EMAS EC/1221:2009 Environmental Certification

The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, EMAS, is open to all companies, organisations regardless of size or activity inside or outside the Community, aiming at improving environmental performance and communicating this performance to the public. It is specifically addressed to organisations wishing to achieve environmental excellence and seeking promotion through registering in the EMAS Register. Furthermore, it can be more easily applied to companies already certified with ISO 14001:2004.

The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, EMAS, is a voluntary environmental management tool for companies and other organizations to evaluate, report and improve their environmental performance.

Its basic structure and requirements are the same with other EMS, like ISO 14001:2004, but there are certain principles of this regulation that make it so unique and different. These principles are the greatest and clearest demonstration of legal compliance, transparency and public access to
environmental information through the issue of an environmental statement by the organization.

In practice, ISO 14001:2004 can be seen as a stepping stone for EMAS verification, but EMAS goes beyond that.

The basic benefits from the setting and implementation of an Environmental System according to the requirements of EMAS EC/1221/2009 are the following:

Competitive advantage through the use of EMAS logo
Classification in the elite of companies concerning environmental management
Reduced operational and environmental cost
Regulatory compliance and potential regulatory relief
Improved relations with internal/external stakeholders
Minimisation of risk

Eurocert is a Greek Independent Certification Body accredited by Greek and International Accreditation Bodies with offices in more than 14 countries in Europe and Asia.

Eurocert possesses highly-trained and educated auditors with great expert ise and experience in their field. In particular, Eurocert has earned recognition in the field of environmental management system certif ication by conducting audits according to ISO 14001:2004, EMAS European Regulation and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions data for many years. Furthermore, Eurocert’s client KOTTARIDI GP has won the European EMAS 2009 award in Stockholm in their category (small organizations).

Certification with Eurocert means evaluation and acceptance by an accredited and well-respected third-party professional organization.

Please read the attachments for more information

EMAS 1221_2009_ENG

Registration under EMAS Regulation is the best tool for increasing market access along with optimising environmental performance. The EMAS logo and statement can also be used for marketing and communication activities.

Typically 6-12 months, although this depends on many factors. The main issue is that the company must demonstrate that the management system is fully implemented and meets all the requirements of the regulation. The last part is the validation of the company’s environmental statement by the verifier.

No. EMAS is a voluntary environmental management tool aiming at continual improvement and does not substitute for any public or official audit. It organizes the company however, so that it complies with all relevant legislation and helps to avoid any unexpected problems or fines during these audits.