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15/12/05

New German Minister of the Environment starts celebrations for 10 years of EMAS

The celebration of ten years of EMAS in Germany was organised by the Ministry of the Environment, the Umweltbundesamt (UBA), and the Accreditation Body (DAU) on December 15th, an appropriate occasion to introduce the new Federal Minister of the Environment, Sigmar Gabriel, to the EMAS community. The event also provided an overview of recent developments and a perspective for the future of EMAS.

The Chamber of Commerce in Berlin used this occasion to inspire EMAS registered companies to raise their flags with the EMAS Logo.

When the German Environmental Audit Legislation came into force in December 1995, many companies wanted to be the first to use this innovative tool in environmental policy. The Emden plant of Volkswagen, Audi in Neckarsulm and Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Kassel are the oldest EMAS participants in the automotive industry. Stora Enso, Canon, Viessmann, Bombardier, Sedus Stoll und Aesculap have been among other pioneers in the field. In the food and beverage sector, Hipp, Märkisches Landbrot, Nestlé Germany, sites of Nordzucker and the Adler Brewery at Rettenberg were the first to design their environmental management along the EMAS Regulation and still participate in improving their environmental performance today.

In the meantime EMAS has opened to all sectors, such as public authorities and services. A total of 1,500 organisations and 2,000 sites are currently registered in the German EMAS Register, 56% from the industry and production sectors. Remarkably, about 2.5% of the German work force is employed in an EMAS organisation.

The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme has not lost its appeal: High legal requirements and growing costs for energy and resources have led to a renaissance of environmental management in companies. The German Ministry of the Environment regards EMAS to be the most comprehensive and "top-end" environmental management system. The Federal government now aims to reduce costs and render the EMAS system in Germany even more efficient.

15/12/05

Best practice in Italy receives the national EMAS Awards 2005 in Turin

The Italian EMAS Award 2005

The Italian EMAS Award 2005 is conferred to TOROC: (from left to right) Pino Lucchesi, President of the Italian EMAS and Ecolabel committee, Herbert Aichinger, European Commission and Paolo Revellino, Head of Sustainability Assessment, TOROC.

On 22nd of November the Italian Competent Body held a gala dinner for the EMAS Awards 2005. The event coincided with the EMAS regulatory Article 14 meeting in Turin. Each award was accompanied by a motivation statement by the Competent Body or the European Commission. The winners received a sculpture and also an EMAS Flag to decorate their registered site.

There were 9 winners of the EMAS 2005 Awards. Among them was the Local Authority of Bibione, the first tourist site in Italy registered with EMAS, which acts as a reference for other tourist sites in one of the European countries mostly frequently visited by tourists. The award-winning Local Authority of Cesana Torinese is one of the locations where Winter Olympics' competitions will take place in 2006. Another award was given to TOROC, the organising committee of the Winter Olympics in Turin 2006, which has shown how the negative impacts of sporting events can be planned and limited with EMAS.

The utility company Hera Spa, one of the most important companies in their sector in Italy, received the EMAS Award for their commitment to sustainability in a complex sector. They apply not only the best available technology but also place great importance on transparency and communication to the public. They plan to register all their sites with EMAS progressively during the years to come, in close consultation with the EMAS committee.

In the quickly developing food and beverage sector, the traditional and locally based Illy Caffè received the EMAS award, in particular for their well structured and informative environmental statement.

Other awards were presented to the Liceo Scientifico “Cornaro” (see below), the Natural Park “Monte Avic”, the University Politecnico di Torino, which researches innovative applications of EMAS and the spa Terme di Tabiano.

Find more information (in Italian) on the website of the EMAS Eco-label Committee.

16/11/05

Sustainable Churches – a conference in Salzburg, Austria, 7th December

In the beginning of December all stakeholders interested in the sustainable development of religious communities and their impact are invited to the city of Salzburg. The conference provides an overview of the project “Church Sustainability Management”, looks at its impact on society and its transferability to other institutions, presenting case studies and best practices.

Churches do not only demand that policymakers and businesses turn the vision of sustainable development into a reality. Increasingly, churches are contributing themselves. As multipliers they can fill a crucial role in communicating the benefits of a systematic environmental management system to a wider public. Currently, almost 40 religious communities are EMAS registered.

As part of the European Union model project “Sustainable Churches – Management for a Church with a Future” an innovative systemic approach called Church Sustainability Management was developed and tested. It receives funding from the European Life programme. It requires church institutions to document and evaluate the social, ecological and economic dimensions of their work, and to commit themselves to continuous improvement. This system is now being introduced successfully in almost 20 church institutions in Austria, Germany, Spain and France and serves as a reference model for a “Sustainability EMAS” in church organisations. Eight German pilot organisations develop the model together and test the EMAS/CSR management system in practise. Potential users are informed about the management model and are able to introduce the system independently with the help of materials available on the internet.

The Conference is organised by the EMAS registered NGO Kate e.V., Kontaktstelle für Umwelt und Entwicklung (centre for ecology and development). Recently, it published the guidebook “EMAS plus” (in German) that will be handed to the European Commission during the conference.

Please find more information about Kate and the conference at the website at www.kate-stuttgart.org/

14/10/05

Oceanario de Lisboa, INA Schaeffler KG and chimney sweeper Peter Engelbrechtsmüller win the European EMAS Awards

Oceanario de Lisboa, INA Schaeffler KG and chimney sweeperAn expert jury awarded three companies with this year’s EU EMAS Awards for special activities to promote the values of EMAS:

Oceanario de Lisboa won the award in the SME category for communicating EMAS as a tool to manage marine environment as well as business environment to visitors, suppliers and other stakeholders.

INA Schaeffler KG, a German supplier for the automotive industry, received the EMAS Award for an ambitious programme to validate all 21 production sites in Europe and 10 sites overseas, which has raised awareness of EMAS in countries like India, South Korea and the US.

Chimney sweeper Peter Engelbrechtsmüller won the award for his commitment that goes beyond cleaning chimneys and checking heating devices. Every time he and his staff provide consultancy services for heating systems using renewable energy, he donates and plants a tree in his EMAS forest in his native Waidhofen, a small town in Austria. The forest meanwhile consists of 3,500 trees compensating for some of industry’s CO2 emissions.

The criteria for this year’s EMAS awards were designed explicitly to reward new and innovative activities for promoting the values of EMAS: credibility, transparency, performance, legal compliance.

Of the 31 winners of the national EMAS awards in 14 Member States and Norway, 14 collected their EMAS awards on October 4th during a special evening event, which included dinner and a gospel concert. The national EMAS awards were designed specially for each winning company and made of material from recycled electronic waste. The large statues for the EU awards were made of mirrors taken from copy machines and faxes.

In keeping with the idea of taking EMAS down the supply chain, two of the institutions involved in the organisation of the Conference are also EMAS registered: The conference was co-organised by the EMAS-registered Umweltbundesamt (Austrian Federal Environment Agency) on behalf of DG Environment, which is itself in the process of registration. In addition, the awards were designed and produced by DRZ (Dismantling and Recycling Centre), another EMAS organisation.

Find out more about the EMAS award winners on http://www.emasconference2005.at/

14/10/05

180 participants discussed visions for boosting EMAS

The European EMAS Conference 2005 which took place in Villach (Austria) on 4-5 October welcomed 180 participants from 21 countries. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the progress of EMAS with officials from the Environment Directorate General of the European Commission.

In three “Cases Sessions”, participants followed the case studies from local and public authorities such as the Province of Parma (Italy), City of Györ (Hungary), Fredericia Region (Denmark) and many others. The importance of the careful assessment of indirect aspects relating to policies and funding was pointed out by various experts, among them Ms Eva Fredrix from the State Secretariat of Sustainable Development and Social Economy in Belgium, where EMAS is about to be introduced as a tool for feeding data on sustainable development into policy.

The case studies of the Slovak Refinery Slovnaft and Czech construction company ZS Brno praised the efficiency of EMAS as a management system and a tool for communicating transparently to stakeholders.

In five “Visions Sessions” stakeholders had the unique opportunity to discuss future scenarios for EMAS, such as the initiative for strengthening the product dimension in environmental management. Other discussions focused on the benefit for citizens through EMAS in the public sector or the actual and potential achievements of EMAS in public procurement. Furthermore, the synergies with other policies the possibility of linking EMAS to other pieces of environmental legislation were discussed.

Experts from Hungary, Estonia and Slovenia investigated practical conditions to facilitate EMAS uptake in new Member States. Easy access to knowledge about EMAS, well-trained consultants and reasonable costs were ranked highest among the conditions which favour EMAS uptake.

The proceedings and the list of participants are available on: http://www.emasconference2005.at/

13/09/05

Programme for the EMAS Conference on 4-5 October in Villach, Austria, now available

The Environment Directorate General of the European Commission has gathered 37 experts from fields such as Environmental Product Declarations, Green Procurement, Corporate Social Responsibility, environmental reporting and others in order to present the state-of-the art in EMAS.

In six “Cases Sessions”, case studies from local and public authorities have been teamed with case studies from the most successful industrial companies running EMAS. From these practical experiences, participants will learn about the benefits EMAS offers to entrepreneurs and the challenges they will face. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss first hand experience with experts from EU 15 and new Member States. They will also have the possibility to visit the plant of microelectronic manufacturer SEZ.

In six “Visions Sessions”, stakeholders will be given the possibility to discuss future scenarios for EMAS. These scenarios cover the strengthening of the product dimension in environmental management, the possibilities for a more flexible environmental statement, the requirements for EMAS when used in green public procurement and practical conditions under which EMAS uptake is facilitated in new Member States.

The programme is available from the conference website.

13/09/05

29 companies compete for the European EMAS Awards in three categories

The criteria for this year’s European EMAS Awards have been designed explicitly in favour of new and innovative activities to spread the values of EMAS: credibility, transparency, cost savings and legal compliance.

A list of 29 winners of the national EMAS awards in 14 Member States and Norway is now available. All these companies and three local authorities have proved their commitment to push the limits of environmental management even further. From these 29 nominees the three most innovative organisations will be hand-picked by an expert jury. A majority of the nominees for the European EMAS award has either been the first to implement EMAS in a new sector or has invested resources in conveying the values of EMAS to the public and stakeholders.

Find out more about the nominees at the conference website.

17/06/05

Austrian EMAS Awards handed to nine leading EMAS organisations by the Minister of the Environment, Josef Pröll

" EMAS has developed into the leading EMS tool for companies inside the EU" the Austrian Minister for the environment stated in a press conference during the EMAS conference on June 1st.
He emphasized the role of reduced material consumption, legal certainty and improved risk management for organisations registered under EMAS. Most of all, EMAS organisations handle environmental technology and act as an ambassador for their dissemination both in their home country and abroad.
The Austrian EMAS Award has had a long tradition since 1995. In 2005, a school, a non-profit organisation and several large industrial organisations from microchip and transport sectors were selected from a total of 31 nominees. The first site of the Austrian Motoring Association (ÖAMTC) has also been awarded a prize.
The winners are:
• Abwasserverband Zirl,
• Austria Glas Recycling Ltd
• austriamicrosystems plc (Unterpremstätten),
• Secondary School Rahlgasse
• ÖAMTC site Langenzersdorf
• VAE Rail Systems Ltd.
• Verbund-Austrian Power Grid AG-Übertragung Tauern
• voestalpine Rail Ltd.
• Wolfgang Denzel plc
Award criteria included information, design, target grouping and completeness of the environmental statement.
" EMAS stands for performance, credibility and transparency. All companies which take environmental protection seriously opt for participation in EMAS – in spite of the demanding requirements”, the minister concluded during the press conference.
Further information about EMAS in Austria and pictures from the conference are available via www.emas.gv.at.

17/05/05

Free EMAS consulting and training seminars about to start in Gdansk, Warsaw and Krakow

The Ministry of the Environment has now selected 32 organisations certified under ISO 14001 which will receive full consultancy and training from the EMAS pilot project funded under the EU Phare programme.

In order to gain maximum support from companies participating in the pilot, candidates must provide not only environmental records for the past two years, but also written confirmation from the top management that EMAS will be supported by sufficient man power and financial input for validation.

Up to 70 future environmental managers will start receiving an introductory training via e-mail equivalent to 12 hours of learning. Groups of managers will receive two training sessions each of three days to ensure thorough immersion in the techniques of documentation, auditing and data collection.

A detailed programme will be available shortly before the training starts. In general, the training will consist of lectures in: Environmental Management Systems, EMAS and compliance with legislation, EMAS regulation, external communication, and verification and registration procedures.

Every organisation participating in the pilot has been granted three days of free consultancy. Participants will need practical advice tailor-made for the organisation’s economic sector, such as document review, on-site verification, preparation of the environmental statement and participation in the verification and registration process.

In addition to the general requirements an EMAS organisation has to fulfil, participants in the Phare training programme are expected to sign up for a pre-audit by candidate verifiers and to express willingness to participate in the Contest: "EMAS organisation of 2005".

More information about the pilot can be found here and through contacting the project office in Warsaw

15/04/05

EMAS registered organisations reap more than 50% of the Environmental Award in Baden -Württemberg

The environmental Award for enterprises has been organised by the Ministry of Environment and Transport of Baden-Württemberg for 10 years. The prizes are awarded in the categories of “Industry”, “Crafts and Services” and “Trade” in order to recognize the environmentally sustainable achievements of a company.

The jury consists of representatives of the economy, the environment and nature conservation associations, the Ministry of Economy, the State Agency for Environment and the Ministry of Environment and Transport. Criteria for choosing the winning company include business management, human resources, communication, products, as well as transport policy.

During the 11th awarding ceremony, 13 of the 22 winners (all categories) were EMAS registered. The first prize of 10,000 Euro has been awarded to Lippemeier Cleaning Ltd (located in Schönaich, Böblingen Council) in the craft category. Certificates were handed to Eberle Spritzgießtechnik Ltd (in Niedernhall, Hohenlohe Council) and WELEDA plc (in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Ostalb Council) in the industry category. In addition to having EMAS these two companies have participated in the so-called convoy projects of the Hohenlohe model, which aimed at spreading EMS activities through know-how transfer from larger to smaller companies.

The complete list of award winning companies can be downloaded here. More information about the Hohenlohe model is available from http://www.modell-hohenlohe.de/

17/02/05

Exhibition at the Federal Environmental Agency (Berlin): 10 Years of EMAS

Performance, credibility and transparency of the EU environmental management system EMAS was the topic of an exhibition in the Federal Environmental Agency in Berlin, compiled by the Verifiers’ Association UGA (Umweltgutachterauschuss).

In the library of the Federal Environmental Agency, an exhibition presents brochures, posters and other material from selected EMAS organisations, starting from January 20th, 2005. The exhibition shows the relationship of EMAS to regulatory bodies, green public procurement and sustainable development. The exhibition in the Umweltbundesamt library (Bismarckplatz 1 D-14193 Berlin) is open until March 20th.

13/01/05

Eco manager 2004 awarded to Jan Åström (Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA), Kurt Schmalz and Wolfgang Schmalz

WWF Germany and the business magazine Capital have awarded the „Eco manager of the Year 2004“ trophy for the 14th time. This year’s laureates are Jan Åström, CEO of Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA in Stockholm (Sweden) for affiliated groups and Kurt Schmalz / Wolfgang Schmalz , managing partners of Schmalz Ltd. in Glatten (near Stuttgart, Germany).

Jan Aström (SCA AB), Carl-Albrecht von Treuenfels (WWF), Wolfgang Schmalz and Dr. Kurt Schmalz (J. Schmalz GmbH), Kai Stepp (Capital): Ecomanager 2004 Award in Berlin

Jan Aström (SCA AB), Carl-Albrecht von Treuenfels (WWF), Wolfgang Schmalz and Dr. Kurt Schmalz (J. Schmalz GmbH), Kai Stepp (Capital): Ecomanager 2004 Award in Berlin

SCA employs 5.750 and had a turnover of 1,4 Billion Euro on its 20 German sites, 6 of which are registered for EMAS. Production is structured in SCA Packaging, SCA Hygiene Products and SCA Forrest Products, products rage from conventional corrugated cases, industrial packaging and fine print to cushioning products and point-of-sale displays to publication papers and tissues. Among other factors, the motivation cites the Group’s work with reducing air pollution, the extensive recycled paper operations, environmental certification of SCA’s forests and production plants as well as the transformation of waste into energy, for example for district heating of homes and schools.

Kurt and Wolfgang Schmalz of J. Schmalz GmbH, Glatten/Black forest Region, were rewarded for their exceptional commitment for the environment in manufacturing vacuum components, vacuum handling systems and vacuum clamping systems. Regenerative sources of energy such as wind and water, solar energy and replaceable raw materials (wood chips) are widely used. The company generates enough power for its own requirements and, in 2000, even achieved a surplus of more than 800,000 kWh.

J. Schmalz proved the link of fine environmental performance and good working conditions by ranking high even in the 2004 ranking of "Germany's Best Employers".

More information is available from the website of J. Schmalz Ltd.

05/09/04

EMAS Workshop in Budapest attracted 160 participants

The conference covered topics like requirements of the EMAS regulation, benefits to businesses, local and international practical experience. Participants were introduced to the EMAS Toolkit for Small Organisations, developed by INEM (International Network for Environmental Management), as well as to a simple, visual method to introduce the scheme. Best practices and financial support programmes were also presented.

This EMAS conference and workshop in Budapest was the first event of the project “EMAS 5 Countries”, In addition to the participants, all partners in the project were invited: the representative of the Czech Cleaner Production Centre, the National Foundation for Environmental Protection in Poland, the president of the INEM Polish Forum ISO 14000, the Slovak Cleaner Production Centre, and the representative of the co-supporter International Visegrad Fund participated at the event.

More information can be found at http://www.inem.org/current/emas_5.html

15/07/04

Getting Sustainability Right under the EMAS Umbrella

The German Verifier Board (UGA) hosted a conference on “Sustainability Management under EMAS” on May 12th, 2004. Current tendencies show EMAS and Sustainability Reporting may integrate or concur, depending on the company interests. The presentations are available in PDF for download.

 

Concepts of Sustainability and Management in a company

  • Sustainability as the beacon for entrepreneurship - Peter Hennicke, president of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy
  • Sustainability – a key task for the future of business - Reinhold Kopp, Vorsitzender des Lenkungskreises "econsense - Forum Nachhaltige Entwicklung der Deutschen Wirtschaft

 

EMAS and Sustainability Management

Concepts and Instruments including EMAS for sustainable management - Jan Müller, Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), University of Lüneburg

  • Enriching EMAS with the management of social and economic aspects - Carl-Otto Gensch, Coordinator of the Products and Material Flows Department at the Eco-Institute, Freiburg
  • EMAS and Managing Sustainability in SMEs - Thomas Weiß, QE Manager, Neumarkter Lammsbräu
  • Paving the way towards Integration - the SIGMA Project - Petra Schoele, Institute for Economy and Ecology, University of St. Gallen

15/07/04

Environmental Statement and Sustainability Reporting

  • First Hand Experience on Integrating the Environmental Statement in a Sustainability Report - Katrin Wandel, Umweltbeauftragte der Grundfos Pumpenfabrik GmbH, Wahlstedt
  • First Hand Experience on Integrating the Environmental Statement in a Sustainability Report - Stefan Küst, Umweltbeauftragter der Quelle AG, Nürnberg

For more information read (in German): http://www.umweltgutachterausschuss.de/index.php?warp=archiv&b=2

10/12/03

Austrian Environmental Statement prizes awarded

On Nov. 10th eight winning Environmental Statements were announced in Graz at the annual EMAS event. Although many winners belong to the automotive industry, which is usually teeming with money for fine, attractive public relation, two champions emerged from the “cleaning” business. The waste water treatment union in Anzbach Laabental provided an innovative triangular design with marketing appeal in English. View the Environmental Statement here ( PDF, 1400 kb)

And the winners are: M-real Hallein AG Max Wagenhofer Reinigungsdienst plc, Josef u. Theresia Kling KG, W. Bauer MAN Steyr plc VOEST-ALPINE STAHL DONAWITZ plc Kärntnermilch reg. Gen.m.b.H., Mahle Filtersysteme Ltd. Autohaus Robert Stipschitz Ltd. Abwasserverband Anzbach Laabental

04/02/03

EMAS companies receive Norwegian Award for Environmental Reporting

The seventh Norwegian Award for Best Environmental Reporting was presented at a conference on sustainable leadership in Oslo mid of November. One of the two prices was awarded to the leading Norwegian pulp and paper company, Norske Skogindustrier ASA, the other price went to Dale AS, a textile mill with long traditions. Additional 22 companies within manufacturing, service and transport were given honours for excellent environmental reporting.

In its reasoning, the Jury said that environmental concerns are stated throughout the annual report from Norske Skogindustrier ASA. Detailed information on environmental performance and sustainability is given in separate reports. The environmental report from Dale AS on the other hand is exemplary in informative lay-out and transparency to the public - an example and “lighthouse” for other SMEs. Both organisations - one with 11.300, the other with 95 employees - are EMAS and ISO14001 certified.

Norwegian companies have published environmental reports on a voluntary basis since 1989. The Best Environmental Reporting Prize is organized by 8 Norwegian business and professional confederations. 150 stand alone environmental reports, plus 40 environmental reports included in companies’ annual reports were evaluated by the Jury, which was chaired by Norway's former environmental minister, Mr Thorbjörn Berntsen. The price awarding criteria are similar to the Guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). An overview is given on the website www.nho.no/miljo under "Miljørapporter / Environmental reports."

04/02/03

EMAS registered companies receive a European Business Award for the Environment

Ten companies from the European Union and Candidate Countries received the European Business Award for the Environment from Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström in Budapest on October 3. 100 companies took part in the second edition of the awards. The ten winners come from seven EU countries Austria, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom and two accession countries Malta and Slovenia.

The companies obtained the prize for their efforts to integrate sustainable development in their activities in four different areas: management, processes, products and international cooperation. The selection criteria for the management category were:

  • clear integration of environmental issues into company policies
  • clear and measurable performance improvement due to policy

Amongst the 3 winners of the management awards are two EMAS registered companies:

The Spanish company COATO has achieved EMAS in 2001. Their environmental management project includes activities aimed at increasing the environmental awareness and commitment of its thousands of co-op members and workers. They were awarded the management prize for their achievements in developing an integral management model for sustainable development in agriculture that includes the application of product quality standards, quality management and environmental protection in all process phases, from cultivation to delivery to the client.

ST-Microelectronic Ltd, Malta was the first company in a Candidate Country to implement an environmental management system according to the EMAS standard. ST firmly believes that care for the environment is part of the ethical obligations of business. Its commitment to the environment is embodied in its "Environmental Decalogue", ten quantified, timed and measurable targets to help the company move towards environmental neutrality. ST has committed itself to the extremely ambitious goal of completely neutralising its CO2 emissions by the year 2010. It has demonstrated exceptional progress in the implementation of environmentally-sound technologies and processes, in tandem with impressive business success and measurably increased value for its shareholders.

The third winner of the management award is the UK company B&Q which proved its positive approach to the challenges of social responsibility through their internal environmental management programme 'QUEST', which stands for QUality, Ethics and SafeTy.

04/02/03

Green Week 2003

The annual Green Week conference and exhibition will take place in Brussels from 2-5 June 2003. Green Week 2003 is about bringing people together to debate, as a follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the key environmental issues of sustainable consumption and production, renewable energy & climate change and water. A number of high-level political meetings will take place, as well as "traditional" Green Week conference sessions involving stakeholders, special workshops for young people and children and an exhibition featuring interesting projects that illustrate best practice in the field of environment.

Green Week 2003 is aimed at local, regional and national decision-makers, as well as environmental stakeholders like companies, industry associations and non-governmental organisations. For the first time ever, on World Environment Day, 5 June, Green Week will stage an Environmental Awards ceremony. On this occasion, European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström will present awards to the winners of the Environment Directorate General's Green Week Competitions and other Environmental Awards.

The Green Week web site will be updated regularly with the latest news and events. On-line registration for Green Week will be available as from 15/03/2003. If you want to be kept up-to-date with Green Week 2003 developments, add your name to the Green Week mailing list

10/01/03

Outcome of the 2nd seminar on EMAS in the Candidate Countries

On the 25th of October, a seminar on EMAS in the Candidate Countries took place at the Czech Ministry for the Environment. The seminar was held in conjunction with the 5th EMAS Article 14 Committee meeting in Prague. The presentations made during this event can be downloaded from the website of the Czech Environmental Institute. For more information on the state of implementation in each country visit the Candidate Countries page on this website.

10/01/03

New seminar on EMAS for the Candidate Countries

AA new seminar on EMAS for the Candidate Countries was held on 25 October 2002 in conjunction with fifth Article 14 Committee meeting held in Prague. The agenda can be downloaded here (pdf 128 KB). The last Candidate Country seminar was held on April 12. Slides produced for the April event can be downloaded here (zip file 2.18 MB). For more information on the state of implementation in each country visit the Candidate Countries page on this website.

10/01/03

Early announcement: EMAS Verifiers Workshop

On 24 June 2003, the Commission will organise an EMAS Workshop for EMAS verifiers. The workshop will be held in Brussels and is aimed at discussing the status of EMAS and the important part that verifiers play in ensuring its credibility. Information on how to register will be available from this website soon.

11/12/02

UK conference "Sustainability in Public Services"

As part of the Commission's promotion of EMAS for local authorities in all Member States the UK is hosting a conference to explain the benefits of EMAS to local authorities and other organisations in the public sector. The conference organisers expect to get as many as 300 people to attend the event. It will be held on November 27 in London and will include case studies of authorities which have successfully implemented EMAS and cover other subjects such as social reporting and green procurement. Featured organisations will be Leeds City Council, Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council, and Newcastle City Council. It is planned to facilitate a discussion with delegates and these local authorities on detailed aspects of implementing EMAS, including benefits, and cost savings. The conference programme and all information about the proceedings can be accessed from the conference website

09/09/02

Management Award for Sustainable Development

On June 6th 2002, the jury of the European Award for the Environment held its meeting under the presidency of Mrs. Cristina Garcia-Orcoyen, Member of the European Parliament. The jury selected 20 projects from member states and also from six of the EU accession candidate (Hungary, Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta). Twelve of these projects will receive a European Award from EC Commissioner Mrs. Margot Wallström on October 3rd. The award is given in four categories for an innovative integration of sustainable development into management, products, process and international co-operation. The award category 1 will be for exceptional organisations with the strategic vision and management systems enabling them to continuously improve their contribution to sustainable development. For more information on the candidates, the jury and the ceremony visit the EU environment awards website.

07/05/02

EMAS seminar in Paris

On 2 and 3 April 2002, the French Competent Body organised a seminar on EMAS II for accredited verifiers and the members of the French EMAS Committee. This EMAS Committee was created as a national mirror Committee to the Article 14 Committee on the European level. It includes representatives of industry and their associations, consumer associations and NGOs as well as representatives from public administration. The secretariat is held by ACFCI, the Assembly of French Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The objective of this workshop was to explain the new aspects of the revised regulation, to introduce all bodies involved in the scheme in France and to lay down planned promotion activities for the year 2002. The presentation slides (PDF, 473Kb) produced for this seminar give a very good overview of the implementation of EMAS in France and the bodies involved.

27/03/02

Seminar on EMAS in the Candidate Countries

In the framework of enlargement, more and more of the Candidate Countries are preparing themselves for the transposition of the environmental acquis (the body of EU environmental legislation and standards that need to be met prior to accession). The EMAS regulation is part of this and Candidate Countries have started to build up the necessary structures for the implementation of the scheme. In some Candidate Countries there are already "quasi-registrations": organisations that have implemented an environmental management system and published their environmental statement according to the requirements of EMAS.

On 12 April 2002, DG Environment will invite representatives from the Candidate Countries to share experience, expertise and solutions with Competent Bodies from the EU. Issues covered are the link between IPPC and EMAS, the participation of SMEs in the scheme as well as financial instruments to support the implementation of EMAS in Accession Countries.

For more information on the state of implementation in each country visit the Candidate Countries page on this website. In the future you will also find there a list of organisations with "quasi-registration" status. For the moment you can request this list from the EMAS Helpdesk.

27/03/02

Green Week to discuss EMAS in schools

The European Commission is organising a Green Week from 15-19 April in Brussels to mobilise resources and strengthen dialogue and co-operation with key stakeholder groups across the EU. The general theme of Green Week 2002 is "Our future, Our Choice - Changing our ways". A large number of workshops, conferences and exhibitions will take place to discuss environmental topics at stake. One of the four central themes will be sustainable consumption and production and a session on Eco-management in schools will take place on Wednesday April 17. This panel debate will bring together students, representatives from the education and business sector and environmental experts from different European countries to discuss the role of the education sector in the implementation and the promotion of the EMAS scheme.

In cooperation with the Green Week a conference How Green is Public Procurement in the EU is being organised by Forum Europe on Thursday April 18. The aim of this conference is to explore how the EU's drive to abolish national barriers around public contracts could be extended to meet environmental protection goals. Please consult www.forum-europe.com for further information.

More information on the Green Week events can be found on the Green Week website.

25/03/02

OECD Conference

Environmental Management Systems: from implementation to communication
Enhancing the role of local communities and firms for territorial development

25-27 March 2002, Salsomaggiore (Parma), Italy.

Territorial development policies describe space-based strategies for economic development. They focus on social, environmental, and economic assets to appreciate opportunities for development. They assess the distribution of competence, responsibility, and resources that forge local competitiveness to redesign governance. The environment stands as a key component of this increasingly place-based qualitative approach to support global sustainable development. Implementing these policies requires revisiting available policy tools and promoting new instruments. In particular, public-private partnerships (horizontal) and partnerships between different levels of government (vertical) require an organised, and possibly standardised, setting of objectives and monitoring of the actions to achieve them.

Environmental management systems (EMSs) stand among these instruments and are increasingly being adopted by private and public sector organisations. EMSs help transfer environmental and economic tasks towards responsible stakeholders at local level. Hence, they contribute to a number of policy objectives, such as regulatory reform, strategic spatial planning, risk reduction, etc. They also support the development and implementation of innovative governance (such as Local Agenda 21s for sustainable development or Territorial Pacts based on participatory planning, etc.)

This international conference examines the role of environmental management for place-based policies in light of the experiences developed by the private sector and by local authorities such as ISO 14001 and the application of the European Eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS). It focuses on the drivers that affect the implementation and performance of EMSs while pointing at their environmental and economic effects at firm level and at local community level. The territorial dimensions are therefore explicit, posing issues about problem solving strategies and tools, ranging from integrated watershed management up to the establishment of appropriate micro-economic instruments such as environmental accountancy. Furthermore, the experiences gathered at the conference will illustrate the opportunities to translate vast amounts of data into meaningful information and so communicate according to the needs of different stakeholders.

The Conference is organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in co-operation with the European Commission, the Italian Ministry of the Environment, the Region of Emilia Romagna, the Provincia di Parma, and the Comune di Salsomaggiore

More information on the conference can be found on the website - http://www.oecd.org/
or requested from:
Mr Carlo Pesso
Territorial Development Policies and Prospects
OECD
2, rue André Pascal
75775 Paris Cedex 16, France
E-mail: Carlo.Pesso@oecd.org
Tel: +33.1.45.24.16.82
Fax: +33.1.45.24.78.76

22/11/01

EMAS in POLLUTEC

Pollutec is a major international exhibition of environmental equipment, technology and services for industry. The salon has gained it s reputation as an important meeting point for all the stakeholders of the sector. This year the exhibition will take place in Paris from the 4th to the 7th of December.

EMAS will be presented in a conference called "Les enjeux de la communication environnementale: nouvelles perspectives du référentiel EMAS"

Stakeholders, clients, partners and the public demand today credible and transparent information about the environmental performance of companies and other organisations. EMAS allows to respond to these requirements. Thanks to the EMAS environmental statement, the verification process and the new logo, organisations have an effective tool for the communication of their environmental performance.

This conference aims to provide a better understanding of the benefits of EMAS, and how to pass from ISO 14001 to EMAS through concrete examples. A company from the industrial sector will share its experience, presenting the benefits of EMAS for companies.

The conference, organised by the Environmental Service of ACFCI (Assemblée des Chambres Françaises de Commerce et d'Industrie, service environnement) will take place on the 5th December from 14.00 to 17.30h

(Parc des expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte. Hall 6 - Espace réunions 6, rooms 616 to 618)

For more information please contact : Agnès DAMAY

Phone : 33 (0)1.40.69.37.46
Fax : 33 (0)1.53.57.17.46
E-mail: i.fibleuil@acfci.cci.fr
Website ACFCI: http://environnement.acfci.cci.fr

Website Pollutec: http://www.pollutec.com

To see the full list of conferences of Salon Pollutec,
click here: http://www.pollutec.com/conferences2001/confs/index.htm#Mardi 4 decembre

16/11/01

International Meeting

"Sustainability by Eco-Management and Audit Scheme and other economic instruments of Environmental Law"

6th and 7th December 2001
Johannes Kepler University of Linz (Austria)

Objectives of the seminar :

For the first time in Europe the Austrian "Environmental Management law" ("UMG") provides practically important administrative deregulation for EMAS-registered organisations. The Austrian Environmental Management Law (UMG) intends to relieve not only organisations and administrations, but also contribute to sustainable development.
The UMG will be presented to the international experts as a possible example for further legislation.
Other economic instruments of environmental protection (especially environmental protection treaties) will also be discussed. It will be taken into consideration how to enlarge the use of environmental verifiers.
The meeting also aims to achieve an international exchange of experience regarding deregulation.

This meeting is organised by the Institute for environmental Law Johannes Kepler University of Linz and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management.

There will be simultaneous translations in English and German.
Registration is free, and should be made before November 20th

Further information:
Institute for environmental Law Johannes Kepler
University of Linz
Altenberger Street 69 and 74
A-4040 Linz Austria

Phone : +43 (0)732 24 68 95 41 or 96
Fax : +43 (0)732 24 68 8230
E-Mail: rainer.weiss@iku.at
http://www.iur.jku.at/veranst/symp0112e.htm

21/06/01

SEMINAR: Environmental Management Systems in public administrations: Towards best practices?

Maastricht, 24-25 September 2001, European Institute of Public Administration

The new EMAS Regulation is about to enter into force. This will certainly mean new opportunities to promote the introduction of environmental management schemes in private enterprises with a focus on sectors other than industry and with respect to companies which already have experience of ISO 14001. On the other hand, the new EMAS Regulation is a challenge for public authorities as they can now also officially apply for certification under the new EMAS scheme.

The conference will critically examine the new EMAS Regulation and its relation to the ISO scheme. Civil servants from administrations throughout Europe who have introduced environmental auditing and management systems will present their practical experiences.

The working language of the conference will be English. Further information can be obtained from:

Winny Curfs
European Institute of Public Administration
Tel.nr: 00.31.43.3296320
Fax: 00.31.43.3296296
e-mail: w.curfs@eipa-nl.com
Website: www.EIPA.nl

19/03/01

Green Week to launch the 6 EAP "Environment 2010: Our future, our choice"

The European Commission is organising a Green Week from 24-28 April in Brussels to publicise the Sixth Environmental Action Programme. A large number of workshops, conferences and exhibitions will take place to discuss environmental topics at stake. On 27 April during the workshop on "Greening the Environment Directorate-General of the European Commission" representatives of public authorities will be invited to reflect on motives and incentives that should drive public authorities to greening their operations and talk about their experience with the EMAS scheme. The EMAS stand will provide information to visitors throughout the duration of Green Week. The outline of this workshop as well as more information on the programme of the conference, projects presented in the exhibition area and the Green Week special events can be found on the Green Week website.

30/01/01

Envirorisk 2001

European Forum for the management of the environment and occupational safety aspects

This forum consists of conferences (with a participation fee) and several workshops (free) which will take place on 19-20 June 2001 in the Palais des Congrès, Lyon, France. For more information please mail to info@envirorisk-forum.com or have a look at the forum's website at www.envirorisk-forum.com