• What is an Environmental Management System?.
• Introducing EMAS.
• The EMAS Process: The 7 Steps.
• The role of the Environment Unit.
• What are the benefits of EMAS?.
• What is EMAS?: An overview of the EMAS Process (PDF Opens in a new window).
• Case Study: EMAS - A local authority perspective, 2001(PDF Opens in a new window).
• Case Study: A Practical Guide to EMAS - Kirklees Councils Experiences, 2003 (PDF Opens in a new window).
• Case Study: A case study of achieving EMAS October 2004 (PDF Opens in a new window).
• Case Study: ECO Network 2006(PDF Opens in a new window) .

Introducing EMAS
EMAS stands for the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. It is an environmental standard for which participating organisations can seek independent validation. EMAS is a voluntary European Union standard and has been implemented by local authorities, manufacturers and the service industry since the early 1990s.
Voluntary Participation
Participation in EMAS is entirely voluntary. Kirklees Council took the decision to implement an environmental management system to meet the EMAS standard in 1997.
Our Commitment
The council is committed to implementing and maintaining EMAS in all council services. We annually review our environment policy, compliance with environmental legislation, and our environmental performance to ensure we are continually improving.
Investing in the Environment
Implementing EMAS and environmental improvement requires investment in terms of time, effort and money.

The EMAS Process: The 7 Steps
Organisations participating in EMAS must implement the following seven separate steps.

1. Conduct an environmental review to identify the organisation's impacts on the environment
2. Develop an environment policy documenting the organisation's approach to environmental improvement
3. Develop an environmental programme of actions that will be taken to reduce the identified environmental impacts
4. Implement an environmental management system covering environmental roles and responsibilities, training, communication, and procedures
5. Audit performance against the environmental programme and audit the implementation of the environmental management system
6. Produce a publicly available environmental statement covering the organisation's environmental impacts, management programme and performance
7. Seek independent validation of the environment statement

The Role of the Environment Unit
The Environment Unit co-ordinates the implementation and maintenance of EMAS across the council. Below are a few examples of what we do:

• Provide support and guidance to services implementing EMAS
• Provide training on environmental issues
• Run environmental theme months on energy, water, purchasing, waste and transport etc
• Co-ordinate a network of 250 environmental champions (ECOs) across the Council
• Conduct legal compliance and environmental audits of our services
• Monitor the councils energy, transport and waste performance
• Maintain the council's environment policy

What are the Benefits of EMAS?
The benefits for participating organisations are many. Below are a few examples:

• Local and international recognition - EMAS is a recognised certificate across the whole of the European Union.
• Increased staff environmental awareness - All staff receive environmental information explaining what their personal impact is on the environment and what simple actions they can take to improve their performance
• Lower costs - Financial savings by helping identify where savings can be made, for example in the use of energy, water, transport and purchasing, and in reducing waste
• Securing funding - Increasingly, funding bodies require evidence of good environmental management from applicants
• Compliance with environmental legislation - reducing the risk of environmental pollution
• Improvements in service - environmental quality is an important aspect of overall quality of service. EMAS helps ensure that environmental impacts are considered in all areas of activity
• Protection of the environment - The establishment of an environmental management system reduces environmental impacts, for example ever increasing environmental problems such as global climate change, deforestation, contamination of land, air and water.