EMAS Verification

EMAS promotes the continuous improvement of the environmental performance of organisations through:

• The implementation of an environmental management system.
• Systematic, periodic and objective evaluation of this system.
• Informing the public and interested parties.
• Training and active involvement of employees.

The main goals are:

• To ensure a high level of environmental protection.
• To continuously improve environmental performance.
• To gain a competitive advantage in the sector.

The requirements of this system are regulated by Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009, which allows organisations to join a Community Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) on a voluntary basis.

The Environmental Analysis is a preliminary global review of the environmental issues, impacts and behaviours related to the activities of an organisation, carried out in order to understand the initial situation of the organisation and to identify the environmental aspects of the organisation as a basis and starting point for the establishment of the Environmental Management System.

What should the Environmental Analysis include?

• Criteria for assessing the significance of impacts.
• Quantitatively and qualitatively significant environmental aspects.
• Identification and evaluation of applicable legal requirements, defining the criteria for evaluation of requirements.
• Environmental management practices and procedures.
• Analysis of the measures and influence to be taken to reduce the impact.
• Existence of complaints, sanctions, administrative procedures and/or complaints in recent years.

Direct aspects

Those generated as a consequence of the organisation’s activities and over which it has management control.

• Atmospheric emissions (e.g. dust emissions).
• Discharges into water (e.g. discharges of dyeing water).
• Generation of hazardous and non-hazardous waste (e.g. empty containers of hazardous products, remains of glues, paints, etc.).
• Soil contamination.
• Use of natural resources and raw materials.
• Local issues (noise, odours, visual appearance, etc.).
• Aspects related to transport.
• Accident risks and environmental impacts arising or likely to arise from incidents, accidents and emergency situations.

Indirect aspects

Those generated as a consequence of the development of the activities of subcontractor suppliers and over which the organisation does not have full management control.

• Aspects related to production (design, development, packaging, transport, use, recovery and disposal of waste).
• Environmental performance and practices of contractors, subcontractors and suppliers.
• Vehicle emissions and noise, waste generation, consumption, etc.

Document by which organisations implementing an Environmental Management System, in accordance with the EMAS Regulation, disclose to the public and all interested parties the organisation’s environmental information regarding:

• Environmental impact caused.
• Environmental performance of the organisation.
• Continuous improvement of the environmental performance.

What should the environmental statement include?

• Description of the organisation and a summary of its activities, products and services.
• Environmental policy and brief description of the EMS.
• Description of all significant direct, potential and indirect environmental aspects.
• Description of environmental objectives and targets in relation to significant aspects and impacts (should allow for annual comparison).
• Evolution of the organisation’s environmental performance.
• Compliance with environmental legislation.
• Name and accreditation number of the verifier and date of validation.

Note: In the event that the organisation wishes to prepare a corporate statement for several geographical locations, they must ensure that the significant impact of each of the sites is covered in that statement.

Publication of the environmental statement

The environmental statement must be publicly available, through: Libraries, electronic publication, etc. The organisation shall demonstrate that any interested person can have access to this information free of charge. The EMAS logo is unique and must follow the guidelines set out in Annex V.

The environmental statement shall contain annual updated information and shall be verified and subsequently validated by an accredited environmental verifier.

Content of the environmental statement

With regard to the content of the Environmental Statements, there are two types, depending on the year in which they are made.

In the years of initial registration and renewals, a Full Environmental Statement (FES) must be validated, while in the intermediate years an Updated Environmental Statement (AES) must be available, where, if there are no substantial changes, its content will only be updated in relation to:

• A summary of the organisation’s environmental performance against environmental objectives and targets and its significant environmental impacts.
• Basic and relevant sectoral indicators (the latter to be published).
• References to legal environmental requirements.
• Name and accreditation or licence number of the environmental verifier.

At this point, it should also be expanded and better defined whether the CCD is an update of the CCD in the points described above, or whether it is an extract or selection of the former, as a separate or distinct document.

Environmental verification and validation of the environmental statement

Once the Environmental Management System has been implemented, the organisation, in order to obtain registration under the EMAS III Regulation, must, through an accredited Environmental Verifier:

• Verify compliance with the EMAS III Regulation Requirements: Initial review, Environmental Management System and audit procedure.
• Validate the environmental statement.
• The Environmental Analysis, Environmental Management System, Internal Audit, Environmental Statement and use of Logo will be verified. Validate the Environmental Statement.

Once the Environmental Management System has been implemented and verified by an accredited environmental verifier, the Organisation submits the following documentation to the Competent Regional Body (Regional Ministry of Sustainable Development and Territorial Planning/Environmental Quality):

• Completed application for membership.
• Validated environmental declaration.
• Accreditation certificate of the environmental verifier.
• Brief description of the Environmental Management System implemented in the company.
• The Competent Autonomous Body checks that the documentation submitted complies with the requirements of EMAS and proceeds to register it.
• Once registered, the Competent Regional Body publishes it in the Official Gazette of the Autonomous Community and notifies the company so that it can make the Validated Environmental Statement available to the public.
• The company’s registration is sent to the Ministry of the Environment, which forwards it to the European Union for publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

ISO 14001 certified companies wishing to join EMAS must:

• Undertake an initial environmental review (if they have not done so for ISO 14001).
• Demonstrate that they comply with all applicable environmental regulations.
• Identify indirect environmental aspects.
• Develop and maintain an Environmental Statement and validate it by an accredited body.
• Assessing the environmental performance of the organisation.
• Drawing up reports with environmental indicators or graphs and diagrams that allow annual comparison of the evolution of environmental performance.
• Involve workers in the continuous improvement of the system (committee, objectives, etc.).
• Demonstrate an open dialogue with the public and other interested parties.
• Involve the Competent Body of the Administration in the verification process (it is ultimately responsible for validating the Statement and processing the registration of the organisation in the EMAS Register).

EMAS Global

Formal decision after entry into force of the Regulation. Accreditation/authorisation system (EC Regulation 765/2008):

• Decide accreditation/authorisation.
• They decide to accredit/not to accredit natural persons.
• In case the MS accepts EMAS Global, decides special accreditation/authorisation for environmental verifiers operating in third countries.

Corporate EMAS

Competent Bodies and the Commission will develop guidance for registration in non-EU countries.

Reference documents: Developed by the Commission. Consultation with MS and other interested parties.

Assistance to organisations: Access to information on legal requirements. MS decide which organisation to designate for this purpose and how to organise the assistance system.

MS take the initiative and propose it to the Commission providing evidence of equivalence. Informing organisations and the public about EMAS. Professional publications, press, campaigns.

Promotion:

• Promote especially SME participation (access to information, reasonable fees).
• Development of tools and technical support.
• Cluster promotion.
• Stimulation of step-by-step implementation.
• Linkage with other legal instruments: integration and synergies with other policies and instruments (public procurement, new legislation, etc.). Regulatory incentives, deregulation.

Fees: These will be optional and proportionate.