EMAS - Apply for registration and admission
EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) is a joint European Community system for environmental management and environmental auditing. This instrument is designed to help organisations improve their environmental performance. Since 2001, the structure of an environmental management system (EMS) and the processes have also been in line with ISO 14001 for EMAS.
EMAS is not only open to the manufacturing industry. It is also open to, for example
- Municipalities and other public administrations
- church organisations
- Banks
- Wholesale and retail companies
- Schools and universities
- Hotels and restaurants
The aims of EMAS are
- to strengthen environmental awareness within the organisation
- to make environmental protection part of the organisation's policy and
- to continuously improve environmental performance.
EMAS includes, among other things
- Environmental audits: Identification of significant environmental impacts
- Audits: regular, systematic and objective evaluation of the system and the environmental performance achieved
- Informing the public about the organisation's efforts in the area of environmental protection
Responsible department
the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) responsible for your organisation
Details
Prerequisite
- Implementation of an environmental audit by the organisation
- Establishment of an environmental management system
- Publication of an environmental statement
Procedure
Your organisation must first carry out an environmental audit. This serves to determine what impact your organisation has on the environment. As a result of the environmental audit, your organisation must submit an environmental statement.
Independent environmental verifiers authorised by the German Accreditation and Licensing Body for Environmental Verifiers (DAU) check the environmental statement.
If the requirements of the EMAS Regulation are met, the verifier validates the environmental statementädeclaration and declare it valid.
After validation, you must apply for entry in the EMAS register at the chamber responsible for your organisation.
The chamber will check your documents. It will inform the lower environmental protection authority of the planned registration. The authority has four weeks to comment on the registration.
If the lower environmental protection authority does not give the chamber any negative feedback, the chamber will assign your organisation a registration number.
After registration, you are authorised to use the EMAS logo for advertising purposes for the duration of the registration. The validity period is three or four years.
Deadlines
Have yourself entered in the EMAS register as soon as the EMAS validation has been completed.
As soon as the validated, i.e. validated environmental statement is available, registration can be applied for. The responsible environmental authorities (district offices) will be consulted prior to entry in the EMAS register.
Required documents
- completed application form
- Description of the business areas that are to receive the EMAS logo
- the validated environmental statement
Costs
are based on
- the cost rates of the environmental verifier and
- the fee rates of the competent chambers responsible for entry in the EMAS register
Processing time
The examination by the chamber takes an average of six to eight weeks.
Miscellaneous
Further in-depth information on the above points and funding databases can be found on the EMAS website.
Legal basis
- Verordnung (EG) Nr. 1221/2009 (EMAS III)
- Gesetz zur Ausführung der Verordnung (EG) Nr. 1221/2009 - Umweltauditgesetz (UAG)
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg, 03.07.2024