EMAS — the environmental management regulation

What is EMAS?

EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) is a European Union instrument through which organizations evaluate, manage, improve and publicly report their environmental performance.

The scheme is governed by Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, drawn up on a proposal from the European Commission. Participation is voluntary and open to organizations in all sectors — manufacturing companies, services and public administrations. It is also often referred to as EMAS III, after the third version of the regulation.

Registered organizations may use the EMAS logo, which shows that their performance has been checked by an independent verifier.

How do you achieve EMAS registration?

Registration goes through several mandatory steps — from an initial review to entry in the register.

1. 1Environmental review

   The organization carries out an initial review of its environmental aspects and impacts and of the applicable legal requirements.

2. 2Management system

   It implements an environmental management system that meets the requirements of ISO 14001 and of the regulation.

3. 3Internal audit

   It checks how the system is functioning and what its environmental performance is.

4. 4Environmental statement

   It prepares a public statement with its policy, aspects, objectives and performance data.

5. 5Verification and validation

   An independent environmental verifier checks the system and validates the statement.

6. 6Registration

   The competent national body enters the organization in the EMAS register.

How does EMAS differ from ISO 14001?

EMAS builds on ISO 14001: the management system is the same, but EMAS requires more transparency and public disclosure.

An organization certified to ISO 14001 already has the foundation for EMAS. What remains is to add the environmental review, the statement and the validation. For an overview of the standard, see the article ISO 14001 — environmental management.

What are the benefits of EMAS registration?

Organizations registered under EMAS may be entitled to regulatory relief. Companies in the manufacturing sectors may receive advantages under the legislation on integrated pollution prevention and control.

Several Member States also offer registered organizations advantages with regard to national and regional environmental legislation — for example, simplified reporting obligations, fewer inspections, lower waste fees and longer periods between permit renewals.

• Lower feesExamples from Member States: a 50% reduction in the waste fee, a 20–30% reduction in fees for licensing procedures and up to 100% off fees for monitoring and enforcement under national law.
• Lighter proceduresA 30% reduction in fees for public services provided by state agencies and for licensing procedures for surface water, groundwater and landfills.
• Less oversightSimplified reporting, fewer inspections and longer periods between permit renewals.
• Hazardous substances and wasteRelief in monitoring, the handling of hazardous chemicals, waste disposal and greenhouse gas monitoring.

Relief measures are determined by the national legislation of each Member State. The examples above come from different countries and do not mean that the same relief applies in Bulgaria.

When is EMAS the right choice?

• when you want to report your environmental performance publicly and verifiably;
• when you work with public contracting authorities or partners who value EMAS registration;
• when you already have ISO 14001 and want to build on your system;
• when your activity is subject to environmental permits and inspections — for example water supply and sewerage, manufacturing, waste management.

Euro Standard Certification is the exclusive representative of CERTIND S.A. in Bulgaria. CERTIND is accredited by RENAR for EMAS (VM 002). The introduction of EMAS may also be an eligible activity under some programmes — see the article Is ISO 14001 funded under the “green technologies” programme.