EMAS and the Sustainable Consumption and Production Action

EMAS and the Sustainable Consumption and Production Action Plan Martin Baxter Deputy Chief Executive Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment m. baxter@iema. net iema “promoting the goal of sustainable development”

EMAS Background • Voluntary, market-based instrument • Established in 1993 through Regulation 1836/93, revised Regulation 761/2001 • Currently 4200 organisations registered in the European Union • Supports continual improvements in the environmental performance of organisations iema “promoting the goal of sustainable development”

EMAS - the scheme’s requirements Requires participating organisations to: • Implement an environmental management system that meets the requirements of the International Standard ISO 14001 • Commit to legal compliance and environmental performance improvement • Publish a public Environmental Statement on their environmental performance iema “promoting the goal of sustainable development”

EMAS - the scheme’s requirements In addition, the EMAS Regulation also: • Sets out the registration process for national Competent Bodies • Specifies the framework for verifiers, who check that organisations meet the EMAS requirements • Defines Member State and European Commission obligations, in particular relating to EMAS promotion • Limits EMAS participation to the European Union iema “promoting the goal of sustainable development”

EMAS Proposal • Retains the link with ISO 14001 as the environmental management system • Strengthens the requirement for organisations to demonstrate compliance with environmental laws and regulations • Enhances the reporting requirements, through the mandatory use of core performance indicators • Establishes a process for developing guidance on best practice in environmental management, helping organisations to benchmark their performance iema “promoting the goal of sustainable development”

EMAS Proposal… • Harmonises procedures for accreditation and verification • Extends the scope of EMAS from EU to global • Encourages enhanced EMAS promotion • Encourages EMAS incentives – Simplified procedures for cluster registrations – Reduced fees for SMEs – Member States encouraged to reduce administrative burdens on participants and provide incentives (e. g. access to funding, tax incentives) – Simplification of rules on use of the EMAS logo iema “promoting the goal of sustainable development”

EMAS and its role in SCP • EMAS focuses on reducing environmental impacts, primarily through an organisation’s direct activities but also through its products/services and supply chains – Supports resource efficiency (doing more with less) – Reinforces legal compliance – Encourages environmental improvement in non-regulated activities – Provides transparency and credibility through validation of environmental performance data and publication of a public environmental statement iema “promoting the goal of sustainable development”

EMAS and its role in SCP To be a successful SCP tool, EMAS must: • Ensure that the increased costs are outweighed by ‘certainty’ over the potential benefits • Ensure that there is differentiation in the benefits for EMAS participants compared with ISO 14001 certified organisations • Position EMAS as an essential tool to support sustainability in business • Significantly increase the number of participants iema “promoting the goal of sustainable development”

Thank You! Martin Baxter - Deputy Chief Executive Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA) St Nicholas House 70 Newport Lincoln LN 1 3 DP United Kingdom m. baxter@iema. net www. iema. net Tel: +44 1522 540069 Fax: +44 1522 540090 iema “promoting the goal of sustainable development”