ABSTRACT
In Europe, the most common voluntary EMS standards encompass European EMAS and worldwide ISO 14000 family. EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) is an environmental management instrument, which was developed in 1993 by the EU to stimulate and synchronize European environmental policies. The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The very first two standards, ISO 14001 and ISO 14004 deal with the EMS. ISO 14001 provides the requirements for the EMS and ISO 14004 gives general EMS guidelines. Requirements for ISO 14001 are an integral part of EMAS. Organizations listed in the EMAS-Register automatically comply with the requirements that the international standard demands as well. However, EMAS registered organizations fulfil requirements that go beyond the scope of ISO 14001 (Wenk 2005).
