The days are short, Christmas is just around the corner and the year 2022 is slowly coming to an end. Therefore, we want to take this time to look back on the year and the achievements it has brought for EMAS. 

With the chilly temperatures outside, the record heat waves during the European summer already seem quite far off, but 2022 showed us that the climate crisis has arrived here. Not to forget that all over the world, especially in the Global South, weather extremes, such as the devastating floods in Pakistan or the extreme drought in Eastern Africa, are already a reality. Reducing our environmental and climate impacts therefore cannot be questioned anymore, it is a necessity. 

EMAS supports organizations exactly with this: reducing their environmental and climate impacts and becoming more adapted and resilient to climate change. Establishing a sustainable economy is absolutely key to a climate-neutral future. Accordingly, we need organizations to continuously assess their impact and re-think their actions in terms of sustainability.

This year, as of November 2022, the EMAS network counts 4.013 organizations and 12.723 sites. 126 new organizations and 701 new sites compared to the numbers from last year October 2021. We are happy about the newcomers and the continuous expansion of the EMAS network.

To further expand our EMAS community and inspire more companies and other organizations to become a facilitator for positive change, we launched a new EMAS Communication Toolkit this autumn. In October the EMAS Helpdesk hosted a webinar, presenting the toolkit and highlighting the importance of good communication on the benefits of using EMAS. Organizations from different Member States and sectors presented their best practices. Even with little knowledge, every organization can help to get more stakeholders involved on the path to sustainable transformation.

So, let’s get the message of realizing a positive change with EMAS out there and continue with it in 2023.

Lastly, we would like to share some promising news from the European Commission with you. Two new packages have been adopted this quarter that further pave the way to the aims of the European Green Deal.

The Zero Pollution Package targets the reduction of water and air pollution by tightening the allowed levels of pollutants as well as improving the implementation. The overall goal is cleaner ambient air by 2030, reaching zero air pollution at latest by 2050 and energy-neutrality by 2040 in the sector of wastewater treatment.

The second package tackles the issue of packaging waste. The main objectives are to put a hold on the generation of new packaging waste, to make all packaging on the EU market recyclable by 2030 and to strongly encourage the use of recycled plastics. Additionally, it includes a policy framework that provides clarity on alternative plastics, such as biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics.

This was it from EMAS for 2022. We wish you a wonderful holiday season and a fresh start into the new year!