Environmental Management Systems, EMS
An
environmental management system (EMS) is a systematic approach to deal with the environmental
aspects of an organization. It is a tool that enables an organization of any
size or type to control the impact of its activities, products or services on
the natural environment. ISO 14001 and EMAS are the most common used EMS
systems in use and these are therefore more described under separate
subheadings.
The
international standard - ISO 14001 Environmental management systems-
Specification with guidance for use - was published in 1996. The number of ISO
14001 certificates was 61287 in December 2003.
At
the European level the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) was launched in
1995. In March 2001, the Council and the European Parliament adopted EMAS II,
the revised EMAS regulation, which strengthens and extends the scope of the
scheme. By the beginning of 2004, almost 3500 organizations were registered as
EMAS organizations.
Sources:
http://www.tc207.org
http://www.ecology.or.jp/isoworld/english/analy14k.htm
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/emas/registration/sites_en.htm
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