As the European summer comes to an end, we reflect on a season marked by record-breaking summer temperatures averaging 19.63°C in Europe --  significant 0.83°C above the historical average, as reported by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Moreover, this summer we have seen an increase in extreme weather events, underscoring the urgent need to address the ongoing climate crisis.

To tackle this crisis, we need more companies, organisations, and other stakeholders to commit to becoming part of the solution. EMAS organisations have consistently proven to be catalysts for change, demonstrating creativity and ingenuity in developing sustainable and economically viable business strategies while transparently communicating their approaches through their environmental statements.

We're pleased to note that the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) -- effective from the start of this year -- mandates sustainability reporting for all large public-interest companies starting in 2024. On July 31, the European Commission adopted the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), incorporating two references to EMAS into the final framework, find the press release here. Firstly, ESRS 1 allows for the inclusion of a reference to the EMAS environmental statement within the sustainability statement. Secondly, the criteria concerning soil sealing in Annex 2 explicitly mentions EMAS, recognizing its importance in addressing environmental impacts.

The CSRD Working Group continues its efforts to define practical implementations for responding to CSRD requirements through EMAS and to promote EMAS during the CSRD's transposition into national law.

We also welcome another policy update from this summer that promotes environmental excellence with EMAS. On July 24, 2023, the European Commission partially recognized Austria's ECOPROFIT (ÖKOPROFIT) environmental management system as EMAS-compliant, offering an incentive for ECOPROFIT-certified companies to transition to EMAS, particularly benefiting SMEs by reducing administrative burdens and costs.

Now we invite you to explore this issue of the EMAS Newsletter, among others featuring news on AI-driven solutions for EMAS organisations, insights from pioneer company ReLearn in the waste sector, and how EMAS organisations can contribute to shifting Earth Overshoot Day.

Until next time!