Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)

EMAS is a voluntary initiative setup by the EU to recognise and reward good environmental management. Seen somewhat as an alternative to ISO14001, it is a set of standards that a business can be certified against, to acknowledge the quality of their environmental management system (EMS) as well as their efforts to improve performance.

There are a few key differences between the two standards: EMAS has a greater focus on public availability of information, it also has slightly different criteria for certifiers; finally, EMAS has a more specific focus than ISO when it comes to the improvement of environmental performance. Despite these differences, the fundamental principles and focal points are very similar- each concentrating on areas such as: adherence to regulation; awareness of environmental responsibilities and legislation; communication of progress; involvement of employees; improvement of performance and functionality of systems of management.

In order to be certified to an EMAS standard, a business must fulfil these necessary criteria and have them verified by an approved EMAS auditor.