EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme) is one of the voluntary tools for environmental protection, i.e. that it positively motivates organizations to take a responsible approach and to improve environmental performance beyond legislative requirements. It was set up by the European Union to identify and monitor the environmental impact of organizations' activities and to publish information in the form of individual environmental statements (environmental statements).
It can be said that EMAS extends the ISO 14001 system, especially from the point of view of transparency, when an organization with an established system according to EMAS is obliged to publish an environmental statement and openly discuss with the public and other stakeholders.
EMAS is a systemic approach to managing environmental issues in an organization with an emphasis on integrating the environmental perspective into both the organization's overall strategy and its day-to-day activities. It requires the organization to define significant environmental aspects (and impacts) as well as specific goals and measures by which it will meet the requirement of so-called continuous improvement.
Benefits of verification:
- the registered organization has higher competitiveness in tenders - EMAS is one of the qualification prerequisites in the Public Procurement Act;
- the registered organization no longer has the obligation to create financial security pursuant to Act No. 167/2008 Coll., on the prevention of ecological damage and its remediation;
- a registered organization may increase business credibility for investors, insurance companies, public administration, banks and also strengthen public relations;
- reduction of operating costs (e.g. savings of energy, raw materials and other resources), improvement of emergency preparedness and status of operational documentation (file service);
- by involving the company in the EMAS process, each employee can contribute to achieving the above benefits and advantages through innovative ideas, improvement proposals, changes in their own behavior and cooperation with other employees.