The European EcoManagement and Audit Scheme

1
The European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme
EMAS Workshop M. A. Barrecheguren. European
Commission. DG ENV. G2 Bucharest, 25-26 June 2008

• Performance, credibility, transparency

2
The European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme
Differences Links between ISO 14001 EMAS M.
A. Barrecheguren. European Commission. DG ENV.
G2 Bucharest, 25-26 June 2008

• Performance, credibility, transparency

3
COMPATIBILITY OF EMAS WITH INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS
EMAS and ISO/EN ISO 14001 share the same
objective to provide good environmental
management In 1996, the Commission recognised
that ISO/EN ISO 14001 could become a
steppingstone for EMAS The adoption of ISO/EN
ISO 14001 as the management system element of
EMAS allows your organisation to easily progress
from ISO/EN ISO 14001 to EMAS without duplicating
efforts
4
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ISO/EN ISO 14001
AND EMAS?

• While EMAS and ISO/EN ISO 14001 share the same
  objective, they are different in a number of ways
• These differences are illustrated in the nexts
  slides showing in particular where EMAS goes
  beyond the ISO/EN ISO 14001 requirements

5
STATUS

• EMAS
• Under legal bases (EU Member States and EEA
  countries)
• Regulation of the European Parliament and the
  Council under public law
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Under no legal bases (International world wide)
  ISO
• standard under private law

6
ORGANISATIONS

• EMAS
• The entity to be registered shall not exceed the
  boundaries of the Member State and it is intended
  to go towards entities and sites
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Does not go towards entities or sites

7
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

• EMAS
• Includes commitment to continual improvement of
  environmental performance of the organisation
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Does not include a commitment to the continual
  improvement of environmental performance but of
  the performance of the system

8
INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

• EMAS
• Obligatory preliminary review, when it is the
  first time that the organisation sets its
  environmental status
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Initial review is recommended, but not required

9
ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

• EMAS
• Identification and evaluation of the
  environmental aspects (direct and indirect)
• Establishment of criteria for assessing the
  significance of the environmental aspects
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Required only a procedure able to identify
  environmental aspects

10
LEGAL COMPLIANCE

• EMAS
• Obligatory to demonstrate it
• Required full legal compliance, there is a
  compliance-audit
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Only commitment to comply with applicable legal
  requirements. There is no compliance-audit

11
EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

• EMAS
• Open dialogue with the public
• Public Environmental Statement (validated for
  verifiers)
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Not open dialogue with the public, only is
  required to respond to relevant communication
  from external interested parts
• Control by public is not possible

12
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT

• EMAS
• Required annual improvement
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Required periodically improvement without a
  defined frequency

13
MANAGEMENT REVIEW

• EMAS
• Is wider and requires an evaluation of the
  environmental performance of the organization,
  based in a performance-audit
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Required an environmental performance in the
  management, but not through a performance audit

14
CONTRACTYORS SUPPLIERS

• EMAS
• Required influence over contractors and
  suppliers
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Relevant procedures are communicated to
  contractors and suppliers

15
EMPLOYEES INVOLVEMENT

• EMAS
• Active involvement of employees and their
  representatives
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• No

16
INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING

• EMAS
• Includes system-audit, a performance-audit
• ( evaluation of environmental performance)
• and an environmental compliance-audit
• ( determination of legal compliance)
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Included only system audit against the
  requirements of the standard

17
AUDITOR

• EMAS
• Required the independence of the auditor
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Advised the independence of the auditor

18
AUDITS

• EMAS
• Check for improvement of environmental
  performance.
• Frequency required 3 year cycle during which
  all areas are verified at least once
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Check environmental system performance
• No frequency required

19
EXTERNAL VERIFICATION

• EMAS
• Accredited environmental verifiers
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• No

20
VERIFICATION/CERTIFICATION SCOPE

• EMAS
• Verifiers accredited according to NACE codes
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• Certifiers accredited according to EAC code

21
AUTHORITIES ARE INFORMED

• EMAS
• Obligation by Validation of Environmental
  Statement
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• No obligation

22
LOGO

• EMAS
• Yes
• ISO/EN ISO 14001
• No

23
Thank you for your attention
M.A. Barrecheguren