Eco-Management and Audit Scheme - Implementation of EMAS

Implementation of EMAS

In order to register with EMAS an organisation must comply with the following implementation steps (Article 4 of the EMAS-Regulation):

1. Environmental review: initial comprehensive analysis of the organization's activities, products and services and their environmental impact; cataloguing applicable environmental law, etc.
2. Environmental policy: definition of the organisation’s overarching environmental objectives; commitment to continuous improvement of environmental performance.
3. Environmental programme: description of measures, responsibilities and means to achieve environmental objectives and targets.
4. Environmental management system: part of an organisation’s management entailing structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy and managing the environmental aspects.
5. Environmental audit: systematic, documented, periodic and objective evaluation of the organisation’s environmental performance, management system and processes designed to protect the environment, conducted by internal auditor(s).
6. Environmental statement: comprehensive, regular reports to the public on the organisation’s structure and activities; environmental policy and management system; environmental aspects and impacts; environmental programme, objectives and targets; environmental performance and compliance with applicable environmental law etc.
7. Verification and Registration: The steps above must be verified by an accredited/licensed environmental verifier; the validated environmental statement needs to be sent to the EMAS Competent Body (exists in each EU country) for registration and made publicly available before an organisation can use the EMAS logo.