information are reliable , credible and correct and that they satisfy the provisions of regulation 1221/2009.

ADVANTAGES

EMAS membership allows:

• the internal reorganization and consequent increase in efficiency
• the reduction of costs following a rationalization in the use of resources and in the adoption of cleaner technologies
• the growth of employee motivation and their participation, with a consequent reduction of internal conflicts
• the creation of a relationship of greater trust with the bodies in charge of environmental control and with those issuing permits
• the reduction of the probability of events that can cause damage to the environment
• greater guarantees in terms of certainty of compliance with environmental regulations
• the growth of technical-scientific knowledge and their use for the continuous improvement of environmental performance
• the reduction of the bureaucratic load (preferential lanes) for organizations adhering to EMAS
• greater guarantees of access to finance for small businesses
• the increase of the patrimonial value for the guarantee of a correct environmental management that enhances the valuation