EMAS User's Guide
The EMAS User’s Guide, developed in 2013, is a user-oriented tool which translates the EMAS Regulation into practical steps. The Guide provides clear and concrete advice for organisations interested in EMAS to facilitate and encourage their registration and make participation in EMAS as simple as possible.
The EMAS User’s Guide contains:
- A practical implementation guide
- A description of EMAS Costs and Benefits
- A timeline for the implementation of EMAS
- Advice on how to move from non-formal environmental management systems to EMAS
- Advice for SMEs and information on EMAS Easy
- Advice on how to use the EMAS Logo
- Information on the verification of multisite organisations
The EMAS User's guide has been updated in 2017. The new version is available here: EMAS User’s Guide.
EMAS Global Guide
For detailed information on EMAS Global, the European Commission has published an official EMAS Global guide (legislative text) which you can find here.
If you are looking for further information on the implementation of EMAS you may find the “Join EMAS” section helpful.
Tools
EMAS Implementation Tools
EMAS leads to improvements in management processes and environmental performance for all types of organisations. To help make the process of implementing EMAS even easier, especially for small and medium organisations, the EMAS Helpdesk has designed four pilot tools to assist with introducing EMAS. The tools come with an instruction manual that will walk you through using the tools and give other helpful hints for EMAS implementation.
Please note that the tools do not cover a complete implementation of EMAS, but are designed to help with the implementation process. To see how the tools fit into the EMAS process, check out the “How does it work?” section of our website and the instruction manual for the tools (found below)
The EMAS implementation tools are part of a pilot project to support all organisations, but especially small and medium-sized organisations (SMEs), in their implementation of EMAS. The tools will help you find out what environmental aspects your organisation has, decide which person in your organisation is responsible for which task related to the environmental management system (EMS), and also to collect and analyse your environmental data. There are all vital steps when setting up an EMS!
You can download the tools and their instruction manual here:
Please save the files in the same place on your computer so that the automatic links between the tools will work. If you have any questions, please contact the EMAS Helpdesk.
Some regional governments and organisations have developed their own EMAS implementation tools. For example, the city of Barcelona and the EMAS Club Catalonia and the Bavarian Environment Ministry in Germany have each developed a tool set. Contact your Competent Body to find out if there are tools available in your language!
Information about the EMAS tools:
Organisational information tool:
This tool helps you gather the most important information about your organisation in one place, so you can use the information for reference in the other tools. Most information added in this tool will automatically appear in the other tools.
Environmental aspects tool:
This tool helps you to identify your organisation’s environmental aspects and impacts and determine which aspects are the most relevant for your organisation.
Environmental responsibilities tool:
The environmental responsibilities tool helps you to determine the people in your organisation who are important for different aspects of the EMS.
Data collection tool:
The data tool guides you through the process of collecting the environmental data important for your EMS. It also converts most units automatically to form the indicators for your environmental statement!
EMAS Social Media Anniversary Toolkit
The EMAS Helpdesk has designed a toolkit for successful communication of EMAS anniversaries on Social Media. The Toolkit consist of a Manual, Headers, Logos, Banners and ideas for good postings that can be used together with specific hashtags to celebrate an EMAS anniversary on various social media platforms.
The Manual (which is also included in the Toolkit) in the attachment provides you a more in-depth overview of how to use the Toolkit, each of the materials and provides some tips for a good social media posting!
You can download the toolkit and instruction manual here:
Tools
EMAS Communication Toolkit
The main objective of EMAS is to facilitate sustainable transformation. To enhance the environmental impact, it is essential to get more stakeholders involved and more organizations inspired. Therefore, communicating the benefits of using EMAS in an effective way is the key.
The EMAS Communication Toolkit has been designed to provide organizations with material to support their social media campaigns, events and more. It features Social Media Banners, Posters, E-Mail signatures etc.
In the toolkit you will find visual Power Point templates, these are easy to use and adapt. For those having more experience with graphic design, also the Adobe InDesign Files are provided.
You can download the toolkit here:
Tools
Any feedback or suggestion on the tools? Please contact the EMAS Helpdesk.