Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
The experts of CENTRIC AUSTRIA INTERNATIONAL support organizations to implement Environmental Management Systems according to ISO 14001 and EMAS.
Based on Cleaner Production consultancy as a first basic step which is provided by CAI, a company will have adopted already 80 to 90 percent of the tasks necessary to establish a full Environmental Management System.
ISO 14001
ISO 140001 is an international standard for environmental management system legislated by ISO (International Organization for Standardization). The ISO 14001 EMS standard is intended to address the identification, evaluation, and continual improvement of an organization’s activities, products, or services that interact with the environment. ISO 14001 can improve the whole gamut of environment management systems by grasping, controlling and checking environmental influence on an organization in conformity with circulation period of Plan-Do-Check-Action model, which is a basic concept of management system.
EMAS
The 'Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)' of the European Union is the premium EMS going beyond the features of ISO 14001 by requesting companies not only to set up an EMS, but also to prove that it leads to continuous improvements of a company, which is checked with an annual revalidation of EMAS companies. Additionally EMAS companies are registered in an EU Member State database and certain information like a company's environmental policy is accessible by the public. EMAS has attracted both private and public organisations all across Europe since 1995, when the scheme was officially launched. Since then the scheme has been tested under real conditions on a large scale by registered organisations and, on this basis, been continuously improved. With the latest revision of the EMAS Regulation (EC) No. 1221/2009 (EMAS III), the scheme is now applicable worldwide (EMAS Global).
CENTRIC AUSTRIA INTERNATIONAL is one of the first expert organisations who is promoting EMAS Global and providing adequate services to industries to adopt EMAS also outside the European Union.
Our services to guide towards EMAS step-by-step comprises the explanation of the EMAS implementation processes and the roles of all stakeholders (relevant EMAS institutions as foreseen by the EMAS Regulation, duties and responsibilities of companies and of consultants) in their sequence and interrelation:
· Flow chart on EMAS implementation steps (main responsibilities, etc.)
· List of dates for recurring activities (internal audits, external verification cycle)
· Environmental policy and programme
o Summary of main elements of environmental policies and programmes
o “Good practice” environmental policies from SMEs in different sectors
· Environmental review
o Data collection table (documentation input-output flows, calculation of emissions, etc.)
o Methodology to identify relevant legal requirements & significant environmental impacts
o Fact sheet on the application of EMAS III environmental core indicators
o Questionnaire for employee survey
o Summary of requirements and “good practice” examples on employee engagement
· Environmental management system
o Template of environmental management system handbook
o “Good practices” on environmental management system handbook
o Examples of organizational charts to determine responsibility within an SME
· Environmental statement
o Summary of key elements of environmental statement
o “Good practice” examples
EMS Auditors
CENTRIC AUSTRIA INTERNATIONAL is in the advantageous position to have amongst our expert pool a number of consultants who are accredited as ISO 14001 and EMAS auditors.