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EMAS Reference documents

Welcome to the world of EMAS knowledge! Here you can access official EU documents that form the foundation of EMAS. Dive into the legislative text of the EMAS Regulation and explore official guidance documents and 'sectoral reference documents' that offer sector-specific insights.

Sectoral reference documents

The sectoral reference documents are guidance documents provided by the European Commission to inspire and guide organisations in specific sectors to enhance their environmental performance. These documents feature best environmental practices, performance indicators, and benchmarks of excellence.

To effectively use the reference documents, organisations should compare their internal processes with the recommended practices and benchmarks to identify areas for improvement and include them in their environmental programs. When selecting indicators for environmental reporting, consideration should be given to the sector-specific performance indicators outlined in the reference documents.

It is crucial to mention in the environmental statement how the organisation has incorporated the relevant best environmental practices and benchmarks from the relevant sectoral reference documents, demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.

EMAS amendment 2017/18 - All changes at a glance

In the course of the planned amendment of the EMAS Regulation and the amendment of ISO 14001:2015, the European Commission revised Annexes I-IV of the EMAS Regulation and the EMAS User Guide. The amendment aimed to ensure the continued compatibility of EMAS with an environmental management system according to ISO 14001. This brochure serves as a reference document for organisations to guide them through the changes to the Amendment of the EMAS Regulation.

General publications3 July 2023
EMAS amendment 2017/2019
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Fact sheet: 'The revised Annexes I, II and III of the EMAS Regulation'

In 2017, Annexes I to III of the EMAS Regulation were revised. To help organisations implement the changes, a factsheet summarises the new requirements and their significance.

General publications7 June 2017
EMAS Revised Annexes
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(638.05 KB - PDF)
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Reinforcing added value for EMAS (RAVE) study

The study explores measures for strengthening EMAS added value to authorities and organisations. It investigates three aspects in particular: the potential of regulatory relief in driving EMAS registrations and bringing benefits to authorities, the capacity of EMAS to facilitate reporting to authorities and its capacity to trigger business opportunities. The experience of 11 EU countries is presented and best practices are highlighted to help EU countries make the best use of EMAS. Download the study on EMAS added value for authorities and organisations.

General publications18 December 2017
RAVE final report
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(4.61 MB - PDF)
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Compendium of promotional and policy support measures in the Member States

The Compendium on EMAS promotion and policy support gives an overview of instruments used in EU countries to support and reward the efforts of EMAS organisations. It explains the benefits of EMAS incentives for participating organisations and also for regulators and policymakers, providing a wide range of examples from different EU countries.

Download Annex II to Compendium on EMAS promotion and policy support - regulatory relief

Download Annex III to Compendium on EMAS promotion and policy support - best practices and justifications

Download Annex IV to Compendium on EMAS promotion and policy support - innovative proposals

Download Annex V to Compendium on EMAS promotion and policy support - reporting obligation

General publications9 June 2015
EMAS Compendium 2015
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And its separate annexes:

General publications3 July 2023
Annex II: Compendium of regulatory relief measures
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(255 KB - XLS)
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General publications3 July 2023
Annex III: Best practices and justifications
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(25.65 KB - XLSX)
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General publications3 July 2023
Annex IV: Innovative proposals
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(78.5 KB - XLSX)
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General publications3 July 2023
Annex V: Compendium of reporting obligations
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(83.88 KB - XLSX)
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More information on the study is also available in the RAVE study section of the website.

EMAS Fitness Check: Evaluation of the EMAS Regulation

The Fitness Check was carried out in 2017 by the Commission to analyse the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and EU added value of the EMAS regulation. It is accompanied by an evaluation study providing numbers on EMAS, analysing its costs and benefits and its contribution to reducing environmental impacts. The study also looks ahead and discusses different scenarios for the future of EMAS.

Take a look at the different documents:

General publications30 June 2017
Press release- Circular Economy: New chapter for European green products
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(356.1 KB - PDF)
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General publications30 June 2017
Report to the Council and Parliament (available in all community languages)
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(163.87 KB - HTML)
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General publications30 June 2017
Fitness Check
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(2.53 MB - PDF)
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General publications30 June 2017
Executive Summary of the Fitness Check
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(231.82 KB - PDF)
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General publications3 July 2023
Supporting evaluation study
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Older publications

Fact Sheet 'EMAS and the revised ISO 14001'

This document summarises the changes in the standard ISO 14001 published in 2015. Because EMAS integrates ISO 14001 (so that it is very easy to step up to EMAS), the fact sheet presents the expected adaptations to EMAS. It is available in  ENITESFRPLDE (2016).

A more recent fact sheet presents the changes made to the Annexes of the EMAS Regulation to integrate this new version of ISO 14001. It is available in  EN (2017).

Fact Sheet 'EMAS and Energy Management'

Management systems such as EMAS and ISO 50 001 help companies improve their energy efficiency. This fact sheet presents the links between the two and helps you identify which one is best for you.

General publications12 July 2013
EMAS Energy Management
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(419.5 KB - PDF)
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Fact Sheet 'Greening the campus with EMAS'

This two-page document explains why and how universities can use EMAS to become more sustainable (2013):

General publications10 June 2013
GreenCampus
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(238.28 KB - PDF)
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Fact Sheet 'EMAS in the tourism sector'

The tourism sector has significant environmental impacts. Using EMAS to reduce them also makes sense from an economic point of view. Discover why in the fact sheet (2013):

General publications14 May 2013
EMAS Tourism Factsheet
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(495.27 KB - PDF)
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Fact Sheet 'EMAS and ISO 26000'

ISO 26000 is an international standard providing guidance on social responsibility. EMAS can be used to implement its recommendations, as demonstrated in this fact sheet (2013):

General publications11 April 2013
EMAS ISO26000 Factsheet
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(436.29 KB - PDF)
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Fact Sheet 'EMAS Global: Superior Environmental Management Worldwide'

EMAS is applicable worldwide. Companies and other organisations outside the European Union will find more information on how to apply in this fact sheet (2012).

General publications8 June 2012
EMAS Global
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(512.73 KB - PDF)
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Fact Sheet 'EMAS Boosts Resource Efficiency'

Resource efficiency is a priority for the European Union. This two-page document highlights the contribution of EMAS-registered organisations and describes how EMAS can help any organisation to better manage its resources. The 2011 fact sheet is still relevant and can be downloaded here.

General publications14 March 2011
EMAS Resource Efficiency
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(496.45 KB - PDF)
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