Environmental Management ISO 14001 / EMAS

An environmental management system, as a single system (ISO 14001 or EMAS) or in an integrated management system with other standards (QHSE management), deals with the operational and inter-company environmental protection. An environmental management system (EMS) not only promotes better environmental protection as an image gain and proximity, but also leads to cost savings through considerable resource and energy efficiency.
 

The aim of environmental management is to ensure the conformity of legal regulations but also to prevent negative environmental effects as a preventative measure.
 

Implementation of an Environment Management System EMS

It is first to discuss whether an EMAS or an ISO environmental management system should be modeled for your company. An ISO 14001 system is often required by customers of an organization. Even when a company is taken over into an existing multi-site organization, an existing environmental management system is extended to the acquired branch.
But also privileges through the EMAS regulation (BImSchG- Störfall- and WHG companies) cause companies turn to build the advanced and more sophisticated EMAS system. It is recommended to use the much more sustainable EMAS system in practice, even if only ISO 14001 certification is required.

When deciding to introduce EMAS or ISO 14001, the next step is to consider how the environmental management system can be implemented. A proven form of implementation is the combination of our own future environmental management officers and our QHSE engineers.
Our environmental engineers analyze your current situation and successively implement the necessary processes together with your own employees. Thus, the new system can be integrated as a single or integrated system with existing management systems in a practice-oriented and standard-compliant manner.
After a successful implementation, the system will manage without any external service providers.
The training of your internal staff with the necessary qualifications for the legally compliant delegate functions or the replacement of a management position resulting from this should necessarily be conducted in parallel during the implementation phase. Very often, job postings to suitable highly qualified personnel can last several months.

The increased workload during the build-up and introductory phase can be cushioned by our QHSE experts, so that your operations and the core activities of your designated employees for this new system are not disturbed. System support with your internal employees has the advantage that operating procedures and contact persons are known and even remain with new hires. This is especially beneficial for the management of integrated management systems.
It is implied, with the new ISO 14001 standard, to designate a top-level environmental management officer. Previous assignments from employee groups without line authority are obsolete. This means that external orders can no longer be audited.
For this reason, a top management representative for the environmental management system and his deputy will take a leading role right at the beginning of the project.

ISO 14001

Requirements for an environmental management system are defined by the international standard ISO 14001: 2015. The aim of DIN EN ISO 14001 is a continuous improvement of environmental performance and a contribution to compliance with environmental law by companies.

Unless a customer requirement requires the implementation of ISO 14001, an image gain or marketing effect is often associated with environmental management.
Businesses in all sectors use an environmental management system to:

  • Conformity assurance of legal obligations
  • continuous improvement of environmental performance
  • Reduce costs by saving resources and resources
  • Reduction of environmental risks
  • Improvement of the image
  • Motivation of the employees


ISO 14001, unlike EMAS, does not specify any explicit requirements for environmental performance. Thus, two organizations that perform activities in a similar scope, but different in environmental performance, can both meet the requirements of ISO 14001.

 

Essentially, ISO 14001: 2015 describes requirements for preparing a management system:

  • the commitment of top management to the compliant implementation of the management system
  • the definition and implementation of environmental objectives
  • the management of resources and responsibilities
  • the identification and assessment of environmental aspects, opportunities and risks
  • the documentation structure of the company
  • the training and information of employees and internal audits at fixed intervals
  • the measurement and analysis of environmental performance as well
  • the improvement and maintenance of the system


 


The implementation of an EMS system into your company is done through usally:

  • Illustration of the actual state of your process structure
  • Determination of relevant process stopping points according to the requirements of the standard
  • Integration of external requirements, for example (incident, - crisis management)
  • Structure of the required processes (illustration of your policy and goals, qualifications of your managers, process manuals, measuring points, audit programs, performance evaluation, handling of deviations, risk management)
  • Training your employees
  • Test runs with fault maneuvers, troubleshooting, emergency exercises and test audits
  • Selection of suitable certification bodies
  • Support in the practical management activity, e.g. internal audits, processing of an audit report, document control, management review


 


Preparation of the stage 1 audit

Level 1 audit objectives include:

  • documented information of the management system, including static information on scope, policies, objectives, interested parties
  • internal communication, external communication
  • Processes Descriptions
  • Levels of controls used (especially for multi-site organizations)
  • Applicable legal and regulatory requirements
  • Checking the suitability of the organization's goals
  • Assessment of internal audits and management reviews
  • Site-specific conditions of the organization
  • Illustration of the responsible persons and their competence to prepare for level 2
  • Reviewing the organization's understanding of the requirements of the standard,
  • Identification of key services, environmental aspects, processes, goals of the management system, employee involvement



 
Level 1 assessment must ensure that Stage 2 objectives can be met.

 

Preparation for the stage 2 audit.
The purpose of the Level 2 Assessment is to assess the effectiveness and effectiveness of the organization's management system. The assessment will check conformity to the:

  • Performance in monitoring, reporting and target achievement.
  • Regulatory compliance audit, action requiring review
  • Operational control
  • Participation and knowledge of the workforce
  • Internal Audits and Management Review
  • Management responsibility.


 
For multi-site organizations, the level 2 assessment is based on random sampling according to the IAF 71 SD 6 013 | Guideline Chapter 5.2.3 aligned
 
With successful certification the implementation is finished.

 


With good preparation, an initial certification procedure can be completed within a few months. There is a minimum duration between implementation and level 1, as well as between level 1 and level 2 audits.
Between the implementation of the management system and the first level 1 assessment, the evidence of the organization's effective implementation of the system must be mapped for at least three months. For multi-site organizations, the Level 1 Assessment is targeted at the central organization (see IAF 71 SD 6 013 | Revision: 1.1 | 20 Aug 2015).

Usually there should be a minimum of one month between Level 1 and Level 2 assessments. If more than three months and less than six months pass between Level 1 and Level 2, Level 1 should be repeated. At the end of six months, the level 1 is repeated.

A service provider who advises, trains, or otherwise is involved with a company may not certify. We therefore assist you in selecting an accredited certification body.

In addition to DIN EN ISO 14001, there are the following supporting standards:

  • DIN EN ISO 14004 Environmental Management Systems General Guide on Principles, Systems and Auxiliary Instruments,
  • DIN EN ISO 14015 Environmental management Environmental assessment of sites and organizations
  • DIN EN ISO 14020 Environmental labeling and declarations
  • DIN EN ISO 14031 Environmental Management Environmental Performance Assessment Guidelines
  • DIN EN ISO 14040 Environmental Management Life Cycle Assessment Principles and general requirements
  • DIN EN ISO 14051 Environmental Management Material Flow Cost Accounting General Conditions
  • DIN EN ISO 14064 Environmental management Measurement, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions
EMAS Eco Management and Audit Scheme

EMAS is a voluntary European Union instrument that helps businesses and organizations of all sizes and industries to continuously improve their environmental performance. (Quote from emas website http://www.emas.de/home/)

EMAS is a management system that sets high environmental standards. It exceeds the requirements of ISO 14001. In principle, environmental management systems pursue the goal of "end-of-pipe" procedures, which fundamentally eliminate harmful mechanisms and their effects on the environment.
Environmental management systems provide process mechanisms for evaluating, managing and managing environmental aspects throughout the cycle, from raw material sourcing to manufacturing, use and the required measures at the end of use of a product or service, and environmental performance to improve.

An environmental management system according to the EC regulation 1221: 2009 (EMAS regulation) contains as a management core the ISO 14001 mechanisms. The new ISO 14001: 2015 released in September 2015 has as a major change the new HLS, high level structure, which allows a simpler and consistent combination of other ISO systems. In addition, a life-cycle view of the products and services as well as the explicit responsibility of the management level for the management system have been defined. This has always existed at EMAS.
In particular, the EMAS regulation includes legal regulations on the approval and supervision of environmental verifiers as well as the regulations for publication and registration of organizations seeking EMAS certification. Furthermore, a regulatory inquiry into compliance with legislation as a prerequisite for registration contributes to the particular credibility of EMAS registered companies.
Since an EMAS certification contains all the requirements of ISO 14001, the validation of an environmental verifier and the EMAS registration will also be accompanied by a certificate of conformity with ISO 14001. An environmental verifier is entitled to issue a certificate according to ISO 14001.
Even with the new ISO 14001: 2015, EMAS still surpasses the commercial requirements of ISO 14001: 2015 as state premium version.


Advantages of the EMAS Environmental Management System:

  • Sustainable stability of operational environmental protection through the binding participation of all employees
  • Proof of compliance with laws and regulations, legal compliance by validation of the environmental verifier
  • Privileges in approval procedures and savings through benefits on application
  • Simplified reporting obligations for BImSchG, accident or WHG facilities (EMAS privilege)
  • More intensive involvement of involved operational units, e.g. Environmental cost account UKoRe
  • Prevention of operational risks
  • Image gain, competitive advantages, sustainable credibility



An EMAS certification includes an ISO 14001 certification. If your company already has ISO 14001 certification, it can be integrated into EMAS certification. However, this does not mean that an accredited verifier will accept third-party ISO 14001 certification without reservation. Environmental verifiers are much more qualified environmental auditors and therefore assess the external ISO 14001 audits and findings of the certification company.

Procedure of an EMAS registration
The first step to EMAS registration is the determination of the current state and the mapping of the future goals. With the implementation of an environmental management system (ISO 14001: 2015), the distribution of responsibilities, the development of core indicators for e.g. Energy and water consumption and waste generation and concrete process controls for the flow control. The internal environmental audit (the first environmental audit) maps the effectiveness of the system and defines concrete, comprehensible and measurable goals.

The objectives and measures derived from the first environmental audit (and later their achievement of objectives) are documented in an environmental statement, which must be validated by an environmental verifier. A special feature of the EMAS requirement is that compliance with all relevant environmental legislation must be checked and confirmed

If the assessment of the environmental management system is successful and the environmental statement valid, the registration application is submitted to the responsible registration office. They communicate with the responsible environmental authority about any violations and register the company in the EMAS register. Now the registered company is allowed to use the EMAS logo

 

QHSE Compliance
EU

QHSE Management Division Europe

If there is any question that we can answer, please let us know
Christian Ruhe M.Sc.
support technical and industrial specifications
+49 (0) 231 / 952 99 4 98