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EMAS - Performance, Credibility, Transparency

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Wholesale and retail trade - Telecommunication - Financial services – Computers – R&D
(NACE codes 50. to 52. and 64. to 74.)

15/12/05

Czech insurance company grants reduces fees to EMAS organisations

The insurance company Česká podnikatelská pojišťovna has started to grant reduced fees to companies registered with EMAS.

The senior management decided to include EMAS in an evaluation of clients' risk, because EMAS organisations have an efficient tool in place to minimize environmental and legal risks. Data from the management system provides information about risks and developments to the insurance company.

More information about the conditions is available from Jan Klasterka from the EMAS Agency in the Czech Environmental Information Agency (CENIA).

13/09/05

Basque telecommunication company Euskaltel receives EMAS registeration

For Euskaltel, environmental protection is part of a strategy applied in environmental, social and economic sustainability. Euskaltel, mainly operating in the Basque Country in the north of Spain, is co-owned by Euskadi and offers mobile, fixed line communication and internet solutions. This registration follows that of British Telecom in Spain.

More information about Euskaltel is available from the company website.

13/09/05

German think-tank Helmholtz Centre in Leipzig-Halle enters the Pact for the Environment in Saxony

The Environment Research Centre in Leipzig and Halle (Umweltforschungszentrum - UFZ) has decided to implement EMAS. The UFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Centre, an association of 15 German research centres, which have a common budget of 2.2 billion €. The Centre is mainly involved in research on the complex relationship of human beings and their environment in used and unbalanced landscape. “One who researches daily for the environment has to take on environmental management at his own work place, “says Andreas Zehnsdorf, coordinator for environmental management at UFZ. Ideas and questionnaires from staff have revealed weak points to be addressed. A tough analysis of environmental data has led to the installation of a solar device for warm water and an internal stock market for chemicals.

Apart from cost savings, EMAS will improve employee commitment and the credibility of environmental management targets, Zehnsdorf says.

The Helmholtz Centre enters the Pact for the Environment in Saxony, which has been founded in order to improve conditions for the economy, for example, by facilitating permits and stimulating voluntary commitment of enterprises. Saxony has taken this step as the first of the new Federal States in Germany to create a dialogue to improve the environment.

Read more (in German) here.

17/06/05

OeKB: a new “Index with conscience” bases its credibility on EMAS

The EMAS registered Austrian Control Bank (Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG (OeKB)) recently presented the OeKB Sustainability Fund Index (OeSFX). This new equity fund index enables investors to compare the development of ecological and sustainable companies in Austria with the trend of the entire market on a day-to-day basis. The OeSFX index has already received the award “Trigos 2005 for enterprises with responsibility”. The updated values of the OeSFX , as well as the historic values since 30.12.2004, are now available on http://www.oesfx.at and on http://www.profitweb.at.
More and more investors today prefer to invest in companies that act in an ecologically and socially sustainable way. To achieve the broadest possible diversification of risk, an investment in eco- and sustainability equity funds is recommended. The OeSFX is the first specific benchmark in this area of investment.
An advisory committee of experts on ecological and sustainable investments, on consumer protection, as well as on industry and the investment funds market, control the criteria that companies have to fulfil in order to be included in the index. To guarantee credibility, an independent verifier surveys the work of the advisory committee.
The updated value of the index as well as further information on the OeSFX, the criteria and the methods of calculation are available at http://www.oesfx.at. Please find further information on the Austrian Control Bank at http://www.oekb.at and also have a look at the award through http://www.trigos.at.

17/05/05

ESRA European Sustainability Reporting Awards 2004 won by sustainability reports of UK bank “Cooperative Financial Services”and EMAS organisation “Biosphere Park Grosses Walsertal”(AT)

The EMAS registered “Biosphere Park Grosses Walsertal”(in the SME category) and the UK bank “Co-operative Financial Services (CFS)”have won the European Sustainability Reporting Award (ESRA) 2004, which is awarded annually by the European Association of Chartered Certified Accountants for the best environmental and sustainability reports.

The award seeks to select the most innovative and informative presentation of environmental and sustainable management in organisations using standardized criteria. A multidisciplinary team of certified accountants, environmental verifiers, industry representatives and researchers, as well as journalists and advertisers, select the winners.

Since 2001/2002, awards have been judged following the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Award criteria for the reports include:

  • Completeness
  • Credibility and communication
  • Publication of guidelines and management systems
  • Comprehensibility for readers, the design and the possibility for feedback
  • Data, benchmarking, time series and trends
  • Targets, performance and deviations
  • Link to business reporting, bonds and provisions
  • Costs for environmental protection and social activities
  • External verification

Out of 31 entries for the ESRA Award, 10 companies and organisations are EMAS registered. (EMAS organisations are marked in bold in the list below):

  • Baer (SUI)
  • BASF (DE)
  • Biosphärenpark Grosses Walsertal (AT)
  • CESPA (ES)
  • COOP (SUI)
  • Co-operative Financial Services (UK)
  • Danisco (DK)
  • Österreichische Kontrollbank (AT)
  • EDP –Electricidade de Portugal (PT)
  • Heineken (NL)
  • Kesko (FI)
  • Neumarkter Lammsbräu (DE)
  • Proventia Group (FI)
  • Renault (FR)
  • SAS (SV)
  • Statoil (NO)
  • Tinfos Titan & Iron KS (NO)
  • Airbus (FR)
  • Berufschule Kehl (DE)
  • BG und BRG Rahlgasse (AT)
  • CELBI –Celulose da Beira Inductrial (PT)
  • Grundfos (DK)
  • Musgrave Group (IE)
  • Nederlandse Gasunie (NL)
  • Repsol YPF (ES)
  • SCA Laakirchen (AT)
  • SLL (SV)
  • Stadtwerke Karlsruhe (DE)
  • Thames Water Utilities Ltd (UK)
  • Tine BA (NO)
  • UPM Kymmene (FI)

The Sustainability Report of Biosphere Park Grosses Walsertal is available for downloading:
Download Sustainability Report (DE) (6 MB)
Download short version (EN) (364 kB)
The complete report of the jury is available here.

14/03/05

Italian Banca di Credito Cooperativo Trevigiano sees EMAS as a tool to promote environment in SME financing

The Banca di Credito Cooperativo Trevigiano states that it has been founded out of both necessity and a utopia: The necessity to allow the largest possible number of people to participate in economic life on conditions more favourable than in traditional banks, and the utopia to progress together to solidarity, respect for the individual and financial capability for everyone.

As a local bank out of a group of several dozen local banks, the Credito Trevigiano had already signed an environmental policy capable of greening most of its financial activities. Registering for a verified EMAS was the logical next step, which they achieved in February of 2005.
Thanks to EMAS, the management is aware of how a local bank for small customers is capable of influencing other companies’ attitudes towards social responsibility and of a certain sensibility, in this case towards environmental issues. This comes about mostly by making use of the local networks to which Banco di Credito Cooperativo belongs.

The bank also fosters financial products which encourage sustainable economic development and is responsible for a gradual introduction of environmental risk assessment among their beneficiaries.

Among the internal environmental targets, energy, paper and water consumption rank highest. In addition green procurement is gradually being introduced, e.g. by requiring recyclable and long lasting products.

For more information contact Mr. Nicola Bernardi or visit www.bcctrevigiano.it (in Italian).

05/09/04

First banks registered in Spain: Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo and Caixa d’Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona

The Alicante based bank Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo and the Catalan bank “la Caixa” have been registered for EMAS, each one employing an average of 1400 people. Previously EMAS was present in the banking sector only in Germany and Italy.

For more information read http://www.cam.es/3/index.htm or http://portal1.lacaixa.es/Channel/Ch_Redirect_Tx?dest=3-23-10-00000003.

15/03/04

Spanish consulting group take the EMAS medicine

In a very rare move, BearingPoint Business Consulting Spain chose to test one of their management products and implemented an environmental management system according to EMAS requirements in their own offices in Madrid.

In the Madrid office of BearingPoint Spain, one of the largest consulting organizations in the country, a staff of 750 delivers various services on production efficiency and integration of systems to an international business clientele.

View the Spanish site at: www.bearingpoint.es.

04/02/03

EMAS bank provides 50 million euro loan for renewable energy and environment projects.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a Euro 50 million loan with the Monte dei Paschi di Siena banking group for use by its subsidiary Banca Verde, for the financing of small and medium-sized projects in the renewable energy and environmental sectors. Banca Verde’s mission is to provide both advisory services and lending in agriculture, agri-business, environment and renewable energy. More specifically, Banca Verde is involved with Eco-label certification for hotels, restructuring of rural lodgings, waste and water treatment, energy generation with renewable resources and low environmental impact, construction of environmentally-friendly buildings and EMAS and/or ISO 14001 certifications of SMEs and local authorities.

The bank itself is registered for EMAS since July 2002. Beside activities taken to reduce the bank’s direct environmental impact, it is also very committed to the management and improvement of its indirect environmental impacts. As part of this strategy, Banca Verde has designed a specific screening procedure in order to verify each project in relation to its environmental impact. It also rewards customers who reduce their environmental risks by a more attractive lending rate. For more information visit the Banca Verde website.

05/02/02

The German Federal Environment Ministry publishes the booklet: "Green Finance - Environmental Management in Banks, Savings Banks and Insurance Companies"

The financial sector has an enormous influence in achieving sustainable development. On one hand, it can have a positive and direct effect, for example, with eco-efficient buildings or waste reduction measures. On the other hand, they can exercise a significant role as pacesetters in our society since their environmental commitment can point the way forward to employees, business and customers. It is important therefore to show concrete cases of what can be achieved in the financial sector.

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, and the German Federal Environmental Agency have recently published a booklet to sum up actual examples of environmental activities carried out by the German financial services companies. The publication shows best practices in the areas of operational and product ecology, environmental management and social responsibility.

The brochure has been published in English and German and can be ordered free of charge from:

  • German Federal Environmental Agency / Umweltbundesamt, ZAD, Postfach 33 00 22, 14191 Berlin, Fax 030/8903-2912, e-Mail: petra.berner@uba.de
    or
  • German Federal Environment Ministry / Bundesumweltministerium, Referat Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, 11055 Berlin, Fax: 01888/305-2044, e-Mail: service@bmu.de.

More on Financial Services and the Environment:

A study conducted for Environment DG by Delphi Consultants in association with Ecologic in 1997, showed both the (relatively limited) direct impact that financial institutions have on the environment, as well as the substantial indirect impacts (e.g. through lending and insuring business activity). The study listed opportunities for the financial sector and identifies possibilities and obstacles for improvement.

If you wish to learn more about the links between EMAS and the financial sector, see also our brochure "The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme: a new Opportunity for Financial Institutions", which is available from our website here.
The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme