Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)

The eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) may be considered as an important instrument for both the ‘sustainable consumption’ and for the ‘production and sustainable industrial policy’ action plans [1]. Its objective is to promote continuous improvements in the environmental performance of organisations through the establishment and implementation of environmental management systems. Therefore, EMAS monitors and reviews the systematic, objective and periodic evaluations of organisations. EMAS keeps an open dialogue with key stakeholders, including the organisations’ employees, the general public and other interested parties. It provides them with relevant information on how to improve their environmental performance [2]. EMAS (Reg 761/01 EC) has been regulated by the European Commission since 1993. Its Environmental Management System (EMS) was originally proposed as a frontrunner of a series of policy tools that enable companies to simultaneously pursue environmental objectives and competitive targets in a synergetic way [3]. The EMS is an increasingly diffused tool among organisations operating in different sectors, thanks to the drive and impulse from voluntary certification schemes such as EMAS and ISO 14001. These schemes provide a third-party guarantee of environmental ‘‘excellence’’. Organisations who adopt EMAS or ISO 14001 may gain a competitive advantage when they improve their environmental performance [3].Currently, more than 4,500 organisations and approximately 8,150 sites are EMAS registered, worldwide. Among them are many multinational enterprises and smaller companies as well as public authorities [1]