The overall objective of EMAS is to promote continual environmental performance improvements. Through participation, your company commits to:
- Evaluating and improving its environmental performance.
- Providing relevant information to the public.
What is the scope of EMAS?
First published in 1993, EMAS was revised in 2001. The revision opened the scheme to all economic sectors including public and private services. In addition, EN/ISO 14001 was integrated as the required Environmental Management System.
The scheme is open to all public or private organisations operating in the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA) Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
EMAS does not replace existing European Community or national environmental legislation or technical standards, nor does it remove your company's responsibility to fulfil all its legal obligations under such legislation or standards.
Verification of your scheme
To be able to register your compliance with EMAS, your scheme must be verified by an accredited third party like DNV.
We will check that your organisation:
- Conforms to the relevant environmental legislations.
- Has carried out an initial environmental review, if appropriate.
- Has a fully operational Environmental Management System (audited systematically, objectively, and periodically).
- Has prepared an environmental statement in accordance with the EMAS regulation.
In addition, we will verify the reliability, credibility, and correctness of the data and information in your environmental statement and other environmental information provided by your organisation.
Where do I go from here?
For third party certification, you need to implement an effective Environmental Management System complying with the requirements of the standard. The first step is to get on the road to certification.
