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18-Mar-2010 SustainAvia invited to speak at the 3rd Annual Eco-Aviation Conference in Washington D.C. in June 2010
07-Mar-2010 VerifAvia, a verification body of greenhouse gas for the aviation sector, has been established
07-Mar-2010 The Eurocontrol tool for small emitters is in process of approval
In The Press
28-Jun-2010 IATA criticizes lack of progress on volcanic ash issues in Europe [ATW]
28-Jan-2010 The solid business case for cutting carbon emissions [BusinessDay]
06-Dec-2009 The implications of the EU's ETS [Aircraft Commerce]
11-Oct-2010 ICAO members reach historic agreement on climate change [ATW]
12-Aug-2010 In a critical year for the Aviation EU ETS, European emissions fall in first half of 2010 compared to 2009 [GreenAir Online]
09-Aug-2010 EU ETS fears slow down aviation verification process [Flight International]
EMS Certification
Environmental management system (EMS) refers to the management of an organization's environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented manner. It includes the organisational structure, planning and resources for developing, implementing and maintaining policy for environmental protection.
An EMS follows a Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle, or PDCA. The process starts with developing an environmental policy, planning the EMS, and then implementing it. The process also includes checking the system and acting on it. The model is continuous because an EMS is a process of continual improvement in which an organization is constantly reviewing and revising the system.
This is a model that can be used by a wide range of organizations — from manufacturing facilities to service industries to government agencies, including airlines.
In general, an EMS:
- Serves as a tool to improve environmental performance
- Provides a systematic way of managing an organization’s environmental affairs
- Is the aspect of the organization’s overall management structure that addresses immediate and long-term impacts of its products, services and processes on the environment
- Gives order and consistency for organizations to address environmental concerns through the allocation of resources, assignment of responsibility and ongoing evaluation of practices, procedures and processes
- Focuses on continual improvement of the system
ISO 14001:2004
An EMS meeting the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 is a management tool enabling an organization of any size or type to:
- identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products or services
- improve its environmental performance continually
- implement a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets, to achieving these and to demonstrating that they have been achieved
ISO 14001:2004 does not specify levels of environmental performance. The intention of ISO 14001:2004 is to provide a framework for a holistic, strategic approach to the organization's environmental policy, plans and actions.
ISO 14001:2004 gives the generic requirements for an environmental management system. The underlying philosophy is that whatever the organization's activity, the requirements of an effective EMS are the same.
This has the effect of establishing a common reference for communicating about environmental management issues between organizations and their customers, regulators, the public and other stakeholders.
Because ISO 14001:2004 does not lay down levels of environmental performance, the standard can to be implemented by a wide variety of organizations, whatever their current level of environmental maturity. However, a commitment to compliance with applicable environmental legislation and regulations is required, along with a commitment to continual improvement – for which the EMS provides the framework.
ISO 14001:2004 is a tool that can be used to meet internal objectives:
- provide assurance to management that it is in control of the organizational processes and activities having an impact on the environment
- assure employees that they are working for an environmentally responsible organization.
ISO 14001:2004 can also be used to meet external objectives:
- provide assurance on environmental issues to external stakeholders – such as customers, the community and regulatory agencies
- comply with environmental regulations
- support the organization's claims and communication about its own environmental policies, plans and actions
- provides a framework for demonstrating conformity via suppliers' declarations of conformity, assessment of conformity by an external stakeholder - such as a business client - and for certification of conformity by an independent certification body.
For more information on ISO 14001, click here, here and here.
EMAS
The EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a management tool for companies and other organisations to evaluate, report and improve their environmental performance. The scheme has been available for participation by companies since 1995 and was originally restricted to companies in industrial sectors. Since 2001 EMAS has been open to all economic sectors including public and private services.
In 2009 the EMAS Regulation has been revised and modified for the second time. Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) was published on 22 December 2009 and entered into force on 11 January 2010.
EMAS is a voluntary tool available for any kind of organisation aiming to:
- Improve its environmental and financial performance;
- Communicate its environmental achievements to stakeholders and society in general.
EMAS’ distinctive key elements are performance, credibility and transparency:
- Performance: carrying out annual updates of environmental policy targets and actions to implement and evaluate these targets
- Credibility: third party verification by independent auditors guarantee the value of both actions taken and disclosed information
- Transparency: environmental statements provide public information about the environmental performance of the organization
» For more information about EMAS, click here, here and here.