The European Union's Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)

About this book

The European Union's Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, or EMAS, has been in existence since 1995, with over 3,000 sites registered to the Scheme. However, even to the present day, there exist very few texts which address the specific requirements of the standard and provide "real world" examples of the practical considerations companies and sites must contend with in order to successfully earn registration to the Scheme. No author has synthesized the controversies, debates, developments and amendments which have surrounded and impacted this often controversial Scheme, until now.

This text definitively breaks down each component of the EMAS regulation, including the appendices and applicable EU guidance documents on the topic, providing a step-by-step analysis of the Scheme. In addition, the work provides examples of three of Akzo Nobel Incorporated's manufacturing locations which have been registered to EMAS, providing examples of how to meet the requirements of the Scheme.

The target audience is threefold: first, environmental managers who are considering implementing EMAS in their firms, but who have little knowledge of the Scheme, will find the work highly useful. Secondly, university students, professors and programs who study environmental auditing as part of their coursework, and who are seeking a solid overview of the program may employ the text. Finally, verifiers in the countries which are recent additions to the EU may use the work to familiarize themselves with the requirements of the Scheme.

Contents

Introduction. 1. Interrelationships between BS 7750 and the EMAS program.- 2. Impetus for creation of the EMAS. Legislative and developmental history of the program.- 3. Creation and evaluation of the EMAS program.- 4. Examination of the development of the EU environmental liability scheme.- 5. Discussion and evaluation of EMAS implementation in each of the EU 25 countries.- 6. Discussion of environmental management systems. Evaluation of EMS? impacts on SMEs.- 7. Evaluation and discussion of the current state of EMAS, with a look toward the future of the Scheme.

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