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EMAS stands for Eco Management and Audit Scheme, whose Swedish translation has been "EUs miljöstyrnings- och miljörevisionsordning". EU EMAS Regulation (No 1863/93) has been valid in Sweden since l January 1995. EMAS is designed to encourage companies to address environmental problems actively instead of reacting passively to the requirements of environmental legislation. An active approach is better for both the companies themselves and the environment. Legislation sets minimum levels for the protection of the environment. EMAS is a voluntary supplement to the law. There companies themselves can set up higher goals and prepare the control system to achieve the goals and agrees to allow an ongoing public audit of the objectives, the control system and the results and provide regular information on this.
The benefits of EMAS
To become certified according to EMAS will bring benefits to the market. In the long term it can also make it a competitive advantage in particularly public procurement. EMAS-registered companies must also, under the regulations, examine their subcontractors' environmental performance. There are many indications that in the future they will demand that also the suppliers have an environmental management system. Companies that have adopted the EMAS may use the official symbol of EMAS on certain materials such as company reports, company brochures and letterheads. The logo may not be used to advertise products or product packaging, as this would create confusion with environmental labeling schemes.
Requirements for admission
EMAS relate to specific departments within a company. The following requirements are set for admission:
- Environmental Review. For the applying company to get a good understanding of its environmental impacts, a thorough environmental review will be done. It will be complete mapping of the environmental effects on different ecosystems, resource use, emissions to the environment, waste generation, energy consumption, suppliers' environmental impacts, etc.
- Environmental policy. The company must adopt an environmental policy.
- Environmental program. Based on policy and environmental reviews one can make a plan and an environmental program for the facility. The program sets quantified targets for achieving a better environment.
- Environmental management systems. Environmental management systems established according to policy and programs are to be implemented. The system includes organizational structure, responsibilities, practices, methods and resources. The company can tailor the system to their needs, but can also use ISO 14001 which is now the official European environmental management standard, and can in other words be used under EMAS.
- Environmental audit. Compliance with the environmental program and the control system will be revised periodically. The audit should be independent of the operation, but can be performed by the company's own employees or by consultants. The audit will provide management with information about environmental progress at the plant. Complete environmental audits must be conducted at least every three years.
- Environmental Report. The company finally establishes a separate environmental report for each facility that it intends to register. It shows the facilities environmental status and how far it have come in terms of achieving targets as well as to formulate new goals for further improvements.
- Control. The environmental statement and environmental management systems are to be audited by an independent accredited environmental auditor.
- Registration and information. The validated environmental statement is sent to the Swedish Environmental Management Council, which registers the facility as approved under the EMAS Regulation. Furthermore, the company shall inform the public about what is written in the statement, which may be abbreviated with additional technical data and details in appendices.
The EU has a network of information units, the Euro Info Centre, which has released software and a related binder. The information is intended as an introduction to companies who are interested in EMAS. Nutek has also received the governments work on to helping small and medium sized businesses to get started with their environmental management work. For this purpose, they have launched a project known as "Environmental management in small businesses." The project includes a telephone service where one via telephone number 020-221000 can get free information and help with issues related to environmental management work.
How does the EMAS relate to ISO 14000?
EU's environmental management systems EMAS and ISO 14001 are two different systems to show shareholders, customers and the public that environmental issues are handled in a serious manner. In essence, the systems are based on the same steps, from environmental policy to certification by an independent auditor. But while EMAS is based on an EU regulation, a law, ISO 14001 is a standard jointly developed by the industry and government agencies through the International Organization for Standardization, ISO. The differences between EMAS and ISO 14001 are rather small; one can rather consider ISO 14001 as an adjunct to EMAS. And since the EU Commission has approved the ISO 14001 environmental management standard for the main elements of EMAS that means that a company that has been certified according to ISO 14001 should not have to have its environmental management systems examined once more by an EMAS verifier. It should in principle be enough to check that it meets the additional requirements, that EMAS states, but that is not covered by ISO 14001. EMAS represent a very small part of the market for certification of management systems. ISO 14001 is much larger.