We are still working to further improve the website structure and layout to increase the outreach of EMAS to European organisations. Moreover, gaining a higher general awareness of EMAS is one of our key motives for this year. Being EMAS registered means to continuously and systematically work on your environmental performance. Therefore, we want to inspire more companies and other organisations to become drivers for positive change with EMAS.

During the 2023 European Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference, the EMAS Helpdesk took the chance to host a virtual booth with the title ‘EMAS, supporting the uptake of environmental management’. On 27 and 28 February 2023, the conference brought together Europe’s biggest circular economy stakeholders. In the Networking Village of the conference, the participants were able to join the virtual booth where topics were covered from why EMAS is a tool for a circular economy to innovative business models and stakeholders’ participation.

Another effective way to communicate EMAS to the outside is through social media. In the last years, the German EMAS Advisory Board (UGA) initiated several EMAS social media campaigns where organisations could use the respective hashtag, e.g. #EMAS4Climate in 2022, and post on their experiences with EMAS. This year the theme will be #ECOchallenge: how to become an #EMAShero and we want to invite everyone to participate. Therefore, the EMAS Helpdesk will host a webinar on April 19 from 11 – 12 am to inspire EMAS-registered organisations to join the new campaign.

News from the European Commission is the launch of the Green Claims initiative this March. The proposal for a Directive on Environmental claims builds on the political commitment of the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Agenda, and the New Consumer Agenda. The proposal will tackle false environmental claims and address greenwashing, complementing the proposal for a Directive on empowering consumers for the green transition. As EMAS is already regulated by Union legislation that guarantees its reliability and trustworthiness, its use is not submitted to the rules of the proposal on Environmental claim. For instance, the use of the EMAS logo and claims will not be submitted to the requirements of the proposal.

Read more about the proposed new law on green claims here, and have a look at the press release, the factsheet and the video with the EMAS logo.

Lastly, we want to highlight some recent publications. The ‘Report on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the EMAS system’, carried out in the framework of the extension of the Interreg Europe ENHANCE project activities, was published. It shows the impact of the crisis both at the level of individual EMAS actors and the system as a whole, demonstrating the resilience of the EMAS system to a crisis and its capacity to respond.

Furthermore, at the end of December and in January six success stories of EMAS-registered organisations from different Member States and sectors were published. The stories showcase the organisations’ approach toward sustainability, their benefits and main results with EMAS, and their plans for the future. Go check them out to get some inspirations for your organisation!

Enjoy the content of this Newsletter! Until Next time the EMAS Helpdesk wishes you a great start to spring!